WHILE THE EMPLOYMENT laws of Barbados are silent on the issue of discrimination and the outright expression of such has been significantly reduced in recent decades, the impact remains the same.
Perceived discrimination in the case of health and safety can be equated to outright discrimination. What exists today are more subtle and chronic forms of discrimination in certain groups of our society.
The absence of law and protocol does not mean that discrimination does not exist or its effect isn’t real. In an era when there is enlightenment on the various facets of mental ill-health and general health and safety concerns in the workplace, there is no doubt that discrimination can severely impact the safety, security and health of the offended and the onlookers.
Discrimination is defined under International Labour Organisation Convention No. 111 as any distinction, exclusion or preference made on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin (among other characteristics), which has the effect of nullifying or impairing equality of opportunity and treatment in employment or occupation.
One way to understand the experience of discrimination is that it is a stressor that can broadly impact health. Although most stressful experiences do not increase vulnerability to illness, certain kinds of stressors – those that are uncontrollable and unpredictable – are particularly harmful to health, and these characteristics are common to discrimination experiences. Perceived discrimination has also been linked to specific types of physical health problems, such as hypertension, self-reported poor health, and breast cancer, as well as potential risk factors for disease, such as obesity, high blood pressure, and substance use (D. R. Williams & Mohammed, 2009).
Under the Safety And Health At Work Act, it is the responsibility of every employer to ensure the safety, health and welfare of all employees whether it is their physical being or their mental faculties.
Discrimination in the workplace can be classified as a psychological hazard bearing further fruit through physical risks. Not only will employees be exposed to harm but the organisation may observe noticeable changes to their profit and loss stemming from reduced productivity.
The level of productivity of an employee is closely correlated to the way said employee views their organisation and the gains that can be derived personally from the work executed. More often than not, we look most at the impact on the person who was discriminated, however, the most impactful damage can be evidenced through the onlookers and their changed view of the organisation or employer. The employees may also try other factors to limit discrimination such as resorting to taking absent days or showing up to work late.
The impact of discrimination can first be evidenced through behaviour changes and mental irritability. The interactions of some employees may change from one where they can talk freely with others to one that is more timid and less interpersonal. Such signs demonstrate that the employee is internalising the discrimination and can cause the employee to move from a state of mental health to mental ill-health. However, for other employees it may cause the employee to become angry and violent in the workplace. Such an employee can cause further damage to the entire workforce through tactics such as bullying or even physical fighting.
Continued mental irritability can cause employees to become less attentive and more complacent leading to risk such as: slips, trips and falls from reduced physical health; equipment damage stemming from frustration or lackadaisical behaviour; musculoskeletal disorders from handling themselves or loads inadequately; and cuts and bruises from inappropriately handling equipment and resources.
It would be remiss of me to write this article without concluding on ways we can reduce discrimination and in turn reduce its negative effects. It is our hope that the Discrimination In Employment Bill will be enacted in the coming years and once policed and administered efficiently will offer some recourse for the affected parties.
At the beginning I pointed out that perceived discrimination is as detrimental as outright discrimination, therefore, each employer due to the disproportionate power relation between him/her and their employee, must be mindful of the decisions they make and the way they verbalise the basis for their decisions.
