Whether you like it or not, discrimination is part of our today’s society. It can happen anytime and anywhere. The workplace is no exception. Even though businesses are doing their best in preventing discrimination in the workplace, it is still a common occurrence.
You can prevent a lot of problems and keep your employees become more productive, if you take a couple of measures to avoid workplace discrimination. By putting in place the right protocols and systems, you can also foster a strong company environment that helps your bottom line as a business.
Write The Rules Down
One of the first steps you can take towards avoiding workplace discrimination is to establish written rules. Every company must hand out handbooks to each employee which clearly defines what is considered as discrimination.
Company policies regarding discrimination on the workplace should be part of the handbook that you give to them upon getting hired. It’s also important that they should sign an acknowledgement as an indication that they’ve agreed to your organization’s terms and conditions.
Educate Your Employees About Discrimination
It’s essential that you educate your employees about everything there is to know about discrimination, especially its adverse effects. It is also the employer’s job to warn anyone who violates or fails to adhere to the rules and regulations you implemented. Regular training should also be carried out to ensure that everyone in the organization is proactive in taking actions against discrimination.
If possible, take the time to establish some team-building activities or exercises that aims to improve communication and understanding between your employees. Good examples of these are company dinner, focus groups, and retreats.
Establish A Firm Process For Resolving Discriminations
Any employee who feels they’ve been treated poorly or discriminated should immediately report the issue to the company’s HR department, direct supervisor, or manager. It’s also important that they should be able to do such as a thing without getting scared.
It’s important that all organizations must be consistent in addressing such issues. There must be a firm process for resolving these workplace issues with a fair and reasonable investigation. This will give your employees an insight as to how you provide equal and unbiased treatment to all of them. Also, solving these issues in a timely manner should also be a priority as it can affect the image and credibility of your business.
Get Rid Of Hiring Biases
The hiring process is often where discriminations can happen. So, it’s important that you have to review it and see if there are biases. Hiring biases often go unnoticed, especially against candidates that has unfamiliar names, work history, or credentials.
Awareness training is the first step to eliminate this unconscious bias in your workplace. It’ll allow you to recognize those discriminatory actions that often go unnoticed during the hiring process. It can also be helpful if you establish a standard interview process for all candidates.
Giving a work sample test is a great tool that you can use against hiring biases. Instead of judging a candidate based on their gender, age, personality, and appearance, you can critique the quality of their work and decide whether they are worth hiring or not.
Be Consistent
Consistency is key when it comes to avoiding discrimination in the workplace. Keeping a work environment that’s professional can prevent inappropriate behaviors to flourish in the office. In a professional workplace, it’s easy for employees to stay polite, show respect, and perform at optimal levels. Professionalism helps keep a workplace organized.
Consistency also means that you expect everyone in the organization to continue to treat each other fairly and professionally to help avoid discrimination. It also protects you and your business legal disputes which requires the help of a top Los Angeles discrimination lawyer. You should never allow anyone to get away with inappropriate behavior without getting a warning or disciplinary action.
Employers should routinely review the policies in place and monitor how your employees are interacting with each other to ensure zero violations. If you see that your policies aren’t working, maybe it’s time to make some changes. No matter what happens, you must be proactive and consistent in establishing a professional working environment for everyone.
Final Thoughts
As the employer, you have the authority to make changes and implement policies to avoid workplace discrimination. Failure to do so can result in hefty fines and disciplinary actions that can severely tarnish your company’s reputation. Be proactive in looking after the welfare of your employees so you can build a safe working environment that provides equal opportunity for everyone.
