Preventing discrimination in the workplace
Watching the journey of the England team throughout the UEFA Euro 2020 after more than a year of strict COVID-19 restrictions has brought a great sense of community and joy to a huge proportion of the nation. Friends have been reunited and memories have been made over the weeks of the tournament as people celebrated not only the team’s skill and ability but also a group of men who stood against racial injustice, campaigned for children’s free school meals and helped local communities.
It has been devastating to see the same men who were championed for leading the England team to the Final vilified on social media and subjected to racial abuse. It is completely unacceptable behaviour which must be called out, stopped and prevented.
The role of the employer
This direct race discrimination aimed at public figures is appalling but easy to identify as discrimination. Not all forms of discrimination are quite so obvious, including discrimination which takes place in the workplace.
Employers have a key role in ensuring the prevention of discrimination in the workplace and should pay particular attention to their workers, as they have a duty to take all reasonable steps to ensure their workers are not subject to discrimination or harassment.
Diligent employers cannot only prevent discrimination from occurring in the first place, but can facilitate a more inclusive and supportive environment. It is under these conditions that employees feel valued and able to contribute their experience and knowledge to their team.
What can employers do?
A number of Kuits’ employer clients have been asking what they can do to reinforce and support positive behaviours in their workplaces. In order to be diligent, employers must ensure that the correct cultures and values are ingrained in their business and their workers. This can be established through the correct policies, when well communicated and enforced within the business, as well as specialised equality and diversity training focussing on what behaviour is and is not acceptable in the workplace and how any discrimination should be dealt with.
Get in touch with an Employment solicitor at Kuits
If you would like to talk to a member of the Kuits employment team about how you can prevent or deal with discrimination in the workplace, including whether training could benefit you then please contact Kevin McKenna on 0161 838 7851 or email kevinmckenna@kuits.com
