Protected Characteristics

01

This refers to a group of people defined by their race, skin colour, nationality (including citizenship) and ethnic or national origins

Race

This refers to a person belonging to a particular age, or most commonly associated with a particular generation (millenial, boomer, Gen X etc)

02

Age

03

Sex

This refers to the sex or gender a person identifies as. This could also relate to the sex assigned to a person when they are born.

04

Pregnancy & Maternity

This refers to people who bear children and give birth and is linked to maternity or family leave within an employment context.

This refers to a person's sexual attraction, whether that is to no paricular gender, their own or a different gender or no sexual or romantic attraction at all.

05

Sexual Orientation

This refers to a person's religious beliefs or lack thereof. Belief refers to any religious or philosophical belief and the associated practises and customs of that religion or belief.

06

Religion or Belief

This refers to a person transitioning from one gender to another. Usually from the gender assigned at birth to another. A person is protected under this characteristic from their choice to transition and not linked to any gender affirmation procedures.

07

Gender Reassignment or Transition

This refers to a person's marital status and is not specific to gender. This protection puts marriage and civil partnerships as equally comparable in the eyes of the law.

08

Marriage or Civil Partnership

This refers to a person's having a physical or mental impairment or which has a substantial and long-term adverse impact on a person's abiltiy to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

Disability

09

Understanding Race Discrimination

Race discrimination can be very overt and open such as racist comments, stereotyping or genuine negative feelings towards minoritised races. However, it could be more insidious such as making assumptions or sweeping statements, using microaggressions or giving preferential treatment to people of the same race as yourself.

Understanding Sexuality Discrimination

Sexuality discrimination may come from an assumption that one sexuality is better than another and the lack or recognition of same sex couples or same-sex attraction. Direct discrimination in this area could be lack of representation for same-sex couples in policies or actively not hiring or promoting people based on sexuality.

Understanding Marriage Discrimination

Marriage and civil partnerships must be treated similarly under this law which protects colleagues being treated unfairly because they may or not be married in the traditional sense. Discrimination here may look like having favourable policies or options for married couples compared to single colleagues or those in civil partnerships.

Understanding Sex Discrimination

Sex discrimination can be very overt such as sexism and preferential treatment for a certain gender or relying on outdated cultural stereotypes such as women as homemakers and men as providers. Legislation exists to protect people in the workplace including things such as equal pay and fair treatment and also protection from sexual harassment.

Understanding Age Discrimination

Age discrimination is often focused on generational differences and expectations such as denying older people promotions because they may be close to retirement age, or assuming all older colleagues are incapable of engaging with technology. It also impacts younger people with assumptions about experience and maturity. When making decisions about hiring or internal opporunities, age and more specifically, overly specific requirements of years of experience should be avoided and the focus should be on skills, aptitude and behaviours.

Understanding Gender Transition Discrimination

Gender transition or affirmation is the process of identifying as a gender other than that which you were assigned at birth. Protection under this act comes into force when a person identifies with another gender and starts to live their life in this way. It is in no way connected to gender affirmation care or surgery. Colleagues should have avenues and routes to change their gender markers, names and pronouns within our systems and colleagues must be respectful to these changes.

Understanding Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination

Pregnancy and maternity discrimination involves directly or indirectly adversley impacting people who have given birth, are pregnant or are caring for children including breastfeeding. Discrimination may look like not hiring pregnant women or reducing maternity pay and offering in order to reduce costs of maternity pay or leave. Elements such as smart working, good parental leave and risk assessments can support child-bearing people and mothers from discrimination and poor treatment during this phase of their lives.

Understanding Religious Discrimination

Religious discrimination may look like denying people access to customs and practises associated with religious beliefs and worship. This could be banning prayer time or not allowing certain clothing or iconogragpy. However, someone without a religion or belief is protected from discrimination under law also. Understanding and celebrating our diveristy is a way to avoid religious discrimination and we aim to represent and celebrate the beliefs and customs of our colleagues.

Understanding Disability Discrimination

Disability discrimination may look like not offering reasonable adjustments for colleagues who have additional needs. This includes display screen equipment or physical alterations to our working spaces. Accessability software such as screen-readers, voice activation