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6.  

Ensure That Workplaces Are Non-Discriminatory and Inclusive 

Our nation is diverse across a range of characteristics and becoming more so. At a national level, a diverse workforce in which more people are employed fosters economic growth. Diversity also brings benefits in the workplace, as different experiences add to diversity of thought and can enhance business outcomes when managed well. Diverse and inclusive workplaces provide opportunities for employees to participate and contribute fully. They also contribute to the bottom line, by helping employers to recruit and retain a quality workforce, enhance their processes and products, broaden their market appeal, and compete on a global basis. 

We recognize that discrimination and harassment in the workplace remain significant problems. Among many negative consequences, discrimination and harassment impede workers’ pursuit of economic opportunity, mobility and security, limit positive business outcomes, and hinder national economic growth. Lower wage workers can be especially vulnerable to discrimination and harassment. They are more likely to lack the resources or ability to assert their legal rights; as a result, discrimination and harassment against them in the workplace may not be recognized or reported as readily or as reliably as discrimination against other workers.

We agree that freedom from discrimination and harassment is a key foundation for a diverse and inclusive workplace, and should be addressed in all employment-related systems and processes, including but not limited to hiring, compensation, and advancement. Those systems and processes prevent discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, pregnancy and childbirth, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital and family status, political affiliation, and other factors.

We also agree that workplaces with active commitments to nondiscrimination and inclusivity are more likely to foster upward mobility for lower-income workers, including by increasing their opportunities for participation, promotion, increased pay, and leadership in the workplace. 
  • Employers and workers must respect legal obligations. We recommend that they also make and uphold explicit commitments to ensure non-discrimination and freedom from harassment, and to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. Those commitments should be translated into policy and practice. Performance in meeting nondiscrimination and inclusion commitments should be reviewed regularly, with transparency and accountability for both management and workers. 
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