Discrimination, in legal terms, refers to a wide range of protection provided to workers against discrimination on grounds of sex, race, disability, age, religion or belief, sexual orientation or transgender status. These are referred to as ‘protected characteristics’.
Most of these protections are now found in the Equality Act 2010.
Discrimination can occur in a number of ways, and, in the employment context, a wide variety of employees, workers and freelancers are protected.
Types of discrimination:
Direct Discrimination – where a person with a protected characteristic is treated less favourably than others ‘because of’ that characteristic.
Indirect Discrimination – a practice or way of working in the workplace that puts a person with a protected characteristic at a disadvantage as compared to others.
Discrimination by Association – detrimental treatment because someone a person knows or is associated with has a protected characteristic.
Discrimination by Perception – detrimental treatment because someone believes a person belongs to a group with protected characteristics.
Harassment – unwanted behaviour related to a protected characteristic that makes a person reasonably feel offended, humiliated or intimidated.
Victimisation – when a person is treated badly or subjected to detriment because they raised or supported a complaint of discrimination.
We have a lot of further information about discrimination here.
Published in… Updates: For employers: Discrimination | For employees: Discrimination |
Other employment law terms
- ACAS Early Conciliation
- Adoption appointments
- Adoption leave
- Alternative dispute resolution
- Ante-natal care
- Apprenticeship
- Basic award
- Collective consultation
- Compensatory award
- Compromise agreement
- Constructive dismissal
- Contract of employment
- Disciplinary hearing
- Employee shareholder
- Employment tribunal
- ETO reason
- Flexible working requests
- Grievance
- Gross misconduct
- Harassment
- Industrial action
- Injury to feelings
- Maternity and parental rights
- Maternity leave
- Maternity pay
- Mediation
- Parental leave
- Paternity leave and pay
- Polkey deduction
- Pre-termination negotiations
- Protected characteristics
- Redundancy
- Restrictive covenants
- Settlement agreement
- Shared parental leave
- Staff handbook
- Statutory annual leave
- Strikes
- Study and training rights
- Summary dismissal
- Sunday working
- Trade union
- TUPE
- Unfair dismissal
- Unlawful deductions
- Victimisation
- Whistle-blowing
- Without prejudice
- Working Time Regulations
- Written particulars
- Wrongful dismissal
- Zero hours contracts