Inappropriate division of responsibilities, unequal treatment, and unjustified reduction in the amount of remuneration, discrimination at work can come in many ways.
Harassment based on sex, age, sexual orientation, or religion and its use as a selection criterion for promotion, training, or other employment rights determine discrimination liability.
Nobody should be discriminated against, mocked, and treated less well. If so, you can always contact an attorney for information about your rights. Only consciously preventing the spread of bad habits can make a difference.
There are many ways to deal with discrimination at work. And the main responsibility should lay on the organisation. Why? Because employees that are discriminated against by their beliefs, skin colour or sexual orientation could be less effective in the workplace if facing these ongoing stresses.
Internal anti-discrimination procedures, awareness of employees’ rights, openness to communication should be the factors implemented at work to help in preventing and counteracting this negative phenomenon.
In this article, we will show you how to deal with discrimination effectively.
Employee Discrimination – How to Recognise It?
Gender, age, religion or appearance should not affect how superiors and colleagues treat someone. You experience discrimination if, for example, your boss has told you that you cannot count on a promotion because he doesn’t like you. However, superiors are more likely to express their reluctance in a veiled and non-obvious manner, which makes it more difficult to enforce your rights.
Employees should be treated equally in terms of employment, promotion and access to training in order to improve professional qualifications, regardless of their sex, age, disability, race, religion, nationality, political beliefs, trade union membership, ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, as well as, regardless of employment for a fixed or indefinite period, or full-time or part-time.
Reaction and Learning Assertiveness
Reacting to an unpleasant situation or another person’s comment is the first line of defence worth using. Noticing the problem and not pretending that nothing happened allows you to confront the discriminator.
Try to be assertive and encourage your colleagues to do the same. Assertive and proactive people cope better in unpleasant and conflict situations than people who cannot talk about the feelings evoked by the interlocutor’s behaviour. It is worth learning assertiveness and using this skill in the work environment.
Introducing Anti-Discrimination Policy in the Company
It is important that the company where you work has committees or other bodies that you can notify in the event of discrimination. Such a solution benefits not only employees but also the company.
After all, discrimination makes employees frustrated, discouraged, and not working effectively. The anti-discrimination policy helps in coping with unwanted behaviour that affects the atmosphere. Internal procedures are essential to have a tool to catch undesirable events and fix what is wrong in the company.
Getting Help
Before taking severe steps and deciding, for example, to bring the case to court, it is worth consulting a lawyer and considering what attitude will get the greatest benefits to the employee.
Sometimes it is not worth taking care of a given case yourself but using help. This will allow you to settle the dispute properly. The lawyer will help you determine all the circumstances from start to finish so as to build a case and defend your rights.
Gathering Evidence
Discrimination, mobbing – these are serious accusations. However, words alone are not enough. Evidence and examples that the person has been discriminated against are important.
Usually, not only is discrimination visible to you, but other employees also notice unwanted behaviour or are victims themselves. It is worth talking to others to make sure that you will have support in the event of a confrontation.
Discriminated people wonder how to prove that they have been wronged. There are many ways. These can be recordings, testimonies of witnesses, e-mail correspondence or notes from the superior in which unequal treatment is visible.
Conclusion
The atmosphere in the company is one of the critical factors determining job satisfaction. In order to develop your potential, it is worth fighting for non-discriminatory conditions. Much can be done in the face of discriminatory behaviour, and remember that once a questionable situation arises, it is enough to take action.
Well-being at work and the awareness that you are accepted are factors that positively affect the efficiency of the employee. An employee treated differently than others because of his ethnic origin, beliefs, or gender can soon become a frustrated and ineffectual employee in fulfilling his duties.
Therefore, everyone should be concerned about preventing discrimination.
