How to avoid employment discrimination

Putting an end to employment discrimination is possible. Here are some best practices for creating a harmonious atmosphere within your company.

Employment discrimination can be described as any discriminatory act that contravenes the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and that can only be explained by criteria unrelated to the skills and performance of an employee. The discrimination may target individuals because of their age, gender, ethnicity, or disability and take the form of a refusal to hire, firing, or unfair lower wages.

To counter employment discrimination in your company, your first step should be to review your policies and practices. What's the corporate culture in your workplace? How do employees usually behave when they have to deal with a difference, such as someone with a disability or an individual of another nationality? By reviewing these factors, you’ll be better able to understand how to bring about positive change. Updating your policies to make them more effective will help you prevent unfair practices and disputes.

In business, as elsewhere in society, a wide variety of individuals makes for a richer environment. Promoting a policy of diversity will help showcase all these complementary differences. This could include the organization of business events and the implementation of joint projects. The ultimate goal is to ensure that everyone has an equal chance of being promoted and succeeding in their work.

The creation of training or awareness-raising sessions for employees can also be a good way to reduce the risk of employment discrimination within your company. These measures must involve all personnel, including executives and managers. The goal is to help all people understand the problem and to dispense with the unconscious prejudices they may have.

Personnel should also be supervised in order to help them deal with discriminatory situations that may be delicate and encourage them to intervene if they witness such situations. Keep notes on all cases of conflict you encounter and the solutions applied. If you haven’t done so already, develop a clear procedure in case of disagreements or clashes between employees.

Another measure that can be taken to avoid discrimination against employees is to inspect your facilities and equipment to ensure that nothing interferes with your personnel. You might, for example, make offices more accessible for employees with disabilities, or ensure a safe environment for a pregnant woman.

To avoid employment discrimination right from the hiring stage, make sure your recruitment methods and your career progression policies are adequate. Skill-based evaluation methods encourage more objective decisions.