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Equity In The Workplace
Taslim Ahammad :
Equality in the workplace helps bring together workers from all different backgrounds, and lays all perspectives on the table. It promotes company networking, boosts morale, and builds cohesive teams focused on achieving positive results for the company. This also benefits creativity in problem-solving and drives innovation.
The Equity at work initiative examines how the workplace is impacted by the evolving and changing norms of the social construction of gender roles, identity, and expression. This includes discussion of current and evolving workers’ rights, the workplace contexts in which they currently exist, and individual, organisational and cultural interventions that promote and expand employment issues of respect, fairness, fairness and justice. Hence, Equality is the fair treatment of people regardless of their gender, race, disability, religion, nationality, sexual orientation or age.
Equity theory is ultimately based on perception, however, what people perceive to be fair and just. Fairness can easily become subjective when dealing with a wide range of personalities in the workforce. Two employees may have completely different ideas of fairness for the same work output; and an employer and employee may also be on opposite sides of the fairness fence when it comes to the relationship between work output and rewards for said work.
Workplace fairness does matters today. Gone are the days when bosses can simply command and control workers! Organisations now operate under steps of change that is unforgiving and unrelenting. Customers through social media now have more power to affect a business’s bottom line and its market reputation. Employees bring different generational expectations that come from different life experiences, such as:
Achievement – The opportunities afforded by an equitable workplace motivate employees to achieve. Believing that rewards will be equal with effort, employees with ability and drive strive to shine. This behaviour is explained by equity theory, which links fairness to employee effort. If employees receive bonuses, pay and promotions at a job that equitably rewards merit, the company ends up with the right people in the right places doing the right things.
Employee retention -Equity also encourages employee retention. An employee who believes he can have a bright future with a company wants to stay and claim it. It costs a company a lot of money to replace employees who leave. Treating employees equitably can reduce turnover, saving companies the money it takes to find and hire new employees.
Attracting talent – Attracting talent is easier for companies that pursue workplace equity and foster a meritocracy than it is for those that do only enough to avoid breaking employment laws. Talented people ready to excel are excited that cause and effect rules in an equitable workplace. It means investment of brains, energy and dedication pays off. It also gives these achievers the chance to work with other achievers.
Scope of diversity – Diversity is often the result of workplaces that are functioning equitably, assuming that the potential workers have equitable access to educational opportunities. Diversity in a workplace means more experience, more perspectives and more source material to draw from in brainstorming, solving problems and creating innovative products or services.
Motivation – Employees those who feel they are being treated equitably are more likely to be motivated to do a good job. They know that they are being judged on the same scale as their peers, regardless of personal differences, so they feel that when they do a better job, they will be rewarded accordingly.
Recruitment – Companies that tout an equitable workplace tend to have an easier time recruiting talented employees. Job seekers are attracted to such companies because they feel that they will be hired at a pay rate that is fair and will receive promotions and bonuses based solely on the quality and quantity of work they perform, not on the colour of their skin or their gender.
Profits – Way to promote equality in the workplace. Fundamentally, a business needs to live and breathe equality and diversity. All staffs are responsible for ensuring equality in a business and this is easily achieved through some key behaviours: (i) Respect individual beliefs, practices, backgrounds, and the importance of a diversity of approaches to a problem. (ii) Discuss equity matter regularly and openly with employees, to encourage open dialogue and understanding. (iii) Ensure equality training is part of recruitment and on boarding process for new employees. (iv) Allow employee leave or flexibility to meet their needs, religious holidays and observance, or other special circumstance to promote the business as an employer of excellence. (v) Have a clear process to deal with complaints or issues in relation to equality for all stakeholders. (vi) Use an employee profile management system to keep track of employee skills, qualifications, and other notes. (v) Make sure everyone understands the reward system and clearly communicate why someone has received a reward and how others can win, too. (vii) Look for injustices and swiftly correct them. Again, scan for your own biases and recognize when you unfairly grant a favour or make an exception for one person and not another. (viii) Create an autonomous environment. Employees should feel empowered to take responsibility for their development and professional enhancement. (ix) Create an open atmosphere for communication. If an employee doesn’t like how things are they should feel comfortable to communicate these feelings. (x) Leaders need to allow for employee feedback regarding fairness and not get annoyed when people do speak up.
Forming an equitable and tolerant workplace is not a complicated concept. However, it does require a clear vision and a commitment to enforce and uphold a work environment that is respectful, informed, and maintained.
