Employees have a right to a safe work environment. One of the dangers employees face is discrimination. Discrimination is the unfair and prejudicial treatment of others based on individual characteristics. Discrimination can target many different things, such as gender, race, color, disability or age.
It’s often the decisions that business owners make that decide how safe employees are in workplaces. Business owners can take steps early to disparage discriminatory actions in the workplace so that every employee feels safe in the workplace. The first place that business owners may focus on to combat discrimination is their workplace policies.
Here’s what you should know:
Review current company policies
Many businesses have policies already in place. These policies can determine how employees act in the workplace. If these policies are not strong or clear enough, they may allow discriminatory actions to slip through the cracks.
Business owners may need to review their current workplace policies to help increase inclusivity. For instance, policies may be indirectly discriminatory because questions and statements are phrased to benefit one specific group.
The employee handbook can also benefit from a clear definition of discrimination. This may also include common examples of discrimination. Following that, the handbook may also give detailed instructions to help employees report discriminatory actions.
Training employees on their rights
Business owners may also consider having employees and managers undergo mandatory training. This training may be necessary to reaffirm employee’s rights to a safe workplace and teach them what to do if they or someone they know become a victim of discrimination.
Ensuring employees feel safe in the workplace isn’t easy. Business owners may need to reach out for legal help to understand how they can handle discrimination in the workplace.