The average person spends about 90,000 hours of their life in their workplace, which constitutes about one-third of their life. Since people spend so much time at their job, it is important that they feel safe and protected in that environment. However, cases of discrimination have made that difficult to achieve.
People search “employment lawyer near me for discrimination case” on Google every day. Discrimination is still relevant in the United States and occurs to thousands of people every day. The government has introduced certain laws for their protection, but it still has not stopped people from engaging in discriminatory activities. If you are concerned about discrimination in your workplace, you may suggest a few effective measures to your employer to prevent it.
Tips to prevent discrimination in the workplace
- Write the rules down.
The first step to warn employees about discrimination is developing a non-tolerance policy and writing it down in the employee handbook. All existing and potential workers must know that the company has zero tolerance towards such behavior and won’t hesitate to take strict actions when someone is found to engage in it.
- Establish a process to resolve discrimination issues.
Unfortunately, writing down the rules does not always work. You may still find a few people acting discriminatory towards certain groups of people in the workplace. Therefore, the employer must prepare a plan to take care of the situation in advance. The employer should know what steps they should take as soon as they receive a complaint. Not taking action may result in a lawsuit for ignoring their employees’ problems.
- Educate employees about discrimination.
Employers should conduct anti-discriminatory programs to educate their workers. Every employee must be aware of the company’s discrimination policies, potential discriminatory behavior, how to identify discrimination, and the process of reporting the allegation to the employer or other authorities. Also, it is essential to let everyone know the consequences of engaging in such behavior, including lawsuits.
- Be consistent with action.
Employers and companies must handle discrimination complaints consistently. For example, handling one person’s case with adequate planning and investigation while not caring about the other can cause the victim to think their own employer is discriminating against them. This is why consistent action is necessary.
- Allow more channels of communication.
Most companies only have one channel of reporting discrimination. This can sometimes be difficult for some people. It is essential to have multiple transparent means of communication to ensure the employer cannot hide the complaint from the HR or upper management. Other than formal ones, the company should also opt for informal ways of communication. This may include lunchtime conversations.
