You deserve to feel safe and included at school, college, uni, training and work. If you don’t, here are 7 ways to take action against discrimination.
Feeling as though you’re being treated differently to others can be extremely upsetting. You might also feel confused, unsure if what you think you’re experiencing is really happening, or worried about what you can do about it.
Everyone deserves to feel safe and included at work or school, and nobody should be treated unfavourably compared to others. At best, it can make the environment feel scary and unwelcoming. At worst, it can be a potential legal issue.
Unfair treatment can take a variety of forms, from bullying and outright discrimination through to more insidious things like being passed over for the best assignments or having your work criticised more harshly than others’. It can come from managers, peers, or even occasionally from subordinates.
Here are seven things you can do if you think you might be being treated differently to others.
Keep a record
Start keeping a record of things that happen which you feel are unfair. Be as specific as possible. Note down the date and time, place, who was involved, and as many specifics as you can about what happened.
This will help you to remember the details if and when you come to report what is happening. It can also help to identify whether what happened was a one-off incident or part of a broader pattern.
Unfairness or discrimination?
Treating anyone unfairly at work is not acceptable. However, there are important differences between types of unfair treatment.
The Equality Act 2010 makes it illegal to treat someone unfairly due to a protected characteristic such as their gender, age, race, sexual orientation, or disability. If you know or believe that your unfair treatment is as a result of a protected characteristic, that’s discrimination and is likely to be illegal. Discrimination can be direct (e.g. racially insensitive remarks or only allowing colleagues of a particular gender to do certain tasks) or indirect (e.g. prohibiting certain hairstyles which are more likely to be worn by people of a particular race or religious group.)
Harassment or bullying might not reach the level of illegal discrimination, but are still upsetting and not acceptable. This might include being humiliated, made fun of, criticised excessively harshly, or even being exposed to things that make you uncomfortable (for example, sexually explicit material or offensive language.)
Other forms of unfair treatment might include victimisation (where a person is treated unfavourable as a result of having made a complaint of discrimination), or mistreatment because you’ve made reasonable requests at work (such as asking for time off, to be paid the National Minimum or National Living Wage, or to limit your working hours.)
Keeping a record will help you determine which type of unfair treatment you’re experiencing. You can also get advice from a Trade Union or the Citizens Advice Bureau if you’re not sure.
Talk to someone you trust
This might be a trusted colleague, a manager, someone in HR, or a member of your Trade Union (more on that in a minute.) Talking to someone can give you support and perspective to help you make sense of what is happening to you. And if you’re not sure whether it’s serious enough to take action, getting an outside viewpoint can help you to remember that unfair treatment is never acceptable.
Be as clear as possible about what you’re looking to get out of the conversation. Are you just after a sympathetic listening ear at this stage? Do you want advice? Are you looking for help in navigating grievance channels or reporting the problem up the chain of command?
Join your Union
A Trade Union is an organisation made up of employees in a particular workplace or sector. Unions evolved to look out for employees’ rights and wellbeing at work. Unions serve many different purposes, but one of the ways they can help is by offering advice and support if you think you’re being treated unfairly or discriminated against.
If you have not joined your Union yet, it’s never too late to sign up. Membership usually comes with a small monthly cost, but it’s more than worth it for all the benefits you get. If you’re already a member, reach out to a Union representative to discuss your problem. They will be best placed to help you decide what to do next.
Go through official channels
Your workplace should have a written policy on how it deals with discrimination or other forms of unfair treatment. This may be located on your intranet or in your employee handbook. This policy will spell out the steps you should take if you think you’re being treated unfairly.
First steps might include speaking to your manager (or the next person up the command chain if your manager is the problem) or meeting with an HR representative. Following the proper steps will give you the best chance of a positive resolution.
Seek legal advice
This might feel like a drastic step, and the vast majority of workplace issues will never get to this stage. But if you have tried the other steps on this list or feel that your treatment amounts to illegal discrimination, you should seek legal advice.
You might be able to access support from an employment lawyer through your Union or through the CAB. Employment Law Support is another great resource, or you can contact a solicitor in your area (though this last option can be costly.) Your lawyer or adviser will help you determine whether you have any legal recourse and what to do next.
You don’t have to tolerate unfair treatment
Whether or not it meets the legal definition of discrimination, you do not have to accept unfair treatment. Everybody should feel safe and respected at work and if you don’t, it’s a sign that something has gone wrong.
Work isn’t always easy, but it should never be a source of serious discomfort or distress. Please don’t hesitate to seek help if you’ve been a victim of unfair treatment.
