News – 04.10.24
Buzzacott advises Tollring shareholders on strategic partnership with Amity Solutions
Learn how Buzzacott advised Tollring shareholders on strategic partnership with Amity Solutions … Read more
Insight – 04.10.24
Autumn Budget: How could this affect your finances?
With the Autumn Budget fast approaching, many are concerned about the impact it may have on their finances. … Read more
Upcoming event – 12.11.24
VAT, tax and financial update for Housing Associations
Join us for a VAT, tax and financial update for Housing Associations … Read more
Find us quickly
130 Wood Street, London, EC2V 6DL
enquiries@buzzacott.co.uk T +44 (0)20 7556 1200
Gender reassignment is one of the nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, making it unlawful to discriminate against such employees, as well as contract workers and partners.
Employers should consider managing not only direct discrimination but also whether their working practices put a transgender individual at a disadvantage indirectly. For example, do your business rules on the use of changing or bathroom facilities breach the rights of transgender employees?
Under the current legislation, businesses may discriminate based on gender reassignment if there is a ‘genuine occupational requirement’. For instance, a single sex service provider might restrict access to a transgender person based on their acquired gender. However, employers should ensure that all reasonable adjustments have been made to ensure employees are not disadvantaged.
Failure to protect individuals under the legislation could have harmful implications for employers. As well as damaging the working relationship with employees, businesses can face costly employment tribunals if their behaviour is deemed to be unreasonable. Managers, HR teams and colleagues involved in reported incidents of discrimination need to understand how to deal with such incidents to avoid claims and potential reputational damage to the business.
Employers should review current policies and practices to ensure that the working environment does not place transgender individuals at a disadvantage. In his summing up in the Primark case, Employment Judge Lewis made the following recommendations:
As the landscape of our workforce diversifies, legislative updates will change the way we treat protected groups, and the need to remain educated in these areas will grow. Businesses must remain fully committed to ensuring their workplace is inclusive with equal opportunities for all.
For further guidance and advice tailored to your situation, please reach out to the Buzzacott HR Consultancy team.
Gender reassignment is one of the nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, making it unlawful to discriminate against such employees, as well as contract workers and partners.
Employers should consider managing not only direct discrimination but also whether their working practices put a transgender individual at a disadvantage indirectly. For example, do your business rules on the use of changing or bathroom facilities breach the rights of transgender employees?
Under the current legislation, businesses may discriminate based on gender reassignment if there is a ‘genuine occupational requirement’. For instance, a single sex service provider might restrict access to a transgender person based on their acquired gender. However, employers should ensure that all reasonable adjustments have been made to ensure employees are not disadvantaged.
Failure to protect individuals under the legislation could have harmful implications for employers. As well as damaging the working relationship with employees, businesses can face costly employment tribunals if their behaviour is deemed to be unreasonable. Managers, HR teams and colleagues involved in reported incidents of discrimination need to understand how to deal with such incidents to avoid claims and potential reputational damage to the business.
Employers should review current policies and practices to ensure that the working environment does not place transgender individuals at a disadvantage. In his summing up in the Primark case, Employment Judge Lewis made the following recommendations:
As the landscape of our workforce diversifies, legislative updates will change the way we treat protected groups, and the need to remain educated in these areas will grow. Businesses must remain fully committed to ensuring their workplace is inclusive with equal opportunities for all.
For further guidance and advice tailored to your situation, please reach out to the Buzzacott HR Consultancy team.
Our HR services are designed to scale up to meet your needs exactly. Whether you need to create a best-practice HR strategy, or find fitting ways to nurture your people, our support means you won’t have to worry about smashing any crockery.
We help everyone from nuns to hedge funds. Use us as a seamless bolt-on to support your existing HR team. Or we’re happy to take the reins if you want to outsource all or part of your HR. The same goes for Learning and Development. And when you run into issues – personal or personnel – you can resolve them quickly and effectively with us on hand.
The best HR approach matches the needs and goals of your whole organisation, not just its people. Work with our HR team to design a strategy that grows with you. In fact, work with all of us – you can consult other Buzzacott specialists whenever you need to. We’re all under one roof.
Our specialist HR consultants understand best practice across multiple sectors, from charities to financial services to technology. Don’t have the time or manpower to keep up with ever-changing HR regulations? We’ll save you time and keep you legal, while you get on with business.
Our learning and development teams can help your people become the best they can be, through executive coaching or other training and support that we can tailor specifically to your business.
We use necessary cookies to make our site work. We’d also like to set optional analytics and marketing cookies. We won't set these cookies unless you choose to turn these cookies on. Using this tool will also set a cookie on your device to remember your preferences.
For more information about the cookies we use, see our Cookies page.
Please be aware:
— If you delete all your cookies you will have to update your preferences with us again.
— If you use a different device or browser you will have to tell us your preferences again.
Necessary cookies help make a website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website. The website cannot function properly without these cookies.
Analytics cookies help us to understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting and reporting information anonymously.
Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites. The intention is to display ads that are relevant and engaging for the individual user and thereby more valuable for publishers and third party advertisers.