D Topping v Steppingstones Nursery (Hoddlesden) Limited
Darci Topping was employed by Stepping-Stones Nursery in Hoddlesden when she found out she was expecting her first child in March 2020. Her employers were informed a week after starting her new job.
The 23-year-old who was on minimum wage at the time was questioned about her pregnancy by her managers and was quizzed about the baby’s father and her intention to go through with the birth. The employment tribunal heard that she was pressured into reducing her hours as the Covid-19 pandemic hit and then made redundant unexpectedly.
The tribunal judge found the nursery liable on all counts of detriment on grounds of pregnancy; unfavourable treatment on grounds of pregnancy; and unfair dismissal on the ground of pregnancy.
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Age discrimination case against Asda
In the case of Hutchinson v Asda stores, Joan Hutchinson was employed as a shop floor assistant within the George clothing department. She worked 25.3 hours a week and enjoyed her role. As part of her role, she stripped deliveries, merchandised on the shop floor, followed planograms for new layouts and delivered excellent customer service.
Her son noticed that his mother was showing symptoms of dementia. During the Summer of 2019, he noticed that her driving skills were impaired when she drove the wrong way around the roundabout. She gave up driving in March 2020 and began travelling to work by bus. She accepted that her dementia was getting worse when she had to walk to work after being unable to find the bus stop. The staff at her branch in Deeside, North Wales, noticed her slowing down at work, becoming flustered and losing her personal belongings.
The tribunal heard that while Ms Hutchinson was shielding in 2020, Ms Weston-Laing went to her home to bring her shopping. The claimant returned to work on the 9th of July 2020, and throughout the course of the day, Weston-Laing was concerned about her performance and needed to be reminded of social distancing.
On her return to work, a colleague looked in her bag when she could not find her keys and bus pass, which violated her dignity. The next day she arrived to work an hour early, as she had the previous day due to revised bus times, but this was seen as another indication of her confusion.
Weston-Laing and another colleague decided to hold a meeting to see if there was anything that the store could do to support her. The claimant became upset and aggressive saying that she did not need help and that if she did, she would ask for it. She was also asked to speak to occupational health and said, “I cannot do my job, I will leave.” She then walked out and did not return to work after being signed off sick.
She resigned in September 2020 after she felt like she was being pushed out of the business and too old to be there.
Mrs Hutchinson won her claims of age and disability discrimination as well as constructive dismissal.
Employers need to be aware that even well-meaning comments and actions can be held to amount to discrimination or even harassment on the ground of disability and age. Asking older employees if they would like to retire is risky and can make them feel unwanted and upset.
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Case Law: Discriminatory Dismissal
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Don't Get Caught Out: Discrimination Case Law
We are all aware of how it is against the law to treat someone less favourably due to their gender, race, religion, age etc, but this does not mean that discrimination does not still occur in the workplace. In a recent case, the Employment Tribunal (ET) ruled in favour of an employee who was discriminated against when she was dismissed while on maternity leave for refusing to accept a lesser role with a £20,000 pay cut.
The claimant claimed that when she informed her colleagues of her pregnancy, she was asked how the pregnancy would affect her long-term career goals and the all-male executive team subjected her to "offensive and humiliating" comments, announcing they should "put a wager" on how much weight she would gain during her pregnancy.
During her maternity leave the company went through a restructure which included the dismissal of several executives. The new chief executive excluded the claimant in the restructuring and the claimant discovered from HR that she was no longer on the company email distribution lists or on the new organisational chart and was at risk of redundancy. In response, the company sought to offer her a revised job description for the director of marketing role which was a lower-level role than marketing director and also involved a £20,000 pay reduction. The claimant refused the role and was subsequently made redundant by the company.
The ET upheld her claims of unfair dismissal and maternity discrimination as there was a stark difference in the treatment the claimant received compared to her male colleagues, with the only explanation being due to the fact that she was on maternity leave. The tribunal found that not only was the job description offered to the claimant copied from other websites but also that no such role existed and the retained executives did not have their salaries reduced in order to stay with the company.
Although, a claim of harassment on grounds of pregnancy and maternity cannot be brought under the Equality Act, the ET concluded that the claimant was subjected to a “humiliating and degrading environment” when her colleagues placed a bet on how much weight she would gain during her pregnancy and that this amounted to direct discrimination and the ET awarded her £25,000 plus £5,000 in interest for injury to feelings.
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Be careful of discrimination in job interviews
Having a wide range of interview questions is vital to find out as much information about a candidate as possible to assess whether they have the right skills and attributes for the role. When conducting an interview you may veer off your pre-set questions when building rapport with a candidate and to do a little digging in some areas, however asking the wrong question could leave you at risk of a hefty discrimination claim.
Marital and family status, sexual orientation
Although it may seem friendly asking if a candidate has a family or children it is not suitable for an interview. Asking such questions may leave you appearing more favorable to someone who may seem more stable or someone who might not have family commitments.
Do you have or plan on having children? What childcare arrangements do you have?
The job may require some overtime at short notice. What days/hours are you available to work? Can you travel?
Place of birth, race, religious beliefs
Again, employers may think they are being friendly asking questions like: where are you from originally? Or do you get to visit home often? But be warned that any questions surrounding birthplace, background or religious beliefs can lead to discrimination.
Where were you born? What religion do you practice?
Are you eligible to work in Ireland? What languages do you speak or write fluently?
Gender, age
Asking a candidate questions about their gender or age in relation to their ability to do a particular role is discrimination. If there are certain challenges to a role you may certainly ask about their ability to handle those situations but never imply that their gender or age may affect this.
We’ve always had a man/woman in this role. Do you think you can handle it? How many years do you think you’ll have left until you retire?
What can you bring to this role? What are your long term goals?
Location, disability, illness
You may think asking questions regarding where a candidate lives and how far/long it will take to commute to work is innocent but asking these questions could cause discrimination relating to a neighborhood heavily populated by an ethnic group or social class. Also asking questions around gaps in a candidate’s employment is acceptable, but asking questions around a disability and how it may affect their capabilities to do a job is not.
How far would your commute be? Do you smoke/drink?
Are you able to start at 9 am? Have you ever been disciplined due to alcohol/drugs?
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