Equality & Discrimination

It doesn’t matter which industry you operate in, every work setting has requirements on equality, diversity, discrimination, and rights.

The modern workplace is a diverse environment. As a result, the opportunity for discrimination is greater than ever before.

As you’re probably aware, the Equality Act 2010 protects individuals from discrimination. This piece of equal opportunities and anti-discrimination legislation protects people based a number of protected characteristics.

Unfortunately, despite this, harassment, bullying, and abuse still occur.

As an employer, it’s your job to encourage equality, stamp out discrimination and act decisively when it occurs.

Our articles won’t just bring you the latest updates in this area. They’ll help eliminate sex and gender discrimination. Tackle sexual orientation prejudice. Fight religious discrimination. Ensure equality for disabled employees. Promote inclusivity for those who have undergone, or are in the process of gender reassignment. Protect those who are unfairly treated following marriage or pregnancy. Remove age discrimination from your workplace. And finally, highlight the differences between direct vs indirect discrimination, and how to avoid both.

If you have any questions about equal opportunities and discrimination you can get in touch with us on 01455 858 132.

Blogs

Racial Discrimination at Work

Racial Discrimination at Work

Racial Discrimination and legislation There are various pieces of legislation to do with racial dis...

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Supporting Employees’ Dietary Diversity

Supporting Employees’ Dietary Diversity

It may seem simple at first glance, but for many employers, being inclusive of employees’ dietary re...

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Celebrate Black History Month UK at Work

Celebrate Black History Month UK at Work...

Business leaders like you might be wondering how to best recognise Black History Month this October....

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Sex Discrimination

Sex Discrimination

Sexual discrimination can be difficult to root out in organisations. Especially when it’s not obviou...

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Gender Diversity in the Workplace

Gender Diversity in the Workplace

As an employer, you should be in no doubt aware that gender equality should be a given. Equal opport...

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Gender Discrimination in the Workplace

Gender Discrimination in the Workplace

Discrimination in the workplace occurs when you treat an employee less favourably because of a prote...

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Benefits of diversity in the workplace

Benefits of diversity in the workplace

Today, more employers are prioritizing diversity, inclusivity and equality initiatives to help their...

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Disability Discrimination at Work

Disability Discrimination at Work

As an employer, you need to understand disability discrimination. Whether you employ disabled staff ...

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Discrimination at Work

Discrimination at Work

Individuals from different backgrounds and with a variety of life experiences make up the modern wor...

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Sexual Harassment at Work

Sexual Harassment at Work

Sexual harassment isn't always easy to spot or remove in a business. But, every employer has a duty ...

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Perceptive Discrimination - An HR Guide

Perceptive Discrimination - An HR Guide

Did you know that an employee doesn’t have to have a protected characteristic to claim discriminatio...

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Remote Working Bias – “The Zoom Ceiling”

Remote Working Bias – “The Zoom Ceiling”

Working remotely can present barriers to progression. Not quite a ceiling, more of a screen, the ter...

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Case Law Update: Football Team Support - A Philosophical Belief?

Case Law Update: Football Team Support -...

The Employment Tribunal has ruled that support for a football club (in this case, Rangers) is not ta...

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Person Running towards a lift

Coming Out at Work

Add this infographic to your website by copying and pasting the following embed code: <div sty...

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Man with paint on hand

Case Law Update: Forstater v CGD Europe

The case of Forstater v CGD Europe is a long and complex one. It has gone from employment tribunal (...

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Outside of WH Smith Store

Case Law Update: Discrimination & Constr...

An employment tribunal has upheld a claim for indirect sex discrimination and constructive unfair di...

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Worker operating switches

How to Tackle Gender Diversity in Male D...

Despite the fact several industries have closed the gender gap, there are still many sectors that ar...

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Police on street

Case Law Update: Harassment & Working Ho...

An employment tribunal has found that a police officer was the victim of harassment and victimisatio...

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How to Deal With Employee Victimisation

How to Deal With Employee Victimisation

How do you deal with victimisation at work, as an employer? This type of mistreatment in the workpla...

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asda lorry on motorway

Case Law Update: Dementia & Disability D...

An Employment Tribunal has found that an older employee with dementia was: Constructively dismiss...

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Burden Of Proof

Burden of Proof in Employment Tribunal C...

Before making a claim in a tribunal, an individual needs to prove they have a case. The burden of pr...

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Image of person with arm around another person

Historical LGBT+ Employment Cases and th...

When the Equality Act 2010 was introduced it ensured LGBT+ individuals were not discriminated agains...

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people queuing socially distanced

Case Law Update: Fear of COVID - A Philo...

The Employment Tribunal (ET) recently came to a decision on protected beliefs under the Equality Act...

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image of people in court

Case Law Update: Menopause & Discriminat...

The menopause is a particularly contentious point in employment law. This is because there is preced...

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meeting at work

Top Tips for Avoiding Discrimination in ...

Recruitment can be a costly and time-consuming business. It can also be litigious. There’s legislat...

