Anti-discrimination Policy Template

About Discrimination in the Workplace

Why We Have an Anti-discrimination Policy

Unfortunately, because it’s necessary. However, we have put in place a set of guidelines to protect you from being discriminated against or harassed. We have outlined what we consider these things to be. It’s our duty to you to create a happy and healthy work environment — this means eliminating all possibilities of discriminatory actions and behaviors.

At our company, we are committed to providing a workplace that is free from discrimination and harassment. We believe that diversity and inclusion are essential to our success and that all employees should be treated with respect and dignity.

We do this so you know that we have your back, no matter what!

What is harassment?

Harassment is ANY unwelcome conduct that is based on:

• Race.
• Color.
• Religion.
• Sex (including pregnancy).
• National origin.
• Age.
• Disability or genetic information.
• Marriage/civil partnership. 
• Gender identity/sexual orientation.

About Discriminatory Behavior

Discrimination is the act of treating a person or group differently, unjustly, or negatively based on their membership in a particular social category. This unequal treatment can take many forms, and can be intentional or unintentional.

Here are a few examples of what we consider to be discriminatory behavior:

• Hiring managers disproportionately hiring/disqualifying male or female candidates due to their own biases, knowingly.
• Managers that overlook employees with specific protected characteristics (such as race, religion) for raises/promotions and cannot prove they did so fairly.
• Someone making sexist/racist comments.
• Sending emails belittling an employee about any of their protected characteristics (such as race, religion, gender presentation, nationality, etc.).

Obviously, this is not an exhaustive list. If you feel you have been harassed or discriminated against, please let [your manager/HR] know.

🔥 Tip: Occasionally, these actions and comments are not meant to be discriminatory — unconscious bias is real and tricky. For more info on unconscious bias, view our unconscious bias training.

What to do in the Case of Discrimination

If you or someone you know is being discriminated against or harassed, tell your direct manager or HR rep right away!

HR will spearhead an investigation of your claim, look into the situation, and then decide the best course of action for resolution for both victim and perpetrator.

How We Support You

Our Anti-discrimination Policy

This is simple: We do not allow or tolerate, under any circumstance, ANY behavior, or actions that we or others may consider discriminatory or harassment. Again, zero tolerance!

Our anti-discrimination policy prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of an individual's race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic. The specific details of the policy are as follows:

1. Discrimination and harassment are prohibited in all aspects of employment, including hiring, promotion, compensation, benefits, training, discipline, and termination.
2. Employees who experience or witness discrimination or harassment are encouraged to report the incident to their manager or supervisor, or to HR. Reports of discrimination or harassment will be investigated promptly and thoroughly, and confidentiality will be maintained to the extent possible.
3. Retaliation against individuals who report discrimination or harassment or who participate in an investigation is strictly prohibited.
4. Employees who engage in discrimination or harassment will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

We are committed to creating a workplace that is free from discrimination and harassment, and we will take all necessary steps to prevent and address incidents of discrimination and harassment.

How We Prevent Discrimination & Harassment

First and foremost, we encourage a culture of inclusion and mutual respect.

To avoid potential harassment situations altogether, and to make sure we handle every case fairly and lawfully, we also:

• Use inclusive language in all job ads and official company documents, making sure to have EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity) statements.
• Have a set series of rules that apply to job-related hiring, promoting, and rewarding employees to avoid accidental/purposeful discrimination.
• All compensation/benefits will be based on position, seniority, qualification, and performance — NOT based on protected characteristics.
• Make appropriate adjustments for all employees with disabilities. (See our Accessibility Policy for more info!)
• Require that managers keep a log of their decisions regarding promotion/demotion, or anything really, of current employees or job candidates.

All company activities promote this culture, and educational opportunities are provided to all employees to learn and develop anti-harassment and unbiased behaviors.

Some of these opportunities include:

• Taking advantage of a structured interview process or blind hiring programs to avoid/reduce bias.
• Offer diversity training, communication, and conflict management, to help you function better with coworkers  from different backgrounds.

🔥 Tip: If you are struggling with a bias, let [HR/manager] know. We will happily assist you in finding resources to eliminate these feelings so you can better yourself and your work environment.

How We Support Victims of Harassment

We are here to help and protect YOU! So that we can ensure you feel safe and accepted at work, HR is always on the lookout for situations where discrimination might occur.

This will look like:

• Looking into all similar claims about an accused individual to see if the problem has become systematic.
• Keeping an eye on data from the company — looking for discriminatory behaviors (such as hiring/firing employees of a certain race by a manager).
• Evaluate social media content of the accused employee — checking for patterns of discriminatory language/behavior that visitors, job candidates, or former employees might have.
• Conduct private and discrete interviews to gather information about the situation/individual accused.

NOTE: We will investigate all claims sensitively and privately. We will never disclose personal information that would further the harassment. Those who filed the complaint are protected — not even the department they work in will be disclosed to anyone.

It is up to everyone — yourself included — to do everything necessary to report and avoid discrimination or harassment situations. You must unlearn any implicit biases you might have and be open to change. It is also up to you to speak up and help your coworkers when they are in need.

Disciplinary Action

As we have previously mentioned, we have a zero-tolerance policy for harassment of any kind, and disciplinary action will be severe, usually ending in termination. Each case will be reviewed thoroughly and fairly to determine the appropriate outcome.

If an infraction is found to be criminal in nature, we will inform and fully cooperate with the authorities to investigate the incident.