What types of workplace discrimination exist?
Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2025 8:09 am
The most obvious form of discrimination in the workplace is direct discrimination . The Equality and Human Rights Commission defines direct discrimination as “where someone is treated less favourably because of a protected characteristic”. Imagine, for example, a person being excluded from a project because they are a woman, or being assigned a particular type of job based on their ethnic or racial background.
Indirect discrimination is the legal term used to describe policies, practices, or procedures that appear to treat everyone equally, but in practice discriminate against a particular group of people. Examples might include:
Requiring all employees to be available for work on Saturdays, which discriminates against those who practice Judaism because Saturday, Sabbath, is considered a day of rest.
Requiring all employees to work full-time, which may discriminate against workers with children, who have family responsibilities to consider.
Requiring all employees to wear a strict uniform, which could discriminate against those who wear headscarves.
Requiring all employees to stand during their work shift, which discriminates against those who may have an injury or disability that requires additional physical support.
Even organizations that carry out diversity and inclusion sweden whatsapp data initiatives may have policies that indirectly discriminate against some employees. This may be because the policies have been in place for a long time and need to be revised , or because, when they were adopted, those who made those decisions were not aware of how these policies could be unfavorable to some employees.
Whatever the reason, these policies can cause workplace discrimination towards employees, so it is important to be aware of this, examine the organization's current practices and ensure that they do not exclude or discriminate against anyone , updating them regularly in a process of constant evolution.
Human Resources Talking About Employment Discrimination
How to address discrimination at work from HR?
The task of avoiding workplace discrimination falls to HR professionals , who must have in-depth experience and solid academic training, such as that guaranteed by a Master's degree in Human Resources . Their role is decisive for the company's destiny, since adopting truly inclusive policies can not only help people to express themselves to the fullest, but also foster a better business culture for everyone, with new perspectives and cultural learning, which leads to an increase in productivity because staff feel happier and more relaxed.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to reducing or eliminating workplace discrimination, but it is important first and foremost to understand and learn from employees what discrimination they are facing. Some effective practices that organizations can consider to prevent or reduce workplace discrimination include:
Corporate culture :
Continually work to build and promote a culture that fosters inclusivity and welcome, valuing differences (for example, through team building events or cultural activities);
Promote an environment where diversity is valued rather than merely tolerated, and where people feel comfortable and proud to be who they are;
Use onboarding to introduce these principles to each new employee and ensure they fully understand what is allowed and expected in terms of diversity and inclusion.
Indirect discrimination is the legal term used to describe policies, practices, or procedures that appear to treat everyone equally, but in practice discriminate against a particular group of people. Examples might include:
Requiring all employees to be available for work on Saturdays, which discriminates against those who practice Judaism because Saturday, Sabbath, is considered a day of rest.
Requiring all employees to work full-time, which may discriminate against workers with children, who have family responsibilities to consider.
Requiring all employees to wear a strict uniform, which could discriminate against those who wear headscarves.
Requiring all employees to stand during their work shift, which discriminates against those who may have an injury or disability that requires additional physical support.
Even organizations that carry out diversity and inclusion sweden whatsapp data initiatives may have policies that indirectly discriminate against some employees. This may be because the policies have been in place for a long time and need to be revised , or because, when they were adopted, those who made those decisions were not aware of how these policies could be unfavorable to some employees.
Whatever the reason, these policies can cause workplace discrimination towards employees, so it is important to be aware of this, examine the organization's current practices and ensure that they do not exclude or discriminate against anyone , updating them regularly in a process of constant evolution.
Human Resources Talking About Employment Discrimination
How to address discrimination at work from HR?
The task of avoiding workplace discrimination falls to HR professionals , who must have in-depth experience and solid academic training, such as that guaranteed by a Master's degree in Human Resources . Their role is decisive for the company's destiny, since adopting truly inclusive policies can not only help people to express themselves to the fullest, but also foster a better business culture for everyone, with new perspectives and cultural learning, which leads to an increase in productivity because staff feel happier and more relaxed.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to reducing or eliminating workplace discrimination, but it is important first and foremost to understand and learn from employees what discrimination they are facing. Some effective practices that organizations can consider to prevent or reduce workplace discrimination include:
Corporate culture :
Continually work to build and promote a culture that fosters inclusivity and welcome, valuing differences (for example, through team building events or cultural activities);
Promote an environment where diversity is valued rather than merely tolerated, and where people feel comfortable and proud to be who they are;
Use onboarding to introduce these principles to each new employee and ensure they fully understand what is allowed and expected in terms of diversity and inclusion.