An employee of Thistle Communications, a Vodafone partner franchise, has recently been awarded £30,000 by an Employment Tribunal, ordered to be paid by her employer.
The employee was successful in her discrimination claim due to victimisation within the workplace around her sexual orientation, receiving comments such as “how do lesbians have sex I’m intrigued” and that the employee looked like a ‘normal lassie’ when referring to her sexuality. Several colleagues made these comments at the workplace.
The employee was only at the company for 3 months before quitting due to the discrimination she faced. This shows the importance of adequate staff training in equality and diversity to ensure people are treated fairly within the workplace. As an Employer, you are vicariously liable for your employees and their behaviour within the workplace. If discrimination is present at work and it is not recognised and addressed correctly by the business, the business is held liable and is at risk of a claim, such as the one made against Thistle Communications.
This successful claim awarded by the Employment Tribunal is a reminder that having the proper training, procedures and guidance in place and adhered to is in the best interests of the employees and the business.