What Does Discrimination in the Office Look Like?
Discrimination in the office happens more often than many business owners think. It can be disguised as harmless office banter or a joke, but it is worth your attention as it can negatively impact your culture and even lead to a hostile work environment.
Discrimination can cause devastating consequences on the employees’ physical and mental health, such as depression, anxiety, and maybe even retaliation and hostile behaviour.
It can also lead to decreased productivity, higher employee turnover and even legal issues, all of which can impact a companies success.
Recognising and preventing discriminatory behaviour has to be at the top of every business owner’s list of priorities. If this seems overwhelming, don’t worry because People Management Partners can help.
Types of discrimination
Before we go any further into what discrimination looks like in the office, it is worth exploring different types of discrimination. Discrimination can be associated with the following:
age
gender reassignment
being married or in a civil partnership
being pregnant or on maternity leave
disability
race including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin
religion or belief
sex
sexual orientation
It can reveal itself in many forms of harassment, like negative comments, gossip, inappropriate jokes, or even physical harassment.
However, there are some cases where it is a bit more subtle, like passing over impossible tasks to coworkers or “banter” in WhatsApp group chats. Whatever form it might take it can cause serious consequences, so you need to handle it as soon as possible.
How to prevent discrimination in the workplace?
Dealing with and preventing discrimination in the workplace is done by establishing clear boundaries, providing anti-discrimination training, unconscious bias training and reacting quickly to any discrimination complaints.
Establish clear boundaries
Setting up a diversity and inclusion policy is a vital step toward creating a positive workplace atmosphere. This policy should be concise and to the point, where you will, in simple terms, explain the boundaries in workplace behavior.
You must make it clear that any form of discrimination, bullying or harassment is unacceptable and then provide the definitions of the different types of discrimination so that employees can understand what it means.
Crafting this policy and communicating it to the employees can be a sensitive topic that must be done thoughtfully, especially if it comes as a response to existing discrimination. It would be best to let a professional HR advisor handle it and this is where we can help.
React quickly
A quick reaction is a form of confirmation that the policies and training must be taken seriously and that discrimination will not be tolerated in the workplace.
Always ensure that no complaints are left unheard and that every sign of discrimination will be handled appropriately.
To make sure you react not only quickly but with the confidence that you are doing the right thing, People Management Partners can be your HR Advisor.
Anti-discrimination and unconscious bias training
Anti-discrimination and unconscious bias training is crucial. Training should focus on the constructive effects of having a diverse, inclusive workplace and how each team member can benefit in that environment. In addition, any training should explain the impact that discrimination can have and how to prevent it, even if it is unintentional.
You can conduct these training sessions in a team setup or individual, one-on-one conversations. Naturally, it is crucial to provide training to any newcomers in the office. If you would like any help to organise this type of training, please get in touch.
At People Management Partners we offer an unconscious bias training session for in hour teams. Unconscious bias training is important to make sure that employees understand unconscious bias exists and the steps they can take to reduce its impact on their decisions.
In summary
Discrimination is a problem that every workplace faces at some point. It can be intentional or unintentional, but in each case, an appropriate reaction is essential if you want to build a successful business.
Whether you decide to do it by yourself or with the help of HR experts, it is an essential factor of a well-structured business that protects its employees and has a good culture.