Equality in the workplace helps bring together workers from all different backgrounds, and lays all perspectives on the table. It promotes company networking, boosts morale, and builds cohesive teams focused on achieving positive results for the company. This also benefits creativity in problem-solving and drives innovation.
The Equity at work initiative examines how the workplace is impacted by the evolving and changing norms of the social construction of gender roles, identity, and expression. This includes discussion of current and evolving workers’ rights, the workplace contexts in which they currently exist, and individual, organisational and cultural interventions that promote and expand employment issues of respect, fairness, fairness and justice. Hence, Equality is the fair treatment of people regardless of their gender, race, disability, religion, nationality, sexual orientation or age.
Equity theory is ultimately based on perception, however, what people perceive to be fair and just. Fairness can easily become subjective when dealing with a wide range of personalities in the workforce. Two employees may have completely different ideas of fairness for the same work output; and an employer and employee may also be on opposite sides of the fairness fence when it comes to the relationship between work output and rewards for said work.
Workplace fairness does matters today. Gone are the days when bosses can simply command and control workers! Organisations now operate under steps of change that is unforgiving and unrelenting. Customers through social media now have more power to affect a business’s bottom line and its market reputation. Employees bring different generational expectations that come from different life experiences, such as:
Achievement – The opportunities afforded by an equitable workplace motivate employees to achieve. Believing that rewards will be equal with effort, employees with ability and drive strive to shine. This behaviour is explained by equity theory, which links fairness to employee effort. If employees receive bonuses, pay and promotions at a job that equitably rewards merit, the company ends up with the right people in the right places doing the right things.
Employee retention -Equity also encourages employee retention. An employee who believes he can have a bright future with a company wants to stay and claim it. It costs a company a lot of money to replace employees who leave. Treating employees equitably can reduce turnover, saving companies the money it takes to find and hire new employees.
Attracting talent – Attracting talent is easier for companies that pursue workplace equity and foster a meritocracy than it is for those that do only enough to avoid breaking employment laws. Talented people ready to excel are excited that cause and effect rules in an equitable workplace. It means investment of brains, energy and dedication pays off. It also gives these achievers the chance to work with other achievers.
Scope of diversity – Diversity is often the result of workplaces that are functioning equitably, assuming that the potential workers have equitable access to educational opportunities. Diversity in a workplace means more experience, more perspectives and more source material to draw from in brainstorming, solving problems and creating innovative products or services.
Motivation – Employees those who feel they are being treated equitably are more likely to be motivated to do a good job. They know that they are being judged on the same scale as their peers, regardless of personal differences, so they feel that when they do a better job, they will be rewarded accordingly.
Recruitment – Companies that tout an equitable workplace tend to have an easier time recruiting talented employees. Job seekers are attracted to such companies because they feel that they will be hired at a pay rate that is fair and will receive promotions and bonuses based solely on the quality and quantity of work they perform, not on the colour of their skin or their gender.
Profits – Way to promote equality in the workplace. Fundamentally, a business needs to live and breathe equality and diversity. All staffs are responsible for ensuring equality in a business and this is easily achieved through some key behaviours: (i) Respect individual beliefs, practices, backgrounds, and the importance of a diversity of approaches to a problem. (ii) Discuss equity matter regularly and openly with employees, to encourage open dialogue and understanding. (iii) Ensure equality training is part of recruitment and on boarding process for new employees. (iv) Allow employee leave or flexibility to meet their needs, religious holidays and observance, or other special circumstance to promote the business as an employer of excellence. (v) Have a clear process to deal with complaints or issues in relation to equality for all stakeholders. (vi) Use an employee profile management system to keep track of employee skills, qualifications, and other notes. (v) Make sure everyone understands the reward system and clearly communicate why someone has received a reward and how others can win, too. (vii) Look for injustices and swiftly correct them. Again, scan for your own biases and recognize when you unfairly grant a favour or make an exception for one person and not another. (viii) Create an autonomous environment. Employees should feel empowered to take responsibility for their development and professional enhancement. (ix) Create an open atmosphere for communication. If an employee doesn’t like how things are they should feel comfortable to communicate these feelings. (x) Leaders need to allow for employee feedback regarding fairness and not get annoyed when people do speak up.
Forming an equitable and tolerant workplace is not a complicated concept. However, it does require a clear vision and a commitment to enforce and uphold a work environment that is respectful, informed, and maintained.
(Taslim Ahammad, Assistant Professor, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University, Gopalganj, Bangladesh)
