Employees want to feel valued and protected in the workplace. As employers, one of the things you can do to demonstrate your commitment to inclusivity is to adopt a non-discrimination policy that protects all of your employees from discrimination and workplace harassment. Building policies like these can be complicated and require careful planning and collaboration, so we put together a few tips to help you get started:
Do your research
Review local and state laws to identify all protected classes and characteristics that may be relevant to your workplace. This can help you identify what to include in your new policy. This can include but is not limited to, race, gender, age, disability, gender identity, religion.
Write and collaborate
Your policy should be clear, concise, and specific. It should include a statement prohibiting discrimination and harassment, as well as a clear procedure for reporting incidents. Work with key stakeholders, such as human resources personnel and legal counsel, to ensure that it is comprehensive, accurate, and legally compliant.
Communicate and enforce
Once your policy is finalized, communicate it to all managers and employees, and ensure that they understand the policy and their responsibilities under it. It’s also important to ensure that managers and employees understand the importance of enforcing the non-discrimination policy and hold all employees, at all levels of your organization, accountable for complying with it.
TIP: Consider conducting mandatory training sessions to reinforce the importance of non-discrimination in the workplace.
Don’t stop there
While setting this type of policy is a great first step, regular reviews and updates are key to ensure it remains aligned with any legislative changes and allows you to address any issues that may arise.
Frequently Asked Questions About Non-Discrimination Policies
Q: Why is a non-discrimination policy important for my business?
A: A well-defined non-discrimination policy helps create a safe, respectful, and inclusive work environment. It also protects your organization from legal risks and improves employee morale and retention.
Q: What should be included in a non-discrimination policy?
A: Your policy should clearly define prohibited behaviors, list all protected classes and characteristics, outline procedures for reporting and investigating complaints, and state the consequences of policy violations.
Q: How often should our non-discrimination policy be reviewed or updated?
A: Policies should be reviewed at least annually, or whenever there are legislative or regulatory changes that may affect your workplace requirements.
Q: Who should be involved in creating or updating the policy?
A: Involve HR professionals, legal counsel, and key stakeholders from management to ensure the policy is accurate, comprehensive, and enforceable.
Q: How can we make sure employees understand and follow the policy?
A: Communicate the policy to all staff, provide training sessions, and hold all employees, including managers, accountable for compliance.
Connect with a member of the Employee Benefits team at PSA, a Hilb Group Company, to see how we can help you create or update your current benefits program to deliver a well-rounded program for all.
