Dismissal, redundancy and retirement

Wedi ei gyhoeddi: 19 Chwefror 2019

Diweddarwyd diwethaf: 19 Chwefror 2019

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If you are an employer, and you are making a decision, or taking action following a decision, to dismiss a worker, make a worker redundant, tell someone they must retire because they've reached a particular age, or what you do after someone has stopped working for you (for example, if you are asked for a reference), equality law applies to you.

Definition of employer

This guide calls you an employer if you are the person making decisions about what happens in a work situation. Most situations are covered, even if you don't give your worker a written contract of employment or if they are a contract worker rather than an employee. Other types of worker such as trainees, apprentices and business partners are also covered. Sometimes, equality law only applies to particular types of worker, such as employees, and we make it clear if this is the case.

When equality law applies

Equality law applies:

  • whatever the size of your organisation
  • whatever sector you work in
  • whether you have one worker or ten or hundreds or thousands
  • whether or not you use any formal processes or forms to help you make decisions (although sometimes the law says you must follow a formal process and that some things have to be done in writing).

This guide tells you how you can avoid all the different types of unlawful discrimination. It recognises that smaller and larger employers may operate with different levels of formality, but makes it clear how equality law applies to everyone, and what this means for the way you (and anyone who already works for you) must do things.

What else is in this guide

  • Information about making reasonable adjustments to remove barriers for disabled people who work for you or apply for a job with you.
  • Information about when you are responsible for what other people do, such as your employees.
  • Advice on what to do if someone says they've been discriminated against.
  • Information on where to find more advice and support.

Throughout the text, we give you some ideas on what you can do if you want to follow good equality practice and do more than equality law says you must do. This can help you focus on what your workers contribute to your organisation, rather than on their protected characteristics.

Making sure you know what equality law says you must do as an employer

Use this guidance to make sure you know what equality law says you must do.

Does the job or position you are dealing with count as a work situation for equality law? Most situations are covered, even if you don't give your worker a written contract of employment or if they are a contract worker rather than an employee. People in other positions like trainees, apprentices and business partners are also covered. If you are not sure, check the list under 'work situation'.

Protected characteristics

Make sure you know what is meant by:

  • age
  • disability
  • gender reassignment
  • marriage and civil partnership
  • pregnancy and maternity
  • race
  • religion or belief
  • sex
  • sexual orientation.

These are known as protected characteristics

Different forms of unlawful discrimination

Unlawful discrimination can take a number of different forms.

Direct discrimination

You must not treat a person worse than someone else just because of one or more of their protected characteristics. This is called direct discrimination.

Example of direct discrimination:

  • an employer selects a woman for redundancy because she is pregnant
  • an employer uses the excuse of persistent lateness to dismiss a gay man because he is gay; a straight man who has the same pattern of lateness is not dismissed

In the case of women who are pregnant or on maternity leave, the test is not whether the woman is treated worse than someone else, but whether she is treated unfavourably from the time she tells you she is pregnant to the end of her maternity leave (equality law calls this the protected period) because of her pregnancy or a related illness or because of maternity leave.

Indirect discrimination

You must not do something to someone in a way that has a worse impact on them and other people who share a particular protected characteristic than it has on people who do not have the same characteristic. Unless you can show that what you have done, or intend to do, is objectively justified, this will be indirect discrimination. 'Doing something' can include making a decision, or applying a rule or way of doing things.

Example of indirect discrimination:

An employer has a policy of providing references for former employees which simply state length of service and the number of days they were absent from work regardless of the reason.

If the employer cannot objectively justify this approach, it is likely to be indirect discrimination against former employees who were absent because of protected characteristics, as it has a worse impact on them and others who share the same characteristics.

Discrimination arising from disability

You must not treat a disabled person unfavourably because of something connected to their disability where you cannot show that what you are doing is objectively justified. This only applies if you know or could reasonably have been expected to know that the person is a disabled person. This is called discrimination arising from disability.

Example of discrimination arising from disability:

A small beauty products company employs a receptionist who is in an accident, as a result of which when she returns to work she has a severe facial disfigurement. Clients of the company make remarks about this and suggest she is unsuitable for this outward-facing role. The company considers dismissing her because of the amount of time other staff spend explaining her situation and how this makes them feel. However, when considering the decision, they realise that the dismissal would be for a reason connected to her disability (the attitude of clients and the impact on the other staff).

Instead, the company keeps her in post and trains other staff to challenge the negative attitudes displayed by visitors. Whilst the company may have considered whether they could objectively justify dismissing her, instead it decides to retain a valued employee and avoid the prospect of a claim for discrimination arising from disability.

Discrimination by association

You must not treat a person worse than someone else because they are associated with a person who has a protected characteristic. 

Example of discrimination by association:

An employer selects a person for redundancy not because they meet the selection criteria, but simply because they have a disabled child and the employer believes they may need time off to care for their child.

Discrimination by perception

You must not treat a person worse than someone else because you incorrectly think they have a protected characteristic.

Example of discrimination by perception:

An employer makes a member of staff redundant because they incorrectly think they have a progressive condition (in other words, that they are a disabled person). This is almost certainly direct discrimination because of disability based on perception.

Victimisation

You must not treat a person badly or victimise them because they have complained about discrimination or helped someone else complain or done anything to uphold their own or someone else’s equality law rights.

This also includes dismissing someone or selecting them for redundancy or discriminating against them after they've stopped working for you because they have discussed whether they are paid differently because of a protected characteristic.

Examples of victimisation:

  • An employee complains of discrimination and a colleague goes to their Employment Tribunal to give them support, although they do not give evidence. The colleague is subsequently selected for redundancy because the employer resents their support for the original employee. 
  • A woman thinks she is underpaid compared with a male colleague because of her sex. She asks him what he is paid, and he tells her, even though his contract forbids him from disclosing his pay to other staff. The employer takes disciplinary action against the man as a result and dismisses him. 

Harassment

You must not harass a person.

Example of harassment:

A shopkeeper propositions one of his shop assistants, she rejects his advances and is then selected for redundancy which she believes would not have happened if she had accepted her boss's advances. This is likely to be harassment.

Failure to make reasonable adjustments

To make sure that disabled people have the same access, as far as is reasonable, to everything that is involved in getting and doing a job (including disciplinary procedures) as a non-disabled person, as far as is reasonable, you must make reasonable adjustments.

Examples of reasonable adjustments at work:

  • An employer is considering dismissing a disabled employee with a visual impairment. It is likely to be a reasonable adjustment for the employer to make sure that the information the person needs about the disciplinary procedure is available to them by checking what format they need the documents to be in.
  • A disabled person has a learning disability and their employer agrees, as a reasonable adjustment, that they can be accompanied to a disciplinary hearing by a support worker as well as by their union representative.

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