Employer Making Judgements about your Home Life- don't be a victim

The Equality Act 2010 comes into effect today. 

If someone important in your life falls into a 'protected' category, you might want to know how the new law could have a positive impact on you at work.

People already protected

It’s already illegal here in England to discriminate against anyone at work, because of their

Gender

Race

Religion

Disability

Pregnancy/maternity

Sexual orientation

Age

Marital/civil partnership status

If you are supporting someone in these categories, you’re now protected too

One of the results of the new Act is that it is now illegal for people to be discriminated against because of an association with someone who falls into one of the above groups.

In practice this means that employers must not allow you to be discriminated against because you are, for example:

·         Looking after someone else who is disabled, even if you are not disabled yourself

·         In a relationship with a gender-reassigned person, even if you have not undergone reassignment

·         Supporting a partner who is pregnant

This doesn’t necessarily mean you are entitled to special treatment or even extra considerations.  It does mean that the employer can’t use your circumstances as an excuse not to treat you the same as everyone else 

So, if your employer does not promote you because they think you are too busy looking after a disabled relative to pay proper attention to your job, they’d be discriminating against you.  They have to make their choices using the same criteria for everyone, regardless of circumstances at home.

If they exclude your transgender partner from a social event, but allow others’ partners to attend, this would be discriminatory.  If no-one  is allowed to bring a partner, there has been no discrimination.

I've just given a couple of examples of what would/wouldn't count as discrimination, because everyone's circumstances are different.   If you think your position at work is being compromised because of something about your background, your best course may be to seek some advice/help before making any accusation.  The link below will point you in the right direction.

There are many other changes to current law in the  Act, which  comes into force today, and most employers by now will have heard of the new provisions, and made preparations for complying with them.  

For more detailed information about the Act , the ACAS website has excellent guidance for employers and employees, explained in plain terms.

Link to ACAS