There are many ways managers can create workplaces free of discrimination
In the section relating to how to avoid being accused of discrimination, the point was made that many organisations have developed a 'culture of fear' in which defensive reactions to fear of being accused of discrimination have led to a very unhealthy atmosphere. This atmosphere can be characterised by tension and a reluctance to enter into dialogue around equality and diversity issues. This can be a serious barrier to learning and can encourage further defensiveness which, in turn, can become a major obstacle to overcome.
If this is the case in your organisation, then you will need to look carefully at what steps you can take to create what is known as an 'ethos of permission'. This refers to a working environment in which people feel comfortable enough to raise issues, express feelings and deal with complex and sensitive matters. Creating and maintaining an ethos of permission is a skilful job that draws on a great deal of leadership ability. It is not something that can be done overnight.
If you are fortunate enough to be in a situation where no such culture of fear exists, then your challenge would be to ensure that such a culture does not develop. One important way of doing this is making sure that all members of staff within the particular team or working group are aware of the importance of equality and diversity issues, that they are clear about what forms of behaviour and language are acceptable and what forms are not. This should not be done in a heavy-handed, punitive way, but rather in a more constructive and supportive way, which makes clear the boundaries of acceptable behaviour. For example, if you have a team philosophy document or equivalent, this could be amended to include a Statement of Values which includes a commitment to equality and diversity, with some discussion about what that means and how it manifests itself in your particular work setting. If you do not have such a document already, it may be a wise move to develop one, and to make sure that such a values statement is included within it.
Whilst such steps can help, clearly they will not be enough on their own. You will need to make sure, through your managerial and supervisory skills, that the staff you are responsible for feel comfortable enough to raise issues with you. If someone feels that they are being discriminated against, this can be a very stressful experience, and it is understandable that they may feel reluctant to raise it with you. It is therefore vitally important that you are able to establish positive working relations where you are maximising the chances of such a dialogue taking place where it needs to. In addition, you will also need to 'keep your ear to the ground' in order to be aware of what the issues are in your particular setting, what dynamics are operating, what complex intentions may exist and therefore what potential for unfair discrimination may be in place.
These are difficult issues to address, and so you should not feel the need to deal with them alone. You should feel comfortable in seeking the support of like-minded colleagues to try and make progress in dealing with the promotion of equality and the valuing of diversity. These are significant challenges, and so you should not feel uncomfortable about the need to work together in developing a team or collective response.
Dr Neil Thompson
Learning resources to help you manage discrimination issues
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Promoting Equality presents the theory base that underpins the promotion of equality and recognition of the value of diversity and relates this to the real life practical issues involved. This book will be of value to anyone concerned with people and their problems and makes a real contribution to the promotion of equality. |
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Anti-discriminatory Practice covers the theory and practice of anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive social work. It offers support, guidance and insight and is an ideal reference book for students, practitioners and managers alike. Buy Anti-discriminatory Practice from The neil thompson Bookshop |
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Promoting Equailty, Valuing Diversity (Russell House Publishing, 2009) Issues of equality and diversity are complex, difficult and sensitive. Some people believe they have already learned everything. This training manual is designed to help people to build on the strengths and avoid the pitfalls of the past. It dispels some of the myths and oversimplifications around issues like ’political correctness’, and shows how dangerous it is to oversimplify and distort some very complicated issues. |
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DVD Resources
This DVD has been prepared as an aid to promoting equality by addressing the problems presented by discriminatory forms of language. It is recognised that language use can be a major source of discrimination, but unfortunately there has been a widespread tendency for the subject to be misunderstood. ‘Political correctness’, the simplistic idea that it is simply a matter of banning certain words and using others in their place, has probably done more harm than good. In this presentation leading author and equalities expert, Dr Neil Thompson, explains why being ‘PC’ is not the answer and that we need a much more sophisticated approach to tackling discriminatory forms of language. |
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Equaility and Diversity: Dr Neil Thompson on PCS Analysis (Avenue Media Solutions) This DVD has been prepared as an aid to promoting equality and valuing diversity to be used by training facilitators, tutors and teachers involved in helping people to appreciate the complexities of discrimination. It is intended to help learners to be in a stronger position to avoid the difficulties of oversimplification that have dogged efforts to promote equality over the years. Neil Thompson’s work on ‘PCS analysis’ has become a mainstay of teaching on numerous degree courses around the UK and further afield. His ideas have been highly praised for producing a coherent analytical framework that helps us to understand that discrimination is not simply a matter of personal prejudice. The reality is much more complex than this insofar as discrimination can be seen to operate at three separate but interconnected levels: Personal, Cultural and Structural (hence the term, PCS analysis). Over the years Neil has been one of many people who has been critical of oversimplified and dogmatic approaches to discrimination that have alienated so many people and discredited so many efforts to promote equality and value diversity. In this presentation Neil clearly explains the basis of PCS analysis and, in so doing, reinforces the idea that tackling discrimination is an important undertaking, but needs a sophisticated understanding to prevent the problems that have featured in this field in the past (and still do in some quarters). PCS analysis offers the basis for that more sophisticated understanding. This DVD should therefore be seen as an essential resource for everyone involved in education and training geared towards promoting equality and valuing diversity. |
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The Equality Act 2010 (Avenue Media Solutions)
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Tackling Discrimination home page
