Anti-discrimination laws help businesses increase attendance and productivity by creating an environment that people feel safe in. It seems so simple at times, but just treating people fairly no matter how different they may be from us can help you stay successful. Instead of judging someone based on their age, religion, race, color, disability, national origin or any other differences they may have we should judge them only based on their actual work performance.
What is age discrimination and is there anything we can do to avoid it from taking place in our work environment? Although it may seem young the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) protects anyone that is forty years old or older. The ADEA was enacted to insure those forty or over were being treated equally as it relates to any of the following conditions of employment; pay, hiring, training, firing, assignments, promotional opportunities, or fringe benefits.
When we take a look at racial discrimination it can become a little more complicated when we try to define it specifically. As an example, it is possible to discriminate against someone that is of one race but married to someone of a different race. It is also possible to discriminate against someone for having an affiliation to an organization that generally caters to a certain race. Finally it is possible to have discriminatory practices by establishing unnecessary work rules that would have a negative impact on certain races of people.
The anti-discrimination laws also cover the color of someone's skin. An interesting element of this is that two people of the same race and/or color can discriminate against the other one. Although it is not clearly defined color discrimination is generally based on the lightness or darkness of someone's skin color.
When it comes to religion it also falls under the same anti-discrimination laws. It really doesn't matter if a person is of a specific religion or not, it only matters if the person that is discriminating against them thinks they are. For instances, a person may observe another person leaving a religious facility and because of that they start taking adverse actions. It can happen that easily.
Someone treated unfairly because of the area or country they are from, their ethnicity, or whether or not they have an accent, is considered national origin discrimination. Whether the person being discriminated against is actually from that area or not doesn't matter. What makes it discrimination is whether the person believes they are from that country or area.
In order to best protect you and your business from any of the many anti-discrimination laws I would highly recommend a continual training program beginning at the time of hire. The training program should consist of an orientation for all new employees, annually for existing employees, and a complete personnel handbook. All training should have a written lesson outline and possibly a test to prove they understood the information. A personnel handbook does not have to be some elaborate document. In fact it should contain your policy on discrimination and what will happen if they violate the policy. Above all it is very important to document any training given along with insuring they sign for your personnel handbook.
What is age discrimination and is there anything we can do to avoid it from taking place in our work environment? Although it may seem young the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) protects anyone that is forty years old or older. The ADEA was enacted to insure those forty or over were being treated equally as it relates to any of the following conditions of employment; pay, hiring, training, firing, assignments, promotional opportunities, or fringe benefits.
When we take a look at racial discrimination it can become a little more complicated when we try to define it specifically. As an example, it is possible to discriminate against someone that is of one race but married to someone of a different race. It is also possible to discriminate against someone for having an affiliation to an organization that generally caters to a certain race. Finally it is possible to have discriminatory practices by establishing unnecessary work rules that would have a negative impact on certain races of people.
The anti-discrimination laws also cover the color of someone's skin. An interesting element of this is that two people of the same race and/or color can discriminate against the other one. Although it is not clearly defined color discrimination is generally based on the lightness or darkness of someone's skin color.
When it comes to religion it also falls under the same anti-discrimination laws. It really doesn't matter if a person is of a specific religion or not, it only matters if the person that is discriminating against them thinks they are. For instances, a person may observe another person leaving a religious facility and because of that they start taking adverse actions. It can happen that easily.
Someone treated unfairly because of the area or country they are from, their ethnicity, or whether or not they have an accent, is considered national origin discrimination. Whether the person being discriminated against is actually from that area or not doesn't matter. What makes it discrimination is whether the person believes they are from that country or area.
In order to best protect you and your business from any of the many anti-discrimination laws I would highly recommend a continual training program beginning at the time of hire. The training program should consist of an orientation for all new employees, annually for existing employees, and a complete personnel handbook. All training should have a written lesson outline and possibly a test to prove they understood the information. A personnel handbook does not have to be some elaborate document. In fact it should contain your policy on discrimination and what will happen if they violate the policy. Above all it is very important to document any training given along with insuring they sign for your personnel handbook.
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