Sadly! we have sometimes seen this anxiety give way to decisions which may be on the verge of discrimination.
Decisions made in panic
Our helpline advisers have heard about:
pregnant workers not being provided with suitable work! not getting belgium phone number library assessments! or being suspended (but not on full pay)
disabled workers not being provided with reasonable adjustments! such as homeworking
older workers being invited to take unpaid leave
Often these decisions are made in panic. Forgetting that while the world has changed! employment law has not gone away.
Women! people with disabilities! ethnic minority groups and older workers are more likely to be in roles that may not be conducive to home working! or on part-time! temporary or zero-hours contracts. In every recession these groups fare worse and end up paying a ‘recession tax’. And why -based customer retention works better than you think those in otherwise ‘secure’ employment seem to be seen as disposable as bosses make panic decisions.
Research carried out by the Institute for Fiscal Studies found that women are about one-third more likely than men to work in a sector that has been heavily affected or entirely shut down due to the pandemic! such as the retail and hospitality industries. In addition! women still bear the clean email of caring responsibilities for both children and older relatives.
So as the UK starts to move into a post lockdown phase! what can we do to ensure the actions we take in relation to the government’s upcoming guidelines for getting back to work safely do not inadvertently lead to potential discrimination?
Employers
Take a step back before making snap decisions in relation to the upcoming guidance for getting back to work safely and think about what you would do normally. The government’s job retention scheme has given you the breathing space to think about what is best for your business and your workers.