Modern workforces expect businesses to be forward-thinking when it comes to equality and diversity in the workplace. Everyone — regardless of age, gender, race, religion or background — should have access to the same opportunities, but unfortunately, that’s not always the case. It is an important part of an organisation’s corporate social responsibility to ensure equality and diversity for everyone.
Discrimination, prejudice, harassment and victimisation are present in many workplaces. The difference in these terms are as follows:
- Discrimination describes unfair treatment based on a protected characteristic. This is unlawful as outlined in the Equality Act 2010.
- Prejudice describes an attitude or idea (usually negative) about a person or group. While the person with prejudice may not act on it, it is often the root of discriminatory behaviour.
- Harassment describes an unwanted or unwelcome behaviour that the victim finds offensive or makes them feel intimidated or humiliated. Harassment can be a standalone behaviour but can also be caused by prejudice and discrimination.
- Victimisation describes singling someone out and subjecting them to cruel or unjust treatment.
Knowing the difference can provide insights into the specifics of any issues you may come across in the workplace. Companies can tackle these issues and start making a difference in their industry by actively promoting equality and diversity in the workplace. Doing so also comes with a range of benefits for your business.
Take Advantage of Different Perspectives, Ideas and Skills
Workplaces that welcome employees of all ages, genders, races and cultural backgrounds benefit from a vast array of skills and ideas. Different people can bring different perspectives, ideas and abilities to the table — this can help your business to progress, solve problems and innovate. As a result, diversity can increase your business performance.
Tap into New Markets
People from different backgrounds will have knowledge of different customers, clients and markets. A diverse workforce can help your business grow by entering new markets and increasing your pool of potential customers/clients.
Many customers and clients also want to support businesses that are committed to equality and diversity. By embracing diversity and giving equal opportunities to people from all backgrounds, you can appeal to more people. In industries that are well-known for a lack of diversity, it can even become a unique selling point for your business.
Improve Your Business’s Reputation
Failure to embrace diversity and offer equal opportunities for everyone can lead to your business suffering serious reputational damage. If discrimination, prejudice, victimisation or harassment are an issue in your workplace, you may face legal suits or media leaks, which can cause a wave of negative publicity about your business. In the UK, organisations with 250 or more employees also need to publish figures about their gender pay gap on their public-facing website and report these figures to the government. Figures that show a drastic gender pay gap will likely spark questions from the public, shareholders and government officials. It can also drive employees to ask questions about how their pay compares with their counterparts within a business.
Bad publicity and a poor reputation can affect your sales, employee satisfaction and morale, employee retention, and your relationship with business partners and investors. This kind of reputational damage can be difficult to recover from.
However, when you actively promote equality and diversity in the workplace, the opposite happens. You can improve your reputation and make the most of the benefits that come with a boosted brand image — including good publicity, increased sales, and higher levels of employee satisfaction, morale and productivity.
Attract a Diverse Talent Pool
When you position your business as progressive with an open-minded and a positive approach to equality and diversity, you appeal to a wider range of potential employees. Your talent pool becomes larger and more diverse, allowing you to consider a variety of candidates with various skills and experience for different roles. This increases your chances of finding a candidate that is perfectly suited to any vacancies you have.
Reduce Employee Turnover and Recruitment Costs
Employees are more likely to be happy and comfortable in their role with your business if they’re surrounded by a diverse workforce where everyone is treated equally. With no discrimination or prejudice, they feel safer at work and are more able to be themselves around their colleagues. This means they’re also more likely to stay with your business long term, so you can benefit from reduced employee turnover and recruitment costs.
CHAS can help your business demonstrate your commitment to equality and diversity through leading accreditation schemes. Through the CHAS Common Assessment Standard, you can evidence your compliance with risk management legislation — including legislation relating to equality and diversity. Become a CHAS member today to demonstrate your compliance and commitment to the fair employment and treatment of workers to your clients.
Free Equal Opportunities Policy Guide
If you’re striving to create a working environment with more equal opportunities for all, our guide is a helpful place to start.
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