Types of discrimination in the workplace

The four types of discrimination are direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation.

According to the Act, discrimination is prohibited on the following grounds: race, religious beliefs, colour, gender, gender identity, gender expression, physical disability, mental disability, age, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, source of income, family status or sexual orientation (Alberta Human Rights

For example, being called a coconut; being told to “go home, you are taking the job of a person in Grahamstown”; being told that as a Black woman supervisor you can tell the woman what to do but not the Black men. are you being treated differently because of your pregnancy status, your HIV status, your disability?

What is unfair treatment? Treating someone in your staff unfairly because of who they are is discrimination. It can lead to them feeling upset, shamed, and even scared. When this happens, you can expect their morale and their productivity levels to plummet.

Here are just a few examples of unfair treatment at work:

Creating offensive comments, emails or social media posts about an employee. Demoting, transferring or dismissing an employee without a fair, disciplinary process. Paying women lower wages for doing the same job, because of their relationship.

Indirect sexual harassment occurs when a secondary victim has been offended by the verbal or visual sexual misconduct of another.

Direct discrimination occurs when somebody is treated unfavourably because of a protected attribute. Indirect discrimination occurs when a requirement (or rule) that appears to be neutral and the same for everyone in fact has the effect of disadvantaging someone because they have an attribute covered by the Act.

Direct discrimination. Direct discrimination is when someone is treated unfairly because of a protected characteristic, such as relationship or race. For example, someone is not offered a promotion because they’re a woman and the job goes to a less qualified man.

Protected characteristics

These are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, relationship, and sexual orientation.

Positive Discrimination Definition

Positive discrimination is when you give preferential treatment to people with a protected characteristic rather than due to their suitability.

Examples of positive discrimination

If two candidates are going for a role, and one is hired over the other – despite being less suitable for the job – because they possess protected characteristics, then this is positive discrimination.

[e.g., X could be race, relationship, religion, nationality, or sexual orientation.] Discrimination can be Positive and Negative. Positive Discrimination in One’s Actions (on the basis of factor X) is to give more favorable treatment to those with factor X than to those without X.

Positive discrimination is patronising and can entrench discriminatory attitudes, implying that those with certain characteristics may not otherwise have the skills and knowledge to secure jobs. Then there’s reputation damage.

An employer is guilty of positive discrimination if they hire or seek an individual purely based on their protected characteristic, rather than experience or qualifications. Protected characteristics include race, gender, age, disability, religion and sexual orientation.

Positive Discrimination definition. Policies specifically introduced by a company to benefit an underrepresented group, such as increasing their chances of being hired for a role. In the UK, positive discrimination is illegal but positive action is legal.