Discrimination
The workplace brings together lots of people who may have nothing in common other than their jobs. Most employees usually seem to get along with one another and put aside any personal and cultural differences. Occasionally, however, employees do not get along as colleagues at work and this spills over into incidents of unacceptable behaviour such as discriminatory treatment or harassment.
Sometimes offensive behaviour is not intentional, or the recipient of the behaviour is seen to be 'over-sensitive'. Occasionally a company may have rules or systems that may lead to discrimination.
Discrimination can be overt, but sometimes it can be hidden and subtle. It can be seen when one group of people are given a particular job or access to training, better terms and conditions of employment, workplace facilities and promotion.
Defining Discrimination
The four main types of discrimination areas within employment are:
1. Direct discrimination
Treating people less favourably than others on grounds of sexual orientation, religion or belief. For example a job advertisement that openly says 'no disabled people need apply'. However in reality discrimination often takes more subtle or indirect forms. Some examples are:
People with disabilities are automatically rejected without considering how adjustments could easily be arranged to meet their particular need.
Anyone who doesn't seem to 'fit in' (for example due to their religion or sexual orientation) is denied his or her rights or the opportunity of employment in the first place
2. Indirect discrimination
Applying a provision, criterion or practice which disadvantages people due to race or ethnic origin, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion or belief. An example of indirect discrimination is requiring all people who apply for a certain job to sit a test in a particular language, even though that language...
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