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Couple sat smiling together reading

Case Law Update: Compulsory Retirement A...

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has upheld contrasting decisions on the effect of the same empl...

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Age discrimination

Ageism in the Workplace

Could age discrimination claims affect your business? It might happen more often than you’d expect. ...

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ADHD inclusion in the workplace

Neurodiversity

Many businesses celebrate workplace diversity and inclusion. But that doesn’t just cover sexuality o...

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Woman sat at laptop writing

Case Law Update: Sithirapathy v PSI CRO ...

The Employment Tribunal (ET) has dismissed a series of claims concerning discrimination, unfair and ...

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2 people smiling behind sad man in foreground

Types of Discrimination

At first glance, it seems quite simple. There are nine protected characteristics—so there must be ni...

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people sat at desk writing

New Sexual Harassment Prevention Duty An...

The Government has given its response to the consultation on sexual harassment in the workplace. Thi...

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Dobson v North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust

Dobson v North Cumbria Integrated Care N...

An employment appeal tribunal (EAT) has upheld a claim of indirect sex discrimination because the em...

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Transgender Views are a Philosophical Belief, EAT Holds

Transgender Views are a Philosophical Be...

The case first hit the headlines when author JK Rowling was attacked for tweeting in favour of the c...

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LGBTQ+ Inclusivity – Token Gestures vs Real Change

LGBTQ+ Inclusivity – Token Gestures vs R...

Lego recently made headlines for introducing a new LGBTQ+ set, entitled “Everyone is Awesome”. The ...

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Equal Opportunities in the Workplace

Equal Opportunities in the Workplace

The UK is a multicultural, multiabled and neurodiverse country. To reflect this, UK legislation sets...

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Ramadan During Lockdown

Ramadan During Lockdown

Ramadan is the holy month of the Islamic calendar often involving a period of fasting during dayligh...

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Mental Health Discrimination at Work

Mental Health Discrimination at Work

Sometimes, people treat those who have mental health problems differently at work because of their m...

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Tattoos in the Workplace

Tattoos in the Workplace

Fashion and tastes are cyclical. With styles and ideas coming in and out of fashion. In the early 1...

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Case Law Update: Chalmers v Airport Ltd

Case Law Update: Chalmers v Airport Ltd

The EAT has dismissed a victimisation claim. They ruled that wording used by the claimant in a griev...

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Case Law Update: Chief Con of Devon and Cornwall Police v Town

Case Law Update: Chief Con of Devon and ...

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has upheld a ruling that a pregnant police officer was discrimi...

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Civil Service Scrap Unconscious Bias Training

Civil Service Scrap Unconscious Bias Tra...

What is unconscious bias? It’s the idea that individuals are unconsciously drawn to an individual d...

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Case Law: Double Discrimination & Disability

Case Law: Double Discrimination & Disabi...

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ruled that in circumstances where there is no evidence of a...

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Positive Action

Positive Action

Diversity in the workplace can determine the success of your business. Many studies have shown that ...

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Case Law Update: Can Indirect Age Discrimination be Justified?

Case Law Update: Can Indirect Age Discri...

The Court of Appeal has held that indirect age discrimination can potentially be justified. This cou...

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The Dangers of Unconscious Bias

The Dangers of Unconscious Bias

The vast majority of companies in the country will know about discrimination and will actively take ...

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Woman sat at desk

Objective Justification

In UK employment law, discrimination in the workplace is illegal under the Equality Act 2010. Howeve...

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5 Disciplinary Procedure Essentials for Cases of Harassment

5 Disciplinary Procedure Essentials for ...

Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for harassment problems to emerge in a workplace. If it occurs in y...

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7 Steps for Managing Harassment in the Workplace

7 Steps for Managing Harassment in the W...

Unfortunately, harassment in the workplace is still a serious problem in the UK. Protecting employee...

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woman on phone at desk

Religious Discrimination in the Workplac...

Religion or belief can be a big part of an individual’s life. While you may or may not believe it ha...

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couple looking at computer

What is Positive Discrimination in the U...

In today’s business and social climate, it’s important to embrace diversity to ensure your business ...

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Case Law Update: Disability Discrimination & Personality Disorders

Case Law Update: Disability Discriminati...

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ruled that the tribunal did not err by finding a claimant h...

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Case Law Update: Disability Discrimination & Medical Evidence

Case Law Update: Disability Discriminati...

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ruled that an employment tribunal (ET) was right to rely on...

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Case Law Update: Disability Discrimination & Pensions

Case Law Update: Disability Discriminati...

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ruled on a case involving two disabled police officers and ...

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8 Top Tips for Investigating a Claim of Harassment

8 Top Tips for Investigating a Claim of ...

In cases of harassment you must follow a set process and deal with any harassment complaint quickly,...

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Case Law Update: When is an Impairment a Disability?

Case Law Update: When is an Impairment a...

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ruled that, when bringing a claim of disability discriminat...

