Guarding against discrimination: How to keep lawsuits at bay

Abstract

Purpose

Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.

Design/methodology/approach

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Findings

As the emphasis on equality in the workplace increasingly reverberates around the business world, few self‐respecting organizations will knowingly deploy practices that might be perceived as discriminatory. However, despite honorable intentions, many companies remain blissfully unaware that some of their practices may not be quite what they seem. So how can organizations identify and remedy issues that may at best threaten workplace harmony or at worst leave them facing a lawsuit? They could take a proactive approach, as the University of Westminster has done. Like other public bodies, this UK institution had to comply with requirements of the amended Race Relations Act. The university, though, went much further and widened the scope to examine the impact of its policies, systems and processes not only on ethnic minorities but in other areas too.

Originality/value

Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

Citation

(2007), "Guarding against discrimination: How to keep lawsuits at bay", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 15 No. 3, pp. 26-29. https://doi.org/10.1108/09670730710743989