As an employer, it’s important to do everything you can to prevent discrimination in your workplace. In fact, it’s the law. Defined as treating a person or a group less favorably than another due to personal circumstances or characteristics, it’s not always obvious.
While refusing to hire someone who is well-qualified due to their color, age, or gender, among other protected groups is obvious, there are subtle types of discrimination too. It can be anything from an employee who hangs up an offensive picture in his cubicle to failing to make eye contact with certain staff members.
By doing all you can to eliminate discrimination in your workplace you’ll significantly reduce the odds of being faced with a lawsuit, something important now more than ever with discrimination cases on the rise.
According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), in the Fiscal Year 2020 the agency secured over $439 million for victims of discrimination through both litigation and voluntary resolutions.
Develop a Written Policy that Defines Rules and Procedures
The first step is to develop a written policy – the more you have in writing regarding all policies, the better, but when it comes to discrimination, it’s critical.
Establishing a policy statement that’s clearly written and ideally included in your employee handbook, should define its purpose while covering a wide range of potential discriminatory acts to ensure that it’s understood. Provide examples and answers to frequently asked questions related to discrimination.
The organization’s statement must be easy to understand, must demonstrate its goals for inclusion and diversity, and must clearly state its position in regard to the intolerance of discrimination. Demonstrate the commitment of the company to not only follow the letter of the law but to go beyond it, creating a safe workplace for all.
Create a Process for Reporting Complaints
Employees should feel comfortable reporting any complaints of discrimination, which means you’ll need a process for them to do so.
Encourage them to always report any inappropriate remarks or behavior, even if done so anonymously. They should be provided with contact information for properly reporting as well as a step-by-step for how to do so.
Define How Complaints Will Be Handled and What the Consequences Will Be
There needs to be a clearly defined process for not only how complaints will be handled, but how reprimands will be administered to those who are found guilty of violating the company’s zero-tolerance policy. Outline the order and types of warnings, with examples of actions that lead to each one of the consequences.
In some serious first-offender cases, there may be greater reprimand required than a “first warning,” so you’ll want to mention that too.
Ensure Everyone Has a Copy of the Zero Tolerance Policy and Understands It
Once you have your policies in writing, be sure every employee from the bottom to the top has a copy and signs an acknowledgment of receipt. Some states require employers to conduct anti-discrimination training as well. Even if yours doesn’t, it’s a good idea to do so when putting it into place as well as in the future, perhaps as part of employee orientation.
