Office Policies & Procedures for Avoiding Discrimination
Discrimination is a serious problem in America's places of business. Claims of discrimination are high, despite laws to prohibit discrimination. Discrimination can keep employees from working together effectively and drawing on one another's expertise, and it also can cost a company money if it loses a discrimination lawsuit. Therefore, it is in a company's best interest to actively discourage discrimination in theory and in practice, by educating workers and ensuring compliance.
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Definition
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According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the law prohibits employers from discriminating against employees based on gender, race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin or genetic information. This protection extends to all aspects of business life, including recruitment, hiring and firing, promotions, testing, transfers, use of facilities, training, fringe benefits, retirement savings, and vacation and leave time. The law also forbids harassment and retaliation against employees who report a complaint.
Continuing Issues
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Despite these protections, discrimination is near record highs. The latest statistics available, from 2009, show that workplace discrimination complaints remain at historically elevated levels; more than 93,000 reports were filed with the EEOC, the second-highest level in the agency's history. Complaints of discrimination based on disability jumped 10 percent, those related to national origin increased 5 percent, and religious discrimination claims increased 3 percent.
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Ethical Training
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Discrimination is both illegal and unethical. Thus, discriminating against any minority group at the office can not only get a company in legal trouble but also give it a bad reputation as well and create a hostile corporate culture. Ethics training should address many issues, especially discrimination. All workers should be given the tools to treat others fairly and eliminate stereotyping or other discriminatory practices. This will lead to a diverse open work atmosphere and avoid the cost and bad publicity associated with a court case. Training should focus on understanding other cultures, and on replacing uninformed stereotypes with information about people from different backgrounds, so workers can find a common ground.
Compliance
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Once employees go through training and have the tools to treat their fellow workers with respect, companies should enforce a zero tolerance policy toward discrimination. Human resources should handle all complaints in a timely manner and investigate any potential harassment or discrimination. Executives should not be exempt from anti-discrimination policies, as leaders set the tone for their departments.
Reporting Discrimination
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Employees who experience workplace discrimination should file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Victims will have to give their names, as well as name their companies and the aggressors, and recount the incident(s). If the case goes to trial and the company is found guilty, victim(s) may get monetary damages.
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References
- Photo Credit office workers image by Tracy Martinez from Fotolia.com
