Florida employers often face issues that lead to discrimination claims. Discrimination is any form of unequal treatment based on protected characteristics like race, gender, sexual orientation and age. As an employer, what steps can you take to help prevent discrimination within your company?
Educate staff
A lot of the time, discrimination stems from one staff member abusing another or treating them differently based on a protected characteristic. It’s important that staff members know why this is unacceptable.
As an employer, you can educate and train your staff on what types of behaviors amount to discrimination. You could also emphasize why such behaviors are wrong and how they harm the working environment.
A useful tool to utilize for this would be an employee handbook. Not only could this outline what workplace discrimination is, but you can also include the key terms of your anti-discrimination policy.
Proactive steps
While discrimination can be dealt with via policies and reporting procedures, proactive steps are the most effective. Numerous studies suggest that a diverse workforce is a more productive workforce, and your company can embrace this. By embedding diversity into the core ethos of your business, you send a message that people of all backgrounds are welcome and valued.
We help businesses to establish effective anti-discrimination policies and procedures. Contact us for a consultation to learn how you can prevent issues within your company.