PFLAG UK - EMPLOYMENT & DISCRIMINATION
All employees are now protected by the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003. If you feel that you have been discriminated against or bullied at work because of your actual or perceived sexual orientation, then these regulations might well be relevant to you.
What to do if you have been discriminated against at work:
How you are protected: The legislation defines three types of discrimination at work:
Direct Discrimination:
According to the new Regulations,
treating people less favourably than
others on grounds of sexual orientation
constitutes direct discrimination.
Indirect discrimination:
This means applying a provision,
criterion or practice which
disadvantages people of a particular
sexual orientation. For example, this
could apply if an employer only offers
benefits to the heterosexual partners of
their employees and not to same-sex
partners.
Harassment: The
legislation defines harassment as
unwanted conduct that violates people’s
dignity or creates an intimidating,
hostile, degrading, humiliating or
offensive environment.
The legislation provides protection to
lesbian, gay and bisexual workers
throughout the entire employment
relationship – from recruitment to
dismissal. The ban on sexual orientation
discrimination applies to terms and
conditions, pay, promotions, transfers,
training and dismissal.
If you feel that you are experiencing harassment or discrimination, here are some steps you could take:
- Tell someone at work: Firstly,
speak informally to your manager,
senior manager, or someone in HR.
Tell them what has happened and ask
that they take action to help
resolve the matter.
- If the incidents of
discrimination or harassment are
ongoing, try to keep a diary, as
this could be used as evidence.
- Also consider talking to your
trade union if you are a member of
one. Some unions have specific
forums or groups for their lesbian,
gay and bisexual members.
- If the situation is not
resolved, then you could submit a
formal grievance (see below) to your employer. If you are not
happy with how your employer handles
your grievance, you can submit an
appeal.
- Once you have been through these stages, if you are not satisfied that your situation has been resolved, then you could consider seeking legal advice with a view to taking your employer to an employment tribunal. Find out more about employment tribunals here.
Employees who experience discrimination or harassment at work based on their sexual orientation can take action in a number of ways. Below is an overview of the steps you could take plus a guide to the grievance procedure.
Often, the first step to resolving a problem at work will be to raise it informally with your manager or senior manager. It may be that approaching it in this way can resolve the matter quickly and successfully. However, if you are not out at work, or if you are not comfortable talking to your manager about the discrimination or bullying you are experiencing, then there are other routes you could try before using the formal grievance process.
If your workplace
has a network group
for lesbian, gay and
bisexual employees
then you could talk
to them first about
the difficulties you
are experiencing.
This may be a good
place to go for both
advice and support.
It may also help you
identify further
courses of action,
or useful people to
approach within the
organisation about
your experiences.
Alternatively, you could talk to Stonewall, free info line (08000 50 20 20) can offer you information about sexual orientation equality in the workplace. We can also direct you to gay-friendly solicitors or support groups in your area.
However, if the
above approaches do
not resolve the
matter, then you
could consider using
your employer’s
formal grievance
procedure. You
should be able to
find an outline of
this procedure from:
• employee handbook
• human resources
(HR) department
• contract of
employment
• staff intranet
Employers should set
out their procedures
for handling
grievances in
writing and they
should be clear to
employees how this
process will work.
Employer grievance procedures are covered by the ACAS Code of Practice, which sets out what you and your employer should do to handle grievance cases. This is a new Code and it came into effect on 6 April 2009.
Many employees are concerned that if they raise a grievance they will be sacked or mistreated in their workplace. However, the law says that you shouldn't be dismissed for raising a genuine grievance about one of your statutory employment rights, for example, if you feel you have been discriminated against because of your sexual orientation. Neither should you suffer disadvantage (eg. not be promoted or lose overtime) for raising a genuine grievance over your employment rights.
According to the
Code, your
employer’s grievance
procedure could
include the
following steps:
• writing a letter
to your employer
• meeting with your
employer
• An appeal your
employer's decision
if unhappy
The
grievance letter
You should
put the details of
your grievance in
writing and submit
it to your employer.
Make sure that you
date the letter and
keep a copy for
yourself, as you may
need it later on.
Try to cover all the
factual points of
why you are making
your grievance.
Perhaps you can also
include in your
letter details of
what you would like
them to do in order
to resolve the
problem. For
example, you may
want an apology from
them or your
colleagues, or
perhaps you would
like to see some
improved training on
diversity or sexual
orientation equality
in the workplace.
