How to Properly Manage Discrimination at Work


There are many different ways in which employees may experience discrimination or injustice in the workplace. Even though much progress has been made, there are still cases of discrimination against employees either based on gender, race, age, sexuality, or religion. If you’ve experienced injustice in the workplace, or are owed money by your employer, you might want to consider getting in touch with a labor and employment lawyer for further information.

If you are aware of discrimination, illegal or dishonest practices in the workplace and you decide to blow the whistle on your employer, there is protection in place for employees. This is known as a ‘protected disclosure’ and should avoid any punishment or victimization; it covers both existing and former employees.

What is a protected disclosure?

A protected disclosure is made when an employee raises awareness of a situation in the workplace that involves; a criminal offense, violence or intimidation,  dangerous threat in the workplace (health and safety), environmental damage, breach or justice, or legal obligation.

Who should an employee make a protected disclosure to?

When making a protected disclosure, the correct information must be disclosed to the right person. An employee is expected to raise an issue with their employer as a first step. However, if this does not result in the desired solution, disclosure can be made to an official list of regulators within the business.

Why is it important to have an effective whistleblowing policy?

To prevent your business from being liable to actions of victimization by employees against colleagues who have blown the whistle, you need to have a system in place and be able to demonstrate that your business took all necessary steps to prevent the acts from happening. This would include creating a policy specifically for whistleblowing which is clearly explained to all employees through sufficient training. If you have an established whistleblowing policy, it shows your commitment as an employer to understand and listen to employee concerns as well as act on them in the appropriate way.

How to respond to a whistleblowing situation

As an employer, if you receive a protected disclosure, it needs to be dealt with confidentially where possible and investigated swiftly. A written witness statement should be taken from the person who made the disclosure, including all details of the situation. It can take a lot of courage to speak up, so as an employer it’s important to support the member of your team who has raised the issue. It’s advisable to offer mentoring or counseling and also reassure the whistle-blower that it will not affect their role in the business. Once the investigation has been completed, you should inform the employee of the outcome and ensure they won’t be penalized from making the protected disclosure, unless it was found to be untrue or made against another employee with malice.

Keep a record of whistle-blowing in your business

If the allegation is correct, as an employer, you must take appropriate action through either a disciplinary or by reporting the incident to an external governing body. It’s recommended to keep a record of all whistle-blowing disclosures that the business received, to monitor any patterns.