Racism and other types of workplace discrimination are bad for business. It can lead to all sorts of adverse outcomes for managers, employees, and leadership, including irreparable reputational damage and massive financial losses. According to the Washington Post, over a million discrimination complaints were filed between 2010 and 2018, with some of the most common alleged discrimination including racial, age, sexual discrimination, retaliation, and discrimination related to a disability or other medical condition.
On the other hand, when you have an inclusive, diverse workplace, you not only reduce the chances of discrimination cases being filed against you, but it helps to build a culture of trust with a more positive environment that can improve productivity and your bottom line.
Understand Your Area’s Anti-Discrimination Laws
Before you can create or address current anti-discrimination policies, you need to know the legal, practical definition of what discrimination means in your particular workplace. It can mean different things depending on where it’s located, which means you’ll need to get familiar with local laws and requirements before enacting any new policies. Laws can vary at the city, state, and federal levels, so you’ll probably have to review multiple layers of legal consideration. An employment attorney can help walk you through the legal language.
Implement a Clear Anti-Discrimination Policy
If you don’t already have one, it’s a must to create and implement an anti-discrimination policy that clearly defines your organization’s position on discrimination. It should also detail how it will be managed in practical terms for all employees to ensure success. If you already have an existing policy, review it with your new understanding of the applicable laws. Either way, it should outline all types of behavior that won’t be tolerated while defining who the rules apply to, where they apply, why they’re being implemented and how they’ll be enforced, including the consequences for violating any policy.
Eliminate Bias in the Recruiting and Hiring Process
It’s essential to ensure all hiring decisions are made based on the requirements of the specific job and not outside factors that can lead to a discrimination lawsuit. Selecting the person who you feel will be the best asset to your company based on the requirements set out can help to prevent bias. An easier and more reliable option is to invest in software that will screen candidates for you, selecting the top candidates while removing the chance for human bias.
Provide Mandatory Training
It’s imperative to properly train all interviewers, managers, and supervisors on the discrimination laws, helping to ensure that in meetings between current employees and managers or during interviews that discussions won’t be construed as discriminating. All company employees should understand the policies related to workplace discrimination in practical terms, and the goals and motivations for eliminating discrimination. They should also know how to identify and address unconscious bias that can lead to unintentional discrimination.
Whenever Possible, the Person Who Hired the Employee Should Fire the Employee
The person who hired the employee should be the one to fire that employee, assuming they’re still on board with the company. The theory behind that is if the hirer brought on a person of race, a certain religion, female, etc., it’s improbable that the same individual might later be accused of discrimination or prejudice.