Discrimination Solicitors York, Wetherby & Malton

People can be discriminated against in different ways in the workplace, it’s important to understand your rights as an employee and responsibilities as an employer. At Ware & Kay, our dedicated team can assist you in making the right decisions. Get in touch with our team today to find out more about how we can help you.

Who is protected from discrimination in the workplace?

In the UK, employees and other types of workers are protected from discrimination in the workplace under the Equality Act 2010. It is unlawful for an employer to discriminate against a person because of a protected characteristic.

Protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010

Protected characteristics include the following:

• Age
• Gender reassignment
• Being married or in a civil partnership
• Pregnancy/maternity
• Disability
• Race
• Religion or belief
• Sex
• Sexual orientation

There are different types of discrimination that you can face, such as being treated differently or less favourably than others or through an unfair disadvantage due to certain rules in place, or through harassment or victimisation.

Advice for employees

As an employee, your workplace is somewhere where you will spend a lot of time, so you want to ensure that you feel happy and secure there. Unfortunately, it is possible to be discriminated against in the workplace in many situations such as:

• Unfair dismissal
• Through your employment terms and conditions
• By way of pay and benefits received
• By being denied promotion and transfer opportunities
• Through a lack of training opportunities
• In the recruitment process
• By being made redundant 

If you believe that you have been discriminated against due to a protected characteristic you may be able to claim against your employer. We recommend that you contact us as soon as you feel you have been subject to discrimination, our specialised team will be able to provide expert advice on your employment situation.

Dealing with discrimination as an employer

As an employer, you must be careful that you are not implementing rules and policies that discriminate against people within the workplace. If you do make changes that could affect workers, it is important to understand why the changes are being made and to be aware of employment laws surrounding discrimination.

Employer’s responsibilities

If you fail to make reasonable adjustments for disabled workers, not recruit someone because they are pregnant, or choose a particular person for redundancy due to a protected characteristic then there is a risk of a discrimination claim.  Discrimination in the recruitment and job advertising process can arise when you directly or indirectly outline that the role is aimed at a particular type of person, such as a young person or someone without children for example.  It is helpful to note that employers may have a statutory defence to the discriminatory actions of their employees if they can show they have undertaken meaningful training for their staff. At Ware and Kay we can help you with this training and better protect your business against claims that you may not have control over.

Contact Employment Solicitors in York, Wetherby or Malton

At Ware & Kay, we can provide quality employment advice to ensure that you are taking the correct actions in certain circumstances Contact us today on 01904 716000 (York), 01937 583210 (Wetherby), or 01653 692247 (Malton) or fill out our online enquiry form.