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Whether
you intend to employ a person into your company or already have a number
of employees working for you, it is important to recognise how to avoid
and prevent discrimination from occurring.
Direct Discrimination
This is where you openly treat
any sector of the community less favorably than you may to others. For
example, you may state in a job advertisement that men are only welcome
to apply for a particular job vacancy, or you may refrain from
interviewing people who are black. Both of these example is an open
indication of direct discrimination
Indirect Discrimination
Indirect
discrimination is where a company might place an unnecessary condition
or requirement on a particular job to prevent certain members of the
community from applying. For example, placing
height restrictions on a job which doesn't require height to perform;
stipulating that only people who can speak clear fluent English
where the job does not require verbal communication, can be seen as indirectly
placing prejudicial conditions on a particular job.
Once
you are aware of the difference you should also be aware where
discrimination can occur:
- When advertising for a job vacancy
- When offering or determining who is
offered employment
- When offering access to company
facilities or company benefits
- When dismissing a person from your
company
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here
are Four Acts which focus on discrimination, and cannot be ignored by any
employer large or small. They are:
- The Sex Discrimination Act 1975
- The Equal Pay Act 1970
- The Race Relations Act 1976
- Disability Discrimination Act 1995
(applies to companies with 15 or more employees)
Amendments
have recently been made to both the Equal Pay act (1984) and The Sex
Discrimination Act (1986) Consequences
of Discrimination If
you, as an employer, are found to be guilty of discrimination by an
Industrial Tribunal under whatever act:
- The Tribunal will make recommendations
for steps to be taken in your company to remedy the situation
- You, as an employer, will be ordered to
pay compensation to the complainant for loss and injury suffered as a
consequences of the discrimination which has occurred, this could be a significant
amount of money.
No matter how large or small your business
is, good working relationship with all your employees should be strived
for - it's just good business practice!
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