Workplace discrimination affected 11% of employees in the Netherlands in 2025. Dutch employers must assess discrimination as a workplace safety risk. Unclear reporting routes and outdated work instructions can allow unfair treatment to continue.
Why this matters
Discrimination can affect hiring, pay, rosters, training, promotion and disciplinary files. It can lead to absence, staff turnover and extra management time. Employers must include relevant discrimination risks in the RI&E. The action plan should name the measure, owner and review date. Staff need another contact when a report concerns their manager or owner. A policy cannot receive a report or protect an employee. Assign each step and record the outcome.
Example
An employee reports a discriminatory remark by a supervisor. The handbook says staff deserve respect, but every complaint goes to that supervisor. The employee stops talking. No record is made, and the owner learns of the issue weeks later. Another employee has refused shifts. A workable route names another receiver, protects the employee and records the response. The owner can then review rosters, interview notes or pay decisions for a wider pattern.
XTROVERSO tips
- Map the real reporting route. Write down who receives a concern. Name a replacement when it involves a manager, owner or HR contact. Staff need a route that does not lead back to the person involved.
- Check the RI&E. Use the RI&E to identify where discrimination or unwanted conduct may occur, including recruitment and shift allocation. In the action plan, list the measure, responsible person and review date.
- Review working files and templates. Check vacancy text, interview notes, staff records, rosters, pay exceptions and disciplinary files. Remove obsolete fields, coded labels and criteria unrelated to the role.
- Test one recent decision. Select a hiring, pay, training, promotion or hours decision. Check that the file shows the criteria, evidence and outcome without relying on memory.
- Set a clear response process. Record who received the signal, immediate protection, facts reviewed, the decision and follow-up. Every report needs a reasoned response, even when a formal investigation is unnecessary.
- Tell staff what to expect. Explain where staff can speak, who can see the record and what happens next. Do not promise confidentiality that the process cannot provide.
Need a reporting route your staff can trust? We can review your process and records
The data, sourcing, and analysis behind this article were conducted by Paolo Maria Pavan. AI was not used to identify sources, build the factual basis, or produce the analytical judgment contained here. AI was used only as a drafting aid. The final English text was personally reviewed, edited, and approved by Paolo Maria Pavan before publication.
References
- UWV — Discriminatie en racisme hebben geen plek binnen UWV
- UWV — Jaarrapportage Integriteit 2025
- UWV — Discriminatie melden
- CBS — Arbeidsomstandigheden in 2025
- Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie — Werkdruk en ongewenst gedrag
- Rijksoverheid — Regels voor gelijke behandeling op het werk
- Rijksoverheid — Ontwikkeling landelijk meldpunt discriminatie
