Employers believe good human rights pratices are good for business, but are unsure about what they need to be doing
Employers believe good human rights practices are good for business — but organizations aren’t sure about what they need to be doing, according to a new study out of Alberta.
The province’s human rights and citizenship commission surveyed more than 500 employers across Alberta in an attempt to reduce discrimination in the workplace and to gain a better understanding of how employers view human rights.
While the study shows employers believe respecting human rights is good for business, with 90 per cent of employers saying it’s important to be informed about human rights, it also reveals that a majority of employers don’t provide information to employees on the subject and aren’t sure what constitutes discrimination under provincial law.
“The survey results were encouraging and I am delighted that employers want to enhance their workplaces by implementing positive human rights practices,” said Charlach Mackintosh, chief commissioner of the commission. “The findings of the study will help us to develop and promote our programs and services in a more targeted way.”
Larger organizations, and unionized workplaces, tended to rate human rights as a higher priority than smaller ones and were more likely to distribute information to employees. The survey indicated that as the size of a company increased, it was more likely for them to run into human rights complaints with sexual harassment topping the list as the most common one.
As a result of the study, the commission is launching a number of initiatives to target employers and employees. A series of workshops will address issues such as harassment, hiring and firing practices, accommodation of persons with special needs and building an inclusive workplace. It is also producing two new bulletins exploring the employer’s duty to accommodate and look at rights and responsibilities related to pregnancy, childbirth and parental leave.
Highlights from the report:
•90 per cent of employers thought it was important to be informed about human rights.
•66 per cent of employers did not provide human rights information to their employees.
•562 employers (ranging from businesses with under 10 employees to 4,500 employees) responded to a telephone survey, and 35 employers participated in focus groups across Alberta.
•Larger companies and those employing a larger female workforce rated human rights issues as high in importance.
•Employers interviewed in the focus groups were unanimous in agreeing that positive human rights practices are good for business. The benefit of a “positive work environment” in attracting the best employees was most commonly cited by the employers.
•Employers are not confident in their understanding of what constitutes discrimination under Alberta’s human rights legislation and what subsequent action needs to be taken.
•Employers like to resolve a complaint before it is reported to an external body.
•Employers placed a high priority on receiving information related to their legal responsibility as employers to provide a workplace free from discrimination and on developing strategies for resolving human rights issues.
The full report, Employers’ Perspectives Research Project, is available on the commission’s Web site at http://www.albertahumanrights.ab.ca.
The province’s human rights and citizenship commission surveyed more than 500 employers across Alberta in an attempt to reduce discrimination in the workplace and to gain a better understanding of how employers view human rights.
While the study shows employers believe respecting human rights is good for business, with 90 per cent of employers saying it’s important to be informed about human rights, it also reveals that a majority of employers don’t provide information to employees on the subject and aren’t sure what constitutes discrimination under provincial law.
“The survey results were encouraging and I am delighted that employers want to enhance their workplaces by implementing positive human rights practices,” said Charlach Mackintosh, chief commissioner of the commission. “The findings of the study will help us to develop and promote our programs and services in a more targeted way.”
Larger organizations, and unionized workplaces, tended to rate human rights as a higher priority than smaller ones and were more likely to distribute information to employees. The survey indicated that as the size of a company increased, it was more likely for them to run into human rights complaints with sexual harassment topping the list as the most common one.
As a result of the study, the commission is launching a number of initiatives to target employers and employees. A series of workshops will address issues such as harassment, hiring and firing practices, accommodation of persons with special needs and building an inclusive workplace. It is also producing two new bulletins exploring the employer’s duty to accommodate and look at rights and responsibilities related to pregnancy, childbirth and parental leave.
Highlights from the report:
•90 per cent of employers thought it was important to be informed about human rights.
•66 per cent of employers did not provide human rights information to their employees.
•562 employers (ranging from businesses with under 10 employees to 4,500 employees) responded to a telephone survey, and 35 employers participated in focus groups across Alberta.
•Larger companies and those employing a larger female workforce rated human rights issues as high in importance.
•Employers interviewed in the focus groups were unanimous in agreeing that positive human rights practices are good for business. The benefit of a “positive work environment” in attracting the best employees was most commonly cited by the employers.
•Employers are not confident in their understanding of what constitutes discrimination under Alberta’s human rights legislation and what subsequent action needs to be taken.
•Employers like to resolve a complaint before it is reported to an external body.
•Employers placed a high priority on receiving information related to their legal responsibility as employers to provide a workplace free from discrimination and on developing strategies for resolving human rights issues.
The full report, Employers’ Perspectives Research Project, is available on the commission’s Web site at http://www.albertahumanrights.ab.ca.
