The effects of discrimination are not unknown to anyone. The negative consequences that all forms of discrimination have for the victim as well as the organisation are grave. It can result in employees who are uncomfortable in their workplace and even an increased turnover as well as a reduction in motivated employees. It is therefore important to combat discrimination and, in turn, the negative consequences that arise from it, by embracing the benefits of diversity and hiring an equal opportunities policy.
What is Equal Opportunities Policy?
An equal opportunities policy is a formal statement setting out an organisation’s commitment to fairness, as well as outlining its procedure when dealing with issues that go against these guidelines. It is essential for an organisation to employ an equal opportunities policy so that workers feel valued, protected and a part of a diverse and inclusive workforce. It is important to have for a number of reasons including increasing awareness, increasing worker retention, the company’s demonstration of commitment and it also protects from potential legal action. The objective of the policy includes no employee or applicant being treated unfairly because of their sex, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, etc. There is legislation regarding discrimination in the workplace, so please do ensure you are aware of the legislation before setting up your policy
Along with the adoption of the equal opportunities policy, an easily accessible complaints procedure needs to accompany it in order for employees to be able to report any discrimination they are experiencing and know that it will be investigated and they will receive support.
Below is a list of steps to follow to challenge discrimination after implementing an equal opportunities policy in your organisation (adapted from the Equal Opportunities Commission)
- Appoint a person responsible for equal opportunities – usually it is the most senior person in the workplace that is responsible for equal opportunities and advocating for this policy. The employer is responsible for any discrimination that occurs in the workplace in terms of ensuring employees then know that discrimination is not tolerated and how perpetrators of discrimination are dealt with.
- Ensure employees are aware of the policy – as well as informing employees of the introduction (and continuous existence) of the policy, third party agents should also be notified such as recruitment agencies.
- Set up an equal opportunities committee – that aims to assess anything that goes against the guidelines of the policy, to identify how the policy is actually working, to suggest anything to resolve failures and to assess the success of these failures. It is essential that the committee is representative of the whole organisation, for example should include members from each level of the business’ hierarchy as well as all genders, ethnicities and disabilities so that it is inclusive and all employees are being represented and heard.
- Provide training in equality, diversity and inclusion and the avoidance of discrimination – ensuring all employees receive training to understand discrimination as well as equality means that they are better informed and better prepared to prevent it. It is crucial here to explain the consequences of being discriminatory but also sharing the safe way to report and discrimination if an employee witnesses it.
- Examine existing policies within the organisation – existing policies should be regularly reviewed to make sure they are in line with the aims of the equal opportunities policy. It is also important to regularly update language and imaging that may be viewed as discriminatory on your firm’s website or in brochures etc. Within the office it is also important to review any language choices you may think are harmless but can be deemed as discriminatory, this article gives some examples.
- Monitoring equal opportunities – this is to examine whether the policy is working the way the organisation intended. Things worth monitoring: new employees compared to existing, promotions, redundancies, dismissals, who has been selected for training and development events and also different levels of salary and the benefits at each of these levels. If the policy has succeeded and organisations have truly adopted equal opportunities, you should see a balance of employee profiles in all areas of the organisation.
- Correcting past discrimination – any claims of harassment should be dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible to optimise legal support for sanctioning discrimination. Ways in which employers can support employees includes offering opportunities that were not available to them in the past due to systemic discrimination and ensure that these employees have all the necessary training and experience to apply for promotions as much as those who have never faced discrimination.
- Model policies and procedures – it is helpful to look at some examples of policies before completing one for your organisation to ensure nothing is missed out or worded incorrectly. There are some good examples to view here. But do have a look at some more others.
Lastly, it is important to get buy-in from everyone. Some people may not recognise the impact of discriminatory behaviour or even not be aware of it. If you need to educate or train your leaders, then please do organise this before implementing a discrimination strategy. If you implement and your leaders do not accept it, then you may lose trust from your employees. Some leaders may need one to one support for mindset shifts too so diversity coaching may help if you feel this is needed.
If you are reading this and feel you are subject to discrimination, then please do reach out. There is some great advice on Mind.org
