The Equality Act 2010 applies to all categories of staff who may work in a business, including workers, employees, contractors, partners, or a director (collectively referred to as workers in this section), but not volunteers.
It provides that you cannot treat a worker less favourably than others because of their sex.
Sex discrimination in the workplace is unlawful in all aspects of employment, including the recruitment process, status, training, promotion and transfer opportunities, redundancy, dismissal and even post-employment.
In some cases, however, a job can be offered to someone of a particular sex without it amounting to unlawful discrimination, if there is a genuine 'occupational requirement'.
Examples could include:
This is where a worker is treated less favourably because of their sex when compared with another worker (known as a 'comparator') of the opposite sex who shares the same or similar (but not materially different) circumstances as the complaining worker.
The comparator's circumstances do not need to be identical (in terms of the type of job, job level, job experience and seniority, etc.), but must not be wholly dissimilar. If a suitable comparator cannot be found, then a 'hypothetical comparator' can be used instead, who would be deemed to have the same employment as the complaining worker (such as their title, role, level etc). An Employment Tribunal has the power to decide the particular circumstances of a hypothetical comparator (such as their personality).
Direct discrimination also extends to protecting a worker if you treat them less favourably based on:
It also may occur if a recruitment decision contains a discriminatory statement, even when there's not an active recruitment process underway and no identifiable victim.
You could be liable for direct discrimination even if you did not intend to discriminate against your worker.
You cannot defend a direct sex discrimination claim by 'justifying' it (arguing that your actions were a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim).
This will occur where you apply a formal or informal provision, criteria or practice equally to all the workers in the workplace that, because of their sex, puts a group of workers at a particular disadvantage when compared with other workers, and a worker within that disadvantaged group actually suffers the particular disadvantage.
It also applies if a worker, who is not in the group that suffers the disadvantage, also suffers the disadvantage alongside the worker with the protected characteristic. For example: a policy requiring workers to work or return to the office full time may amount indirect sex discrimination against women who have caring responsibilities for their young children. This can be relied on by a male worker who has the same caring responsibilities.
It does not matter whether or not this has been done intentionally.
You can defend against indirect discrimination claims by justifying the use of the unlawful practice, provisions or criteria, if you can show that its application is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.
The Equality Act bans 3 types of harassment:
Note: sexual harassment, which refers to unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, is not discussed here. You have a separate duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment from happening in the workplace in the course of your worker's employment by their co-workers and third parties. See sexual harassment, for more information.
This occurs where an employer or another worker subjects a worker to unwanted conduct that's related to their sex, and it violates their dignity, or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment for them.
Note that:
It will also count as harassment when someone is treated less favourably because they rejected or submitted to previous unwanted conduct related to their sex. This includes where the unwanted conduct was by a third party (i.e. someone who does not work for you and is not your agent. E.g. a client, customer or service user).
Employers are liable for any such acts of harassment undertaken by their staff in the course of their employment – whether they knew about it or not – if they fail to take all reasonable steps to prevent it. 'In the course of employment' means 'done whilst at work' or 'done while 'in a workplace-related environment'. Employers can't defend a claim of harassment by showing that they did not authorise it or on the grounds that the actions were reasonable or warranted.
Victimisation happens when a worker is treated less favourably because:
For example, a worker might have grounds for a victimisation claim if they are prevented from going on training courses; subjected to unfair disciplinary action; or excluded from company social events because they took any of the above mentioned action.
If you reasonably think that a group of your workers who share a protected characteristic (race, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, disability or religion or belief)...
...then you can take any proportionate action that enables or encourages the group of workers to overcome or minimise their disadvantage; meets their needs; or enables or encourages them to participate in the activity.
You are allowed to provide special training to members of the group. You can also encourage members of the group to apply to do particular work or fill posts (for example, by saying that applications from them will be particularly welcome).
This does not mean that you can discriminate in favour of the members of the group when it comes to choosing people to do the work or fill the posts, unless you meet the circumstances described below under 'Positive action in recruitment and for promotions', as that could be unlawful discrimination.
Positive action is not the same as 'positive discrimination', which is where members of a particular group who have a protected characteristic are treated more favourably regardless of their circumstances.
The Equality Act 2010 makes it lawful for employers to take positive action when recruiting and making internal promotions in order to overcome a disadvantage connected with a protected characteristic or where the inclusion of people with the protected characteristic in a particular activity is disproportionately low. You will be able to take positive action where all of the following apply:
The Act does not require employers to take positive action and it is therefore voluntary.
Positive discrimination is unlawful except if used when recruiting or promoting individuals in the limited circumstances described above.
If you dismiss an employee, or if they resign because they claim that they have been discriminated against by you, then they may make a complaint of unfair dismissal to an Employment Tribunal. In addition, they may also claim for damages on the grounds of discrimination which they will be able to do regardless of their length of service.
While there is a limit on the amount of compensation a tribunal can award for unfair dismissal, there is no limit in cases of unlawful discrimination.
For further information see the Acas guidance for employers and employees on discrimination, bullying and harassment.