Religious discrimination at work
With such a diverse population in the UK comes a broad range of different religions and belief systems. Consequently, by law employers must be careful not to discriminate against someone at work because of the religious or philosophical beliefs that a person may hold. The following guide for employers examines the meaning of religious discrimination […]
Redundancy during maternity leave: HR guide
The process of making employees redundant is rarely straightforward, but can be further complicated where the law affords the worker additional protections, such as if the employee is pregnant or on maternity leave. This guide will explain the key issues for employers dealing with redundancy during maternity leave, to help ensure fair and lawful handling […]
Racial discrimination at work: HR help
Being an equal opportunities employer means taking positive steps to prevent all forms of discrimination, including racial discrimination at work. Tribunal claims for unlawful racial discrimination are costly to defend, damaging to your reputation as an employer, and can have a profoundly negative impact on workplace morale. As such, taking positive steps to prevent unlawful […]
Reasonable adjustments for mental health disabilities
Employees are protected from discrimination at work if they have a qualifying disability under the Equality Act 2010. The obligation on employers to prevent unlawful disability discrimination extends not only to employees’ physical health and visible conditions but also to their mental health and well-being. Section 20 of the Act, in particular, gives eligible employees […]
Sex discrimination: advice for employers
Sex discrimination, when someone is unfairly disadvantaged in the workplace because of their sex, is unlawful. The number of employment tribunal claims relating to unfair treatment on the basis of sex confirm that sex discrimination continues to be a problem in the workplace. But preventing sex discrimination should be seen as more than a legal […]
Tackling sexual harassment in the workplace
Sexual harassment at work has been prohibited by UK law for decades, yet this kind of conduct and its damaging effects still continue. The startling revelations that have emerged in recent years, including the #MeToo movement, have made it abundantly clear that the problem persists, despite the existence of these legal protections. Everyone should be […]
Workplace perceptive discrimination risks
In the UK, it is unlawful to treat someone less favourably than someone else at work because of certain protected characteristics, such as their age, sex, disability, race or religion. This includes treating someone unfairly because of a perception that they possess a particular characteristic. The following guide for employers outlines the law relating to […]
What is positive discrimination?
Understanding what is meant by positive discrimination, and how this applies within the workplace, plays an important part in creating a fair and inclusive working environment without unlawfully discriminating against anyone. The following guide examines the concept of positive discrimination in the context of equality and diversity at work, including the difference between positive discrimination […]
Automatically unfair dismissal
It is a common misconception that an employee can be dismissed without the need to provide a fair reason and follow a fair process, as long as they have not yet accrued two years’ continuous service with their employer. On the contrary, however, there are certain circumstances in which a dismissal may be classed as […]
Avoiding discrimination in recruitment
Under the Equality Act 2010, individuals are protected from unlawful discrimination in the workplace. Unlawful discrimination refers to unfair treatment because of a particular protected characteristic. These protections apply across the employment lifecycle, from the initial recruitment and selection stage, right through their period of employment to contract termination. This means an individual who has been discriminated […]
