In the last section, we went over discrimination; treating an individual differently because of assumptions made about them or a group of people based on their differences. Discrimination in the workplace can occur deliberately or inadvertently.
Deliberate discrimination is easy to notice as it has been done on purpose. For example, someone might discriminate against an individual in a wheelchair by not providing them with wheelchair access, or someone might deliberately exclude an individual from an activity because of a prejudice against that individual’s race.
However, discrimination can sometimes not be as easy to see because it is unintentional or accidental. This is known as indirect discrimination. For example, providing food for an individual that does not take into account religious fasting periods.
Whether discrimination is deliberate or indirect, you should do what you can to prevent it from happening. In the next section, we will go over how you can reduce the likelihood of discrimination to ensure everyone is treated equally.