How To Deal With Discrimination In The Workplace As An Employee

How you deal with discrimination as an employee comes down to a sequence of choices, and it helps to know what each one realistically achieves before you make it.

Record it first. Write down what happened, when, who was present and what was said, on the day. Keep the emails, the roster, the selection outcome. A note made at the time carries weight that a recollection months later does not.

Raise it internally. Use the reporting channel or a manager who is not involved, and put it in writing. Say what you are asking for rather than only describing what happened, because a specific request is easier to act on than a general complaint. Most matters end here, and that is usually the fastest outcome available to you.

Know the external routes. The Australian Human Rights Commission handles complaints under the federal Acts and works by conciliation. The Fair Work system covers adverse action taken because of a protected attribute. Which fits depends on what happened and whether you were dismissed, and some time limits are short.

Once you have raised something, treating you badly for having raised it is a separate breach in its own right. The Australian Human Rights Commission explains how complaints are handled. This is general information rather than legal advice, and it is worth getting proper advice early.

See Sentrient’s equal employment opportunity course and workplace bullying course.