Promoting fair and equal treatment in the workplace is a common concern for leaders of corporate giants. For small business owners, it can also be a challenge. Your team is essential to the long-term success of your business. Each staff member must have an equal opportunity for recognition and reward, no matter where they fall within the organisation.
Creating a workplace culture that rejects favouritism or unfair recognition programs will ensure every employee feels like they are a valued member of your business.
Feeling undervalued could lead to the risk of losing employees in your business, as they may look toward other opportunities.
Four Ways To Encourage Fair And Equal Treatment In The Workplace:
Equal Opportunities
Re-evaluate your recognition system and bonus program (if you have one) to ensure every employee will be recognised for any achievements they reach on behalf of the business.
While it is easy to notice a sales employee making a deal or bringing in a new client, do not forget about the assistant who puts in that extra effort to keep the office running smoothly. Otherwise, various employees may feel resentment towards management and become unmotivated in their roles. These negative feelings could lead to poorer performance and work ethic.
Dispute Resolution Process
Even in a small business, it can be easy to overlook an employee complaint. However, this does not foster a fair or even peaceful working environment.
It’s essential to have a formal procedure in place so that your staff can voice any complaint they may have.
If there isn’t a clear way forward to resolve a dispute, employees may find themselves struggling to achieve a fair outcome and have their voices heard.
This way, you can maintain a positive working relationship with your employees. You can also resolve issues that arise in the workplace before they escalate.
Fair Promotion System
To ensure other staff members do not believe a particular employee is unfairly promoted, provide regular feedback to your team, i.e., monthly or quarterly performance reviews.
Establish clear goals that employees must meet to receive a promotion. Clear goals will help avoid any resentment and fuel your employees to take on extra challenges that work towards the success of the business.
Clear goals are also a great way to facilitate skill development by encouraging employees to upskill.
Equal Pay
Your staff must be compensated fairly for the time and effort they spend each day in the office. This way, you can retain your hardest working and most talented workers. If there is too great a discrepancy between what employees who perform the same role are earning, without justification (i.e. working different hours/days), employees may voice dissatisfaction.
If you would like to discuss this further then please feel free to contact us.
