7/29/2019 12 Guidelines Productive Workplace

1/3

Good pracc,

good bunEliminating discrimination and harassment from your workplace

www.humanrights.gov.au/employers/

An ecient and cohesive workplace is all

about building the morale and productivity o

your employees and minimising complaints,disruptions and legal wrangles, so everyone can

get on with their work. This adds to your bottom

line and builds your reputation in the business

community.

Following are a range o

or induction, appraisal, promotion,

sta development and training, positive work

environment and grievance procedures to help

you build and maintain a workplace ree rom

discrimination and harassment.

Best practice guidelines for the workplaceenvironment checklist to use as a guide is

included at the end o this section.

Induction

Induction aims to provide new employees with

inormation about the organisation which will

help them to be eective in their job. Employers

should try to:

n give balanced (job specic and social)

inormation that is directly related to their

role and back this up with extra inormationat a later stage

n provide a mentor who can provide

additional inormation and answer

questions; and / or provide ormal ollow-

up ater a ew weeks

n ensure people with disabilities (visual

impairment, reading disorder, etc) have

inormation presented to them in an

acceptable ormat

n introduce new employees to their

colleagues, explaining the role o keypeople, including those they will be

working closely with

n encourage new employees to ask

questions

n ensure new employees know where to go

or help or with a complaint on any issue

n (i employing a person o a dierent sex,

race, person with a disability, etc to the

majority o the workorce) ensure other

employees understand appropriate

behaviour and communication expected

o them

n undertake any reasonable adjustments

necessary, prior to the employee

commencing work.

Appraisal

Good appraisal systems meet the needs o both

employer and employees. Employers should try

to:

n ensure all employees ully understand the

appraisal system

n have employee records, including

appraisals, accessible to them

n be specic in the perormance assessment

rather than use generalities such as poorattitude

n include positive eedback about what the

employee does well

n train sta involved in giving appraisals

n not make irrelevant remarks on an

employees le (eg, about ethnicity, age,

disability, etc).

best practice guidelines for creating a

productive workplace environment

7/29/2019 12 Guidelines Productive Workplace

2/3

Promotion

Employers should advertise vacancies widely

throughout their workorce, giving all sta

members the opportunity to consider applying

and to increase the pool o applicants. Employers

should try to:

n ensure all procedures are air and

unbiased

n review each position as it becomes vacant

and select on the real requirements o the

job, not on who previously lled it

n provide constructive post-selection

counselling to unsuccessul applicants.

Staf development and training

Employers should examine how training is given

across the organisation, particularly looking at

breakdowns such as sex, disability, occupational

grouping, as well as types o training; internal vs

external, skill specic vs broad-based skill, etc.

Employers should try to:

n institute planned and on-going strategies

or increasing the skills o the workorce

n allocate sucient unds or training o rst

line supervisors who can deal with many

issues beore they reach crisis stage

n ensure access and reasonable adjustments

are made, i required, to allow sta with

disabilities to attend a broad range o

training

n

avoid training ater hours and on weekendsor consider provision o child care at such

training

n consider cross-cultural training / awareness

raising or sta (as this can assist customer

relations, as well as employee relations).

Positive work environment

Employers should consider the amily

responsibilities o sta and consider the

possibility o implementing fexible work

practices; job sharing; leave or carers o amilymembers who are sick, older or who have

disabilities; child care provision, etc. Research

shows that such structures improve loyalty

and productivity o an organisation. Employers

should also:

n examine whether or not the work

environment is hostile (eg, are there

initiation rites or apprentices,

discriminatory grati, oensive posters?

Are there opposing cliques in the

organisation which create riction?)

n develop and implement policies on

the prevention o discrimination and

harassment

n provide senior management support with

the implementation o the policies

n recognise that discrimination and

harassment between sta members is

not just a personal issue but one which

negatively aects the organisations

productivity and protability

n aim or cessation o inappropriate

behaviours now and in the uture as aprimary outcome, and discipline, i needed,

as a secondary outcome

n ensure that all sta have access to sta

notices, personnel procedural manuals

and any other appropriate inormation.

Grievance procedures

An organisation that has grievance procedures

is healthier than an organisation that does not

have one. Employers should try to:

n circulate policies and related inormationwidely and in appropriate languages

n institute grievance procedures which are

accessible to all sta

n provide education programs (training,

leafets, posters, etc) or all sta about their

rights and responsibilities

n provide inormation and support or

potential complainants to enable the most

eective resolution o the complaint

nreview procedures regularly.

FACT SHEET:

b

page 2

www.humanrights.gov.au/employers/

7/29/2019 12 Guidelines Productive Workplace

3/3

FACT SHEET:

b

page 3

This fact sheet is part ofgood practice, good business information and resources for

employers to address discrimination and harassment in the workplace.

Available online at www.humanrights.gov.au/employers/

Australian Human Rights Commission.

CheCklist

a

h h

:

aInduction or new employees to provide

them with inormation about the

organisation

aGood appraisal systems that meet the

needs o the employer and employees

aPromotional opportunities or all sta

members

aDierent types o sta development and

training

aImplementing positive work environment

policies, such as fexible work

arrangements

aAccessible grievance procedures

a