A Polish employee, who was told by her employer not to speak using her first language, has just been awarded £7,000 by the tribunal. Does this ruling mean you can’t insist on English-only in your
workplace?
Published 19.11.2013
An employee who was told to “never speak Polish” - even to fellow Polish colleagues - has been awarded over £5,000 by the tribunal. Was it the employer’s rule or something else that attracted this
level of award?
Published 15.02.2016
An employee of Caribbean origin has been awarded over £11,000 by the tribunal after his colleagues jokingly mimicked his accent on several occasions. Why was this problematic for the employer?
Published 12.04.2018
You recently interviewed someone but, due to their accent, it was difficult to understand what they were saying at times. This is a concern but can you use their accent as grounds to reject the
application?
Published 31.05.2016
An employee who was told by a colleague to “go back to Poland” if he was unhappy has successfully claimed race discrimination at the tribunal. Why was this statement problematic?
Published 10.01.2018
An overweight police officer whose boss advised her to “lose weight” and “stop drinking gallons of Coke” has won her claim for harassment at the tribunal. Why were these comments problematic?
Published 14.04.2021
A popular TV series has two people with the same first name. To tell them apart, others refer to them as “White Dee” and “Black Dee”. Why must you never allow similar practices in your workplace?
Published 06.03.2014
When a male solicitor complemented a female colleague about her LinkedIn picture she accused him of making a sexist comment. When does a flattering remark about someone’s appearance cross the legal
line?
Published 02.10.2015
A female employee who claimed that “XXs” in an email from her boss were kisses has lost her tribunal claim for sexual harassment. Why did the employee lose and is it OK for your staff to use XXs in
emails?
Published 01.06.2023
In Ryan v Robertson and Son Ltd, the employee claimed that he had been mocked by a manager over his Liverpudlian accent and this amounted to an act of discrimination. What did the tribunal decide?
Published 08.12.2021