What does Discrimination Look Like in the Workplace?
Where a member of your team considers that they have been discriminated against, it is important to act. Discrimination can come in many different forms and it is important to know what they look like.
Direct discrimination and less favourable treatment, born from overt discrimination, bias, prejudice and assumptions.
Indirect discrimination, which is perhaps less overt. This can be where an organisation’s practices, standards and requirements create disadvantages based on racial background. In recent times this type of indirect discrimination has also been referred to as unconscious bias.
Harassment where there is a hostile and unwelcome work environment and unwanted conduct based on race, sex, age, or sexual orientation, often expressed through offensive language or conduct.
It is also worth noting that while current social discussions about race are taking place, people of any colour, nationality and ethnic or national origin are protected by race discrimination laws. This also includes white people and those of European descent, a detail sometimes overlooked in the broader dialogue and understanding of what racism can look like.
On the subject of race, it may come as a surprise that many people still do not what the term ‘racism’ actually means.
According to the Cambridge dictionary, racism is policies, behaviours, rules, etc. that result in a continued unfair advantage to some people and unfair or harmful treatment of others based on race.
Racism can of course mean many different things to many people depending on their perspective and can often be subjective. In such politically sensitive times, for instance, being labelled as a ‘racist’ is a common occurrence when opposing individuals engage in dialogue, sometimes in circumstances where the term is not warranted. While movements like Black Lives Matter continue to add their stance to the conversation of race and racial equality, part of the challenge is to not assume that members of a certain racial group are monolithic, and to not treat members of each ethnic groups as a homogenous group.
The experiences of an Asian woman may be very different to that of a black male employee for example, and so is it can be unproductive to approach them both with the same action or assumption.
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Diversity and Inclusion = Success
Implementing a diverse and inclusive workplace is so much more than a simply a box-ticking procedure, however, and can have a far-reaching impact on the success of your business.
Companies that ranked as more inclusive within their workplace were 1.7 times more likely to be innovation leaders in their market was the conclusion in a 2018 report, while inclusive teams made of team members from a wide range of diverse backgrounds end up making better business decisions by up to 87% according to a Cloverpop white paper.
A diverse team is also a more productive team, with racially diverse teams, in particular, reporting a 35% increase in performance compared to their competitors based on a 2020 Sage report, while management teams made of diverse members lead to 19% higher revenue according to a BCG report.
A 2021 Glassdoor survey found that a diverse workplace made of people from a wide range of different backgrounds can also have the added benefit of attracting the best talent for your company, with 76% of job seekers considering workplace diversity an important factor when seeking employment opportunities.
Success is More Than Skin Deep
So, should a company hire talent based only on diversity considerations? Of course not – having a diverse and inclusive team should always be primarily about talent, drive and ambition, while recognising that people with diverse and different backgrounds can also bring different perspectives and attitudes to the table. Saying that you have hired and promoted more women than men because of ‘diversity’ is not only patronising and damaging, and may lead to the wrong kind of person being hired – all because you wanted to show how ‘inclusive’ you and your company were.
By providing equal access to resources and education and opportunity, companies have the opportunity to promote a successful yet diverse and inclusive work culture within their organization.
It is crucial to understand that diversity and inclusion will define a company’s success. Ultimately, the ‘right kind’ of diversity and inclusion is recognising that differences are good, while also ensuring that voices are heard and that everyone is treated with the same level of respect and consideration, regardless of their background. Taking this approach will have even more of an influence than any social media post.