Ten things employers can do to prevent employment discrimination:
1. Establish effective policies prohibiting discrimination and retaliation.
2. Educate and train employees about anti-discrimination policies and what constitutes discrimination.
3. Enforce anti-discrimination policies through prompt, thorough and effective investigations.
4. Train members of management how to effectively deal with complaints of discrimination.
5. Be sure your human resources department knows how to appropriately handle complaints and how to curb retaliation.
6. Conduct an investigation that is thorough, fair and reasonable.
7. Enforce anti-discrimination policies through disciplinary action where appropriate.
8. Document, document, document.
9. Seek legal advice if you are unsure how to train your employees or how to handle a discrimination complaint or retaliation.
10. Contact legal consel immediately after receiving a charge of discrimination filed with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office or the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
