How to Combat Discrimination in the Workplace
Although there are a number of laws relating to workplace discrimination, such as the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Pay Act, discrimination still happens. A female employee may be passed over for a promotion because she has a child or an employer may choose a younger job candidate over an older one because he believes the older person doesn't understand technology. Often, the discrimination may be unintentional. Regardless, companies must take a stand to combat discrimination in the workplace.
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Instructions
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Write a clear corporate anti-discrimination policy. Employees should have no questions about where you stand on discrimination. Be sure that the policy also specifies the consequences if an employee is caught discriminating against another employee.
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Enforce the rules that you create. An anti-discrimination policy is meaningless if employees know that nothing will happen to them if they break the rules. Be strict when dealing with potential cases of discrimination. Don't allow any of your employees to think that they are above the rules.
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Educate employees about all forms of discrimination and what to do about it. Hold yearly seminars to discuss cultural diversity in the workplace. There are professional organizations that specialize in these types of seminars. You can choose to send employees to an outside seminar, but it may be better to hold the workshop in-house.
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Create a process for employees to report discriminatory practices. If an employee feels discriminated against, there should be a clear process for reporting and resolving the issue. Work with your human resources department to create these processes.
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Establish equal pay for equal jobs. Women still earn less money than men in many instances. Make sure this does not happen at your company.
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Hire an outside mediator if you cannot resolve an issue. A professional mediator has the knowledge required to work through problems without a costly lawsuit.
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Tips & Warnings
If you have a large company with a very diverse population, consider hiring a full-time expert on diversity and workplace discrimination. This can save money on the cost of seminars or outside mediation.
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Comments
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tupac4ever
Oct 20, 2010
"A female employee may be passed over for a promotion because she has a child or an employer may choose a younger job candidate over an older one because he believes the older person doesn't understand technology. Often, the discrimination may be unintentional." Yeah right but whatever lol.
