An Employment Tribunal has found that a diversity officer working for Sky racially discriminated against a mixed race colleague by telling her that she must have been ‘oppressed’ due to her Latina heritage. The remark was made as the diversity officer prepared to deliver a presentation about racism in the workplace and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Although the diversity officer was immediately challenged about the comment the employee became very upset and self-conscious about her skin colour, resulting in her taking several days off work due to her concerns about being treated differently because of her race. She was awarded £14,000 compensation by the Employment Tribunal.
Although it is important that employers are aware of and take steps to prevent workplace discrimination and in particular undertake periodic training on equal opportunities, this case highlights the importance of not making unfounded assumptions and the risk of going too far in making assumptions about people’s background. Although it was acknowledged that the diversity officer did not intend to cause harm, the stereotyping did amount to less favourable treatment on the grounds of the employee’s race.
Our specialist team of Employment Lawyers has extensive experience of advising clients in relation to tricky discrimination matters and in providing equal opportunities training. Please do call one of our team on 0345 646 0406 or fill in our online enquiry form and a member of our Team will be in touch.