Company culture impacts the way employees treat each other. When organizational leaders prioritize training and consistently enforce their expectations about the treatment of others, they can effectively reduce the risk of discrimination.
Workplace discrimination has costly effects that can impact the confidence of battered employees, the rapport of the company and the morale of the organization.
Missed opportunity
Companies that regularly discriminate against job seekers or their own employees, may never know the success that other companies experience as a result of employing a diverse workforce. According to Tech Funnel, loss of talent is an unseen side effect of discrimination. Employers that form and maintain prejudices against age, gender or ethnicity among other factors, can experience financial and legal implications as well. Employers should strive to abide by the legal requirements for hiring candidates without engaging in discrimination.
Reduced productivity
Employees draw upon the energy of each other even when they do not realize it. Discriminatory behavior may create feelings of animosity and anxiety. Rumors of discrimination can create distractions from important organizational objectives. Career Trend reports that such influences greatly reduce productivity. Outside of distractions in the workplace, if people feel threatened or emotionally unstable because of unfair treatment at work, they may need to take time away from work to decide how to proceed.
If companies wish to optimize the efforts and skills of their employees, they will work hard to encourage tolerance, unity and team support. When concerns about discrimination come to light, organizational leaders should immediately investigate. They should develop a process for addressing those types of concerns and practice consistency in enforcing discipline for discriminatory behavior.
