Employment (Individuals)

Discrimination

Your employer owes you the right to be employed, paid, trained and promoted only because of your skills, abilities and how you do your job. If you treat one employee less favourably than another because of their gender, marital status, race, belief, disability, religion, age, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity or sexual orientation you could be disciminating against them.

Discrimination can be indirect. If you are being treated less favourably because you associate with someone with a 'protected characteristic' or your employers policies and procedures unfairly disadvantage you because you have a protected characteristic, this may also be discriminatory.

When 'discrimination' is heard in relation to the work place, most people are really thinking about harrassment and victimisation rather than an employee being unfairly disadvantaged. Harrassment is more deliberate conduct by an employer which violates dignity or makes the employee feel intimidated, humiliated or offended. Victimisation occurs where an employee is unfairly treated following an attempt to make a complaint about discrimination.

If you think you are being discriminated against or your employers policies and procedures are discriminatory, contact our Employment Team for confidential, impartial advice today.