Understanding the discrimination act
It is the management’s responsibility that laws and regulations are complied with – including the Discrimination Act. Do you know what it involves? Read our list of points and test yourself.
ll your colleagues, customers, applicants and competitors have one thing in common. They are protected by the Discrimination Act, which means that everyone has the same rights. This applies to working conditions, employment terms, selection during recruitment and opportunities for competence development, promotion and parental leave. Here are five points to be aware of:
1. The law applies to everyone. The work to combat discrimination covers all grounds of discrimination: ethnicity, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, and religion or other belief.
2. The employer is responsible. The work to combat discrimination shall be carried out in cooperation with the employees. Employers with a minimum of 25 employees must document all parts of the ongoing work.
3. Unconscious discrimination is still discrimination. What counts is the discrimination against the person subjected to it, not the intention of the person discriminating. Ignorance is not a mitigating circumstance.
4. Discrimination must be prevented. The employer must work to prevent discrimination. Even if no one in the activity is directly affected, the workplace must not have discriminatory aspects.
5. Four steps should be followed. The work to combat discrimination shall consist of investigating, analysing, remedying, and following up and evaluating. Read more here.