Anticipated surge in discrimination claims

With The Equality Act coming into effect as of 1st October collating and replacing most existing discrimination legislation, the Act is likely to result in a surge of tribunal claims in the next few months. With the increase in protected characteristics from six to nine plus the introduction of protection from perceptive and associative discrimination it seems likely that employers are increasingly likely to be faced with a tribunal claim.

This is particularly worrying because the Tribunal Service has already reported a sharp increase in the number of claims placed, even before the introduction of the Act.

It is more important than ever to ensure policies covering equal opportunities and discrimination are up to date and to provide adequate training to managers on how to recognise and deal with potential issues before the escalate.

Richard Prentis, employment law consultant at Empire HR has been advising clients to be more alert than ever to the risk of a claim "The Equality Act obviously exposes employers to a greater risk of a claim because more people than ever will be protected by discrimination legislation. However, it is possibly to mitigate risks. Provided expert advice is sought, you should be well placed to defend such a claim".

Empire HR can provide support and assistance with managing employees who are protected by the Act. In the event that an employee does place a claim, the Empire HR Advocacy Unit can defend the claim and provide representation at tribunal.