Tips On Making A Workplace Inclusive For Vegans

Plant-Based Meat
Plant-Based Meat
Plant-Based Diet
Plant-Based Diet

There is more pressure for workers to become vegans to cause their places of work to be more inclusive. The nonprofit organization named The Vegan Society proposes some measures, including exclusive office refrigerator shelves for vegans, dedicated plant-based food preparation zones, and color-coded tools.

The vegan count in the United Kingdom quadrupled from 2014 to 2019, as per the nonprofit’s data. Meanwhile, Google search queries for the term ‘veganism’ have increased considerably in the last few years.

Vegans avoid consuming animal-related food items. Their affinity to vegan diets caused the UK-based charity to publish the following list of tips. The organization did it in view of the changes to the UK’s anti-discrimination legislation, which presently protects the ‘ethical veganism’ concept. This concept means being on a fully plant-based diet, and not using goods tested or otherwise used on animals.

What Measures Do The Vegan Organization Propose For The Workplace Inclusivity?

To make their workplaces much more inclusive for vegans, companies have to think about the following.

  • Distributing a sheet of diet-related requirements to employees for catered functions.
  • Providing separate vegan food preparation zones, keeping utensils clean, and offering color-coded tools.
  • Providing dedicated storage for vegan food, like those refrigerator shelves.
  • Making sure of access to accessories suitable for vegans, like non-leather mobile covers or artificial safety boots.
  • Exempting vegan workers from taking part in events centered on animal derivatives, like ‘hog roast’ barbecues, and other corporate functions like horse racing.
  • Exempting them from partaking in the trade of goods that are not vegan-friendly.
  • Supporting vegans to talk to a relevant staff member about pension fund investment options.
  • Making the work environment respectful to and positive for vegans, like, say, by being wary of jokes that can be considered offensive.
  • Acting promptly on grievance from, and unjust treatment of, vegans.
  • Giving training to workers about anti-discrimination legislation that highlights veganism as an unreligious belief, which this law protects.
  • Noticing what parts vegans can play in workplace practices and policies.
  • Telling vegan workers to not be anxious regarding raising grievances, while reassuring them that the concerns would be prioritized should they raise these.

Veganism And Equality Legislation

In January 2020, a UK employment tribunal found ethical veganism to be a belief which is preserved under the Equality Act 2010. The law makes discrimination against individuals based on protected characteristics including age, religion, disability, and gender illegal.