Pic: IMAGESBAZAAR

Have you ever been a victim of discriminatory behaviour at work? Fret not, as HR today is actively addressing this growing issue.

There are so many forms and shapes of discrimination that, at times, it is very hard to discern when the line is being crossed. Although at the origin, the line may appear thin; eventually, however, such behaviour can grow into a full-blown attack based on prejudice. For instance, you might be paid less than your counterparts because you're younger and assumed to be inexperienced; or maybe you're treated differently because you are "older" though you're fit as a fiddle and ready for work; maybe you're not hired for client servicing because you're "not presentable" despite the fact that you have talent; or maybe an incompetent employee earned the promotion because of a financial crisis she is dealing with and the boss is more empathetic towards her. Yes, discrimination comes in many shapes and forms and the only way to fight it is to recognise it. Age, gender, sexual orientation, physical appearance, disability, caste, creed and location are just a few of the factors inspiring such behaviour.

So, what can be done to increase awareness and help ‘victims'? "HR and top management must publish a people management policy/procedure handbook that covers a descriptive stance of the corporation on its equality policy. Any breach of such a policy can be brought to the notice of the HR and management team members by the aggrieved person. The safer method of transparently managing inequality or discrimination is to have a high-level committee in the company of unrelated people (function heads of corporate and operating departments) who should be approached for an in-camera discussion. The proceedings of such discussions, especially if the aggrieved person believes that the dispute is unresolved, must be recorded for production to the board members," explains Hanuman Tripathi, group managing director, InfraSoft Technologies Ltd. HR should also conduct random checks across the organisation to ascertain whether discriminatory behaviour is prevalent or encouraged in employment, promotions, team constitutions, increments, facilities, etc. "An open-door system backed by a well-defined policy will ensure that such incidents are automatically brought to the notice of the HR managers," adds Tripathi.

"The victim, in such cases, must state very firmly that the behaviour is not appreciated and should be stopped. If the behaviour is repeated, one must approach HR and the appropriate redressal committee. Following this, HR must investigate any complaints quickly and thoroughly. If any instance of harassment or bias is noted, the associate should be cautioned and if required, counselled. What is critical is to ensure that business leaders are also made aware of the potential damage from discrimination and the manifestations, so that they can recognise and nip it in the bud," says Aruna Preetam, head - C&B and workplace practices, Mahindra Satyam.

However, many resort to ignoring the problem with the hope that it will disappear. "Often, employees wait till the situation has worsened. This causes problems since not all types of discrimination can be spotted by HR. HR can spot discriminatory behaviour at the time of making employment offers, providing newer roles and during performance management. Most often, it becomes necessary for the employee to bring the matter to attention. In addition to this, it helps to talk to peers," says Smitha Prabhu, HR business partner, SAP Labs India. Despite several attempts by companies to eliminate such issues, it all begins with the employee's willingness to take action. In many cases, just being assertive or using the right verbal/non-verbal gesture helps. To aid this, a culture of transparency needs to be created within organisations. Also, one must be aware of where the line lies and the repercussions of crossing it.

- Tanya Thomas