Direct and Indirect discrimination in the workplace: How to distinguish them

Discrimination in the workplace is a major issue that every company must address to ensure all its employees are treated fairly and respectfully. A healthy corporate environment is essential for each and every business's success. If you aspire to be a forward-thinking company, you must evaluate how your business values consider and reflect diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Discrimination in the workplace can take many forms, and it can be divided into direct and indirect. If this is the first time you hear of indirect discrimination in the workplace, we strongly encourage you to read on. According to glassdoor, 61% of people have experienced or witnessed discrimination.

Direct discrimination in the workplace

Direct discrimination is a term that many people may be familiar with, as it refers to a clear and visible form of unfair treatment. Direct discrimination in the workplace is when one employee is treated unfairly and differently due to characteristics such as age, disability, sex, ethnicity, and belief. For instance, when someone is not being offered a promotion due to the colour of their skin, and the position goes to a less qualified white candidate, this is an example of direct discrimination. 

Indirect discrimination in the workplace

Regardless, if you are a team member or a leader, it should be crucial for you to be able to distinguish between direct and indirect discrimination in the workplace. As indirect discrimination in the workplace is not as obvious as its direct form, some people may not even be aware when they are experiencing it. Hence, how to precisely determine it? Indirect discrimination in the workplace is the result of a company policy that even though applies to every team member equally, disadvantages a certain group of individuals who hold the same protected characteristics. For instance, if your company has a dress-code policy that forbids headwear, this can be an indirect form of unfairness towards women or men who wear it for religious or cultural reasons. 

Improve your employee's satisfaction

By implementing our methods into your company culture, you will get a chance to significantly improve your employee's satisfaction and motivation. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential components of workplace culture. In organisations that focus more on DEI, employees face far fewer barriers of bias to succeed. Thereby, all team members are given equal opportunities, and the risk of discrimination in the workplace is consequently reduced. 

The benefits that come with emphasising DEI in your work environment will be visible across various areas of the organisation. Through implementing our effective methods, your company will become able to walk the talk and create a healthier and more innovative workplace. Every organisation must realise that diversity is our reality, and inclusion heavily depends on our actions. To effectively eliminate discrimination in the workplace, it is crucial to integrate DEI values into your company culture. 

Moreover, to ensure that all of your employees remain motivated and to minimise burn-outs across your teams, you need to focus on executing DEI in your workplace culture. A diverse workforce is one of the top priorities for professionals who are looking for new job opportunities. 67% of job seekers answered that diversity, equity, and inclusion are important factors when responding to job offers (Zippia, 2022).

Having a diverse and inclusive work environment brings several advantages. To highlight a few crucial ones, eliminating the challenge of discrimination in the workplace will help your company attract more diverse and unique professionals. Also, giving equal opportunities for all of your team members, despite their gender, race or sexuality will allow your company to improve your brand image on the market.

We can show you how to eliminate discrimination in the workplace

Our question is simple, are there still any companies that don't believe in the significance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in improving their business performance? Whether it is a case of direct or indirect discrimination in the workplace, we will teach you how to effectively avoid and minimise the chance of these kinds of issues at your company. Ikigai Authentic was launched with the idea of creating a healthier, more authentic, and unbiased corporate industry. Raising cultural- awareness is amongst our top priorities, that will help your business take the chance and be part of this exciting journey. Giving your employees equal opportunities, and eliminating discrimination in the workplace will help you bring the best out of your teams, and allow them to reach their full potential. Contact us today to find out more about how we can help create a truly diverse and healthy work environment.