Nowadays, people are more informed about their rights as an employee. People today will simply not tolerate discriminatory behavior. For all you entrepreneurs or aspiring entrepreneurs, you have to be the first to follow rules that discourage any form of discrimination in the workplace. Not only will this help retain employees, but it can also boost your company’s reputation for future applicants.
If you want to know how you can effectively create an environment where everyone is treated fairly, consider these practices:
Investigate each claim
As a company, you likely have a human resources team. What a lot of business owners and CEOs forget is that HR is not just there to hire people, but they also need to listen to the concerns of every employee. It’s important for employees to have an outlet to voice out their issue, so you can better identify discrimination in the workplace.
More than hearing the concerns of an employee, HR and management must also take an active effort to actually investigate the claim. They can’t simply accept what people say at face value because the perspective may be biased. A great way to show that you actually care is to look into each case and ask others of the validity of their claims. Having multiple testimonies can give you a clearer image of the actual problem.
While it may seem inconvenient to some, this is the best way to ensure that everyone is respected. It can go a variety of ways. One is that the claim is true, and you have a record of bad behavior. If it’s false, then that says something about the complainee. Proper investigation of claims is a good way to show that you won’t just believe someone just because of their position or anything.
Provide opportunities for advancement
One thing that you probably hear a lot of are people saying that they have become highly skilled in their job only for someone inadequate to take the position they wanted. This can make them feel like they aren’t treated fairly for a disproportionate amount of work.
As employers, it is important to make sure that each employee has a chance to advance their skills and career under your care. Otherwise, they will just up and go to someone else with a better offer. Employees who find that their work is now acknowledged might also choose to perform less or just the bare minimum.
Studies found that promotion based on merit is actually a waste of resources, as well. If you already have capable employees who can do the job and have proven themselves to be efficient, then it’d be a waste not to use them.
Give legal assistance
Workers have rights that need to be respected. As an employer, this doesn’t just mean ensuring that their rights are given, but it can also mean giving them a chance to fight when they have been wronged. Regardless of someone’s position, they should have a fighting chance at justice.
When lower-level positions are injured because of negligent managers, they are often at a disadvantage because they don’t have the means to hire legal support. By doing nothing and letting them leave, the company is implying that they side with the violators. As such, it is best to offer proper assistance when there is reason to believe the allegations.
Specific lawyers handle certain employer cases, and they may not know who best to contact. For instance, there are employee discrimination lawyers who handle inequality regarding hiring and compensation, while there are brain injury lawyers for trauma caused by negligence or faulty equipment.
Decide objectively
Experts say that there is often a disconnect between employees and their managers, but creating clear measures of success can help fix this. Whether it is deciding a promotion or granting leaves, you should be objective in everything you do. Set aside your personal biases and look at the situation airly.
For instance, some people experience discrimination because they have no kids or are unmarried. People assumed that since they are childfree, they have no other responsibilities or family. Survey found that 28 percent of people said that women with children were given more flexibility in things such as working hours.
While many of the people who do this are not actively being discriminatory, they often cannot separate their own personal ideas. The best way to avoid this is to have criteria that are based on quantitative and objective criteria.