If an employee feels they have been the victim of discrimination or harassment at work because of a philosophical belief, they could claim for compensation.
But what is a philosophical belief? Is fox hunting, life after death, veganism, Brexit or Scottish Independence protected under the Equality Act or is this just an opinion?
And what happens when one person's belief conflicts with another's, like Christianity and homosexuality? There is no hierarchy of beliefs so how should employers deal with this?
What impact has social media had on these cases, with it being so easy now for people to express their views on a particular topic?
Philosophical beliefs can be a tricky area for HR teams to advise on, but it's a growing issue and important to get right from a reputational and financial perspective.
TLT's employment team offers their views and shares some advice on how to deal with these cases, including the need to remain objective, listen and to have clear policies on how the company handles discrimination and bullying.
We also comment on three recent news stories including:
- Brexit and how the EU Settlement Scheme is performing
- CCOO v Deutsche Bank (ECJ), which suggests that the UK law on time recording might be in conflict with provisions of the European Working Time Directive
- The government-led consultation on maternity rights and enhanced rights on an individual's return to work, including our thoughts on the proposals
Finally, we answer some of your questions.
Send us your questions and we'll answer them in the next episode – email emplawpodcast@tltsolicitors.com or tweet us using the hashtag #TLTemploymentpodcast and tagging @TLT_Employment
You can find out more about our employment team at tltsolicitors.com/employment
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