Your rights
We all have the right to be treated equally. It’s unlawful discrimination under the Equality Act if an individual or organization treats you unfairly because of:
- Disability
- Gender reassignment
- Pregnancy or maternity
- Race
- Religion or belief
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
The Equality Act
The Equality Act 2010 covers everyone in Britain and is designed to legally protect people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society. It sets out the different ways in which it’s unlawful to treat someone.
equality and human rights commission
EHRC
The EHRC is there to help make Britain fairer by challenging discrimination and protecting and promoting human rights.
Types of discrimination
There are four main ways you can be discriminated against:
- Direct discrimination
- Indirect discrimination
- Harassment
- Victimization
Direct discrimination
Direct discrimination involvess treating one person worse than another person because of a protected characteristic.
Indirect discrimination
Indirect discrimination can happen when an organization puts a rule or a policy or a way of doing things in place which has a worse impact on someone with a protected characteristic than someone without one.
Harrassment
Harassment means people cannot treat you in a way that violates your dignity, or creates a hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.
Victimization
Victimisation is when someone treats you badly because you complain about discrimination or help someone who has been the victim of discrimination.
Discrimination
Citizens Advice
Citizens Advice is a network of 316 independent charities throughout the United Kingdom that give free, confidential information and advice to assist people with money, legal, consumer and other issues. Click the link to see everything you need to know about discrimination
What to do if you are being discriminated against?
If you think you are being discriminated against you can:
- Talk to someone: A trusted colleague, mentor, your Mercuri Learning & Development Coach, The Mercuri Safeguarding and Pastoral Care team.
- Complain directly to the person or organization.
- Use someone else to help you sort it out (called ‘mediation’ or ‘alternative dispute resolution’).
- Make a claim in a court or tribunal.
Further information and advice
- ACAS: The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, works with millions of employers and employees every year to improve workplace relationships. They are an independent public body that receives funding from the government.
- Discrimination – your rights.
- The Equality Advisory Service.
- CMI Race
- How to create an inclusive company culture