How to Develop Workplace Discrimination Statement and Policy

Discrimination should never be tolerated, may it be in our personal lives or within the work environment. Employees must be treated as people and shall be observed based on their work performance and not on subjective preferences that a company or their co-employees may set. Having a workplace discrimination statement and policy can help a lot in terms of ensuring prospective and current employees that their rights are protected and that they are viewed as important members of the business within its operations.

Creating a workplace discrimination statement and policy examples should be one of the core objectives of every company. A healthy environment can help employees to be more efficient and productive. If you want to create this kind of policy and statement, we have put together a number of guidelines, tips, and reminders that can be of help. Make sure that you will carefully browse through the entire post before developing your own workplace discrimination statement and policy so you can be well-guided within the entirety of the document development.

Why is there a Need for a Workplace Discrimination Statement and Policy?

In every industry, there is a need for businesses to understand that equality when it comes to the selection and treatment of employees and candidates is very important. Having objectivity in treating people can showcase how a company embraces diversity and focuses on the positive things that may occur should qualified people from different background and with varying preferences be a part of their operations. Here are some of the reasons why it is essential for businesses to have a workplace discrimination statement and policy:

• A workplace discrimination statement and policy ensures that the candidates who would like to be a part of the company will have their rights considered and harassment in any forms will not be tolerated in the work environment.
• A workplace discrimination statement and policy clarifies the fact that discrimination should not be felt by any of its stakeholders especially the employees who provide their time, effort, services and other deliverables to provide the needs of the operations.
• A workplace discrimination statement and policy sets a particular standard that can be followed by the members of the business. It can be used as a guide or even a daily reminder that employees should treat each other right. More so, it can help employees to ensure that the management is doing the same towards them as well.
• A workplace discrimination statement and policy relays an important message to the customers of the business that the management values the people that work for the company and that discrimination issues in the workplace are truly taken in a serious manner.
• A workplace discrimination statement and policy can reflect the expectation of the business to implement equal rights, hence affecting the behavior of the employees and other entities involved in its operations.
• A workplace discrimination statement and policy can provide a concrete list of the metrics that can showcase the kinds of remarks, behavior and the like that can be considered as discriminatory or derogatory.
• A workplace discrimination statement and policy directly creates a to-do checklist which enlists the responsibility of all stakeholders towards the issue. It can also provide the specific roles that are expected to be done by the members of the workplace.

What to Include in a Workplace Discrimination Statement and Policy

The policy and statement that you will create towards how the business handles discrimination and the issues surrounding it should be comprehensive to ensure that the information that you would like to relay is complete, easy to understand, and attainable. Workplace discrimination statement and policy do not need to be long. All you need to do is to ensure that is not vague and you can address issues in a direct manner.  Listed below are some of the items that are expected to be seen in a workplace discrimination statement policy.

• The emphasis on the statement that your business does not tolerate any behavior that can lead to discrimination
• The list of the acts and practices of discrimination regulated by law and are honored by the company
• The responses that you will implement should acts of discrimination take place
• The procedure that should be followed should an employee or any other entity involved in the operations of the business decision to file a discrimination complaint
• The particular practices that the company implements in relation to the commitment of the business to remove discrimination in the workplace
• The statement of assurance that the business is committed in terms of giving opportunities equally to people who can present themselves as qualified for a specific job position
• The expectation of the business with the employees and how they are expected to behave within the premises of the workplace

Keep in mind that workplace discrimination policy and statement covers the rights not only of employees but also of the management and even the candidates who are seeking employment. Hence, the policy and statement of the business towards discrimination should be well-formatted and organized so that it can present clauses that are essential to be known by the stakeholders.

Factors to Consider When Creating a Workplace Discrimination Policy and Statement

There are specific factors that you need to look into whenever creating or updating the policy and statement of the business with regards to workplace discrimination. Some of the grounds that are essential to be discussed in the workplace discrimination policy and statement include the following:

• The age of the employees especially if considerations for promotion or regularization is in place
• The religion and religious beliefs of the employees
• The sex, gender identity and expression, and the sexual orientation of the people who provide their service to the business
• The color, race, citizenship, ethnicity, and ethnicity of employees
• The recorded disabilities of candidates or current employees which do not harm or negatively affect both the business and the candidates or employees
• The status of the family and marriage of the entities within the workplace

Depending on the desire of the business to widen the range of items included in their workplace discrimination policy and statement, there are more details that can be included in this list. It is essential for companies to pattern their workplace discrimination policies and statement based on the legal regulations applied to the location of the business.

Things that Can Affect the Execution of Workplace Discrimination Policy

The implementation of policies towards workplace discrimination should come in full circle. This way, the business can easily see how an entity or any part of the business can affect the efforts of the management to have a safe and friendly corporate environment. A few of the things that can directly affect the execution of the workplace discrimination policy and how the statement regarding the issue is perceived by the employees include the following:

• The relation of the policy of the business to the policy of the government especially in relation to the concept of human rights and employee protection
• The commitment of the business towards the execution of the workplace discrimination policy and statement
• The ability of the company to involved all its stakeholders in the processes of the policy creation
• The clarity of the workplace discrimination policy and statement content
• The goals, vision, and objectives of the company and the management in relation to the discrimination issues in the workplace
• The plans that the company has which can help them to achieve the policy implementation
• The steps that will guide the business and its stakeholders to implement the workplace discrimination policy in a timely and appropriate manner
• The precise listing of the grounds that should be looked into once the policy created by the business is already in effect

Tips for Developing and Implementing Workplace Discrimination Policies

The workplace discrimination policies and statement of a business can give its brand a more positive imaging. It allows people to be aware that the company gives importance to the well being of its employees and all the other people that it transacts with. Here are some tips that can help you develop and implement your workplace discrimination policies in a more effective manner:

• Give the employees the chance to take part in the development of the policies so that they can be more eager to support the cause and to ensure that the full implementation of the policies is taken into account.
• Make sure that the employees of the business have an idea about the policy and the statement. This will help them to identify certain measures that they need to follow as well as to know the existing workplace discrimination policies that are already honored by the business.
• Ensure that the workplace discrimination policy is always updated. There are certain additions or clarifications that may occur depending on the changes that may also be affected by external factors especially in relation to the government and other lawful bodies.
• Create a workplace discrimination policy that is both simple and easy to understand. This way, employees will not have a hard time in terms of browsing through the entire policy. This can also affect how they disseminate the information that they will read.

A workplace discrimination statement and policy helps the business to incorporate equality into the entirety of its practices and policies. It helps the daily operations of the business to have a culture of both acceptance and respect. Be fully aware of the items that can affect the development and execution of these policies so you can achieve the result that you wish to have. Create a workplace discrimination policy and statement now and see how it can change the culture and environment within your business.