Being called ‘fat’ was not discrimination arising from a disability
Employment Appeal Tribunal Case: Evans v Xactly Corporation Ltd UKEATPA Category: Disability discrimination, harassment and victimisation In this employment appeal tribunal case the employee was disabled and was dismissed for poor performance. He claimed that both the process that led to dismissal and the dismissal itself, amounted to direct discrimination in relation to the protected […]
Minimising risk of discrimination in recruitment
People involved in the recruitment process should possess a working knowledge of the legal basics. There are also several common areas where employers can often inadvertently, fall foul during recruitment which are discussed below. The legal basics of unlawful discrimination The Equality Act 2010 is the legislation that sets out which characteristics a person may […]
Recruitment and modern data protection
GDPR and discrimination In this HR article, we provide some guidance to help make recruitment practices safer and to improve legal compliance. Questions around how employment law affects recruitment and selection, are common. There are a few key areas to be mindful of. The main ones are contract law, employment law, data protection and discrimination. The […]
BP alleged to have sacked female employee because ‘women aren’t funny’
An employment tribunal has heard that a BP surveyor lost her job because her sense of humour wasn’t considered a female asset. At the time, Kathryn Buttle was the only female surveyor working in her team in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey. Ms Buttle was made redundant last year and is now claiming unfair dismissal, public interest disclosure and […]
Should criminal records be sealed from employers?
In the future, employers may no longer know if an individual has a criminal record. This follows a recommendation from an independent review of how the criminal justice system treats black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people in the UK. The review, led by David Lammy MP, concludes that the UK should follow the U.S. system. In […]
Comment to secretary costs defence firm £360,000 compensation
A court has ordered BAE systems to pay out £360,000 to a secretary after a manager told her that women are more emotional about things than men. A tribunal hearing had instructed the arms manufacturer to make the compensation payment to Marion Konczak in 2014. However, the firm lodged an appeal claiming the judgement was […]
Does the BBC top earners’ salaries list reveal its gender pay gap?
The BBC finds itself accused of discrimination, following the recent publication of its top earners salaries. The publication revealed a significant gender pay gap across that level within the organisation. This year is the first time the BBC has published the salaries of those who earned at least £150,000 last year. Radio 2 presenter Chris […]
Equal pay dispute sees £50m awarded to female council workers
Thousands of female Glasgow City Council employees will share a pay out of up to £50million. The Court of Session determined that the women had missed out on large bonuses for a number of years. Furthermore, the employees suffered discrimination for three years while they attempted to resolve their equal pay claims. Unfair discrimination Approximately […]
Dress codes at work
There is a golden rule regarding dress codes if you want to work in the financial sector – do not wear loud ties or brown shoes. Candidates who turn up for interviews wearing brown shoes, ‘loud’ ties or suits that don’t fit properly, are being rejected for investment bank jobs, for falling foul of these […]
Ministers urged to tackle Muslim unemployment inequality in the UK
A House of Commons report has revealed that Muslim unemployment is the highest of all the ethnic and religious groups in the UK. The report by the Women and Equalities Committee, found that the average unemployment figure is 5.4%, but the figure among Muslims is 12.8%. The Employment Opportunities for Muslims in the UK report, […]
Increased tensions in the workplace
The decision to leave the EU has sent shockwaves throughout the country, even though the UK’s complete exit will be some years away. There have been reports of increased tensions in the workplace since the results were announced, putting pressure on employers to carefully monitor and deal with any bullying or discrimination that might be […]
Starbucks Loses Workplace Dyslexia Case
A dyslexic employee has won an Employment Tribunal against coffee retail chain Starbucks. Meseret Kumulchew, a barista at a Starbucks in Clapham, London, suffered discrimination in her role after she was wrongly accused of falsifying documents. Ms Kumulchew made mistakes in her role due to her difficulties with reading and writing. Yet instead of making […]
Voluntary Redundancy: Don’t Consider Age a Factor, Rules EAT
Taking age-related benefits into account during redundancy selections can be discrimination, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ruled. The case of Donkor v Royal Bank of Scotland concerned an employee who was not allowed to apply for voluntary redundancy on the grounds of his age. As the claimant was over 50 at the time […]
DWP Criticised for Disability Discrimination
The Department of Work and Pensions has come under fire from its staff, accusing it of disability discrimination. The latest staff survey has seen over 1,400 DWP civil servants claim incidences of bullying and harassment taking place at work, because of disability. These figures are up from more than 1,000 that was reported the previous […]
Recruitment agency criticised for sexist job adverts
A London-based recruitment agency has found itself under fire for advertising sexist job adverts that not only state that just “beautiful” women should apply, but some adverts even go as far as requesting specific bra sizes. Matching Models posted sexist job adverts on their website looking for a flight attendant and PA, stating that applicants […]
Campaign to ban sexist language at work
A new campaign is claiming that pet names and sexist language can hold women back at work and should be banned. A nationwide poll asked more than 2,000 women to share the pet names that they would like to see banned from the workplace. The survey by Kellogg’s cereal Special K, found that at the […]
Nicknames and Discrimination in the Workplace
An Employment Tribunal has awarded more than £63,000 to a salesperson nicknamed “Gramps” by his colleagues. The Tribunal found that Mr Dove suffered discrimination in the workplace and was ultimately dismissed because of his age. Mr Dove was a long-serving salesperson for a jewellery manufacturer before his dismissal at age 60. The Head of Sales […]
Father denied full pay during shared parental leave
A father in Glasgow is celebrating a £30,000 tribunal win for sex discrimination, after his employer would only pay him statutory pay during shared parental leave, although mothers receive full pay. The employment tribunal heard that the Network Rail employee David Snell and his wife, wanted to take advantage of the opportunity of shared parental […]
Former Chelsea Doctor Claims for Constructive Dismissal
Former Chelsea first team doctor Eva Carneiro has lodged a claim of constructive dismissal against her former employer. Chelsea’s Premiere League defence started with a 2-2 draw against Swansea on the 8th August. Towards the closing stages of the game and with the scores already level Eden Hazard received an injury. After being motioned on to […]
£3.2 Million Awarded for Workplace Harassment
A former banker at the London office of a major Russian bank has won significant damages at an Employment Tribunal following ongoing discrimination and harassment in her role. Svetlana Lokhova worked for Sberbank CIB (UK) Ltd until she resigned claiming constructive dismissal in 2012. Ms Lokhova, a Cambridge graduate, joined the bank in 2008. […]