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Case Law Update: Company Losses & Reasonable Adjustments

Case Law Update: Company Losses & Reason...

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has found that permitting an employee to work from home at a mo...

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2 people sign language

Case Law Update - Discrimination Cancell...

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ruled that individuals who have been dismissed, but then la...

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Ethical Veganism is a Philosophical Belief

Ethical Veganism is a Philosophical Beli...

Under the Equality Act 2010, it’s unlawful to discriminate against an individual because of their re...

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Case Law Update - When Immigration & Employment Law Collide

Case Law Update - When Immigration & Emp...

The Employment Appeal Tribunal has held that an organisation was wrong to completely depend on a neg...

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Case Law Update: Gray v Mulberry Company (Design) Limited

Case Law Update: Gray v Mulberry Company...

The Court of Appeal has upheld earlier decisions that an employee’s belief in the right to own the c...

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Pregnancy Discrimination

Pregnancy Discrimination

Discrimination is an employment tribunal case waiting to happen. Despite this, pregnancy and materni...

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Case Law Update: Religious Preaching in the Workplace

Case Law Update: Religious Preaching in ...

The Court of Appeal has ruled that a Nurse was fairly dismissed on allegations she’d engaged in inap...

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Case Law Update: When is a Disability a Disability?

Case Law Update: When is a Disability a ...

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ruled that, when evaluating if an impairment should be clas...

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Case Law Update: Philosophical Belief & Personal Pronouns

Case Law Update: Philosophical Belief & ...

The employment tribunal (ET) has held that a doctor’s ‘conscientious objection’ to refer to transgen...

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Disability - An Employer's Responsibilities

Disability - An Employer's Responsibilit...

October is National Disability Awareness month. If you weren’t already, it’s important to be aware o...

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Case Law - Discrimination Outside of Work

Case Law - Discrimination Outside of Wor...

The EAT has held that employers could avoid being liable for discriminatory acts committed by their ...

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Case Law Update: Discrimination as a Result of Employer's Belief

Case Law Update: Discrimination as a Res...

A recent ruling has found that direct discrimination claims that arise as a result of the alleged di...

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Case Law Update: Mental Health Discrimination

Case Law Update: Mental Health Discrimin...

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ruled that an employer didn’t have ‘constructive knowledge’...

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Case Law Update: Disability Discrimination

Case Law Update: Disability Discriminati...

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ruled that when making a reasonable adjustment to assist a ...

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5 Top Tips - Creating an Inclusive Workplace

5 Top Tips - Creating an Inclusive Workp...

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Diversity in the Workplace

Diversity in the Workplace

At the heart of every successful business is a respected workforce. These employees work hard to hel...

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Mythbuster: The LGBT+ Experience in the ...

June is Pride Month, which means it’s the perfect chance to address some of the myths surrounding LG...

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[Mythbuster] There's No Need to Make All...

This year, Ramadan falls on the 5th May and ends on 4th June. The observance is much more than a com...

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Understanding Wage Differentials and Identifying Factors That Affect It

Understanding Wage Differentials and Ide...

The first step to understanding wage differentials is knowing the distinction between wage and salar...

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Hug or Harassment? How Can You Be Sure?

Hug or Harassment? How Can You Be Sure?

Reports have come to light of a culture of ‘forced hugging’ within the fashion chain, Ted Baker. Mor...

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Handling Discrimination At Work

How Employers Can Handle Discrimination ...

Despite progress in stamping out workplace discrimination, it’s still a part of the modern business ...

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Age Discrimination: Examples and What You Need to Know

Age Discrimination: Examples and What Yo...

The Equality Act 2010 forbids you from discriminating against job seekers, your staff, and trainees....

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mythbuster image

Mythbuster – Diversity Training Encourag...

There are some employees who feel that participating in diversity training is an attack on their rac...

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What is Harassment in the Workplace?

What is Harassment in the Workplace?

Harassment at work involves one or more employees causing a colleague to feel upset, shamed, intimid...

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Improve Gender Equality Workplace

What Can Employers do to Improve Gender ...

Gender equality in the workplace has been making headlines in recent months and, along with workers’...

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Manage Autistic Employee

How to Manage an Autistic Employee

Taking on an autistic employee can prove beneficial for an employer due to the range of exceptional ...

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Managing Workplace Harassment

10 Top Tips For Managing Workplace Haras...

The fight against harassment has spread to all corners of society – from Hollywood and the Golden Gl...

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Indirect discrimination race

The Legal Test in a Case of Indirect Dis...

Under the Equality Act 2010 (pertaining to equality act case law), it is unlawful for an employer to...

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Reasonable Adjustments Wheelchair Users

Duty to Make Reasonable Adjustments for ...

On the buses – the duty to make reasonable adjustments; The case of First Group PLC v Paulley [2017...

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avoid-discriminatory-dress-codes

Top Tips to Avoid Discriminatory Dress C...

In December 2015, Nicola Thorp was sent home from her place of work for refusing to wear shoes with ...

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