The
grievance meeting
After they
have received your
letter, your
employer should
arrange a meeting
with you at a
reasonable time and
place to discuss the
issues you raised in
your grievance. You
should make every
effort to attend the
meeting. You have a
legal right to take
a person with you to
the meeting, and
this should be a
colleague or a Trade
Union
representative.
Some Trade Unions have specific groups or forums for lesbian, gay and bisexual members, which may be helpful if you feel uncomfortable about approaching your local representative. However, you first need to make a request in order to take someone with you to the meeting. If no colleague is willing to accompany you, and you are not a trade union member, ask your employer if you can bring a family member or a Citizens Advice Bureau worker with you to the meeting. Your employer does not have to agree to this.
During the meeting your companion can present on your behalf, or sum up your case, talk on your behalf, or discuss issues raised with you during the meeting. However, this person cannot actually answer questions directed at you on your behalf. If they are concerned about how they might be affected by coming to the meeting with you, assure them that they are protected from unfair dismissal or other mistreatment for supporting you.
Before attending the meeting it may help to put in writing things that you need to raise in the meeting, so you have a reminder in front of you in case you forget important points you want to make. This may be especially helpful if there have been a number of occasions when you have felt harassed or bullied or discriminated against.
It's up to your employer what format the meeting takes but usually they’ll talk to you about the points you raise and let you comment or expand on them. This will help your employer to establish the facts about the problem and possibly think of ways of resolving the issues. It may be that your employer needs to investigate further, in which case they should rearrange to finish the meeting for a later date.
After the meeting, your employer should write to you to tell you what they have decided.
The appeal
If you are not
satisfied with your
employer’s decision,
or you think the
procedure followed
was incorrect, you
can make an appeal.
You should make your
appeal as soon as
you can, without an
unreasonable delay.
Your employer should
give you enough time
to make this appeal.
You should make an
effort to follow all
your employer's
procedures as any
future Employment
Tribunal will
consider this when
they make their
judgment.
You should put in writing the details of your appeal- why you are making it and who you don’t agree with the decision they have made. Where possible, a different and more senior manager should deal with your appeal.
The appeal hearing is similar to the original meeting, and you have a right to a companion, as before.
After the appeal meeting, your employer must tell you what they have decided. This is your employer's final decision.
Employment
Tribunals
If you have
exhausted these
procedures and are
still unhappy with
the decisions taken,
then you could
consider going to an
employment tribunal:
www.employmenttribunals.gov.uk.
There are time limits on how long you can wait before going to a tribunal. This is usually three months on from the incident about which you are raising a grievance. This means that you need to make sure the grievance process doesn’t take you over this time limit.
Since the introduction of the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations in 2003 there have been a number of successful tribunal cases on the grounds of sexual orientation discrimination.
What other
steps could be taken
by employers and
employees?
There are other
steps available
other than formal
grievances and
tribunals. These
could include:
-
Conciliation:
when a tribunal
claim has been,
or is about to
be made,
conciliation is
offered to both
sides to try to
resolve the
matter without
the need to
attend a
hearing. It's
voluntary but
both parties
must agree to
the process in
order for it to
take place.
- Mediation:
Mediation is a
voluntary type
of dispute
resolution. It
involves an
impartial person
(a mediator)
helping
individuals or
groups reach a
solution on a
dispute. The
mediator can
talk to both
sides separately
or together.
Mediators do not
make judgments
but they can
help those
involved to
understand the
issues and
clarify the
options for
resolving the
matter.
- Arbitration: Arbitration is another voluntary method which involves an impartial outsider being asked to make a decision on a dispute. The arbitrator will make a decision on a case based on the evidence presented by the parties. For arbitration to take place, both parties must agree to go to arbitration; they should also agree in advance that they will abide by the decisions made.
For more
information about
these alternative
procedures and how
they might help you,
see the ACAS
website.
Statutory questionnaires
If someone feels they have been discriminated against, for example during a job application process, then they could get the employer to fill in a statutory questionnaire. This is a document which can be used as evidence in any future tribunal cases. The employer does not have to respond but if they do not the court can take this into account in any future case.
You can download the statutory questionnaire for sexual orientation discrimination cases from: http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file25460.pdf
Source of Information: Stonewall - www.stonewall.org.uk