An employers guide to avoiding workplace discrimination

Almost 20% of people have experienced discrimination of some type during their career, according to a recent survey by solicitors Fisher Jones Greenwood.

They commissioned a survey to gauge the prevalence of discrimination within today’s workplace earlier in the year. The results from the survey were a stark reminder that discrimination is still a very real issue, and employers therefore need to ensure that they have robust policies in place to prevent, or act accordingly on issues relating to avoiding discrimination within their business.

The first step to understanding discrimination is understanding it. It is a complex subject, and avoiding discrimination in the workplace could lead to other issues. What you say or do in the workplace can cause damage to mental health of employees and put a strain office relationships. Awareness of what causes this damage is the first step to a better, more inclusive workplace.

Every employee deserves to be treated equally. If you hire an employee for the same role they should be paid the same wage, the same benefits and the same level of respect. If you do not stick to these ideals you leave yourself open to accusations of discrimination.

Discrimination and harassment is not exclusively for gender or race. It also encompasses; age, disability,gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy, religion, sexual orientation. You need to ensure that your business is equal in all the opportunities offered in terms of recruitment, training and even discipline. All your employees deserve an opportunity to prove their worth, you never know, you might be surprised.

So with this in mind we have created the infographic below. It highlights the core elements, as well as advice for minimising the risk of, as well as avoiding, discrimination in the workplace and in creating a fairer and happier environment for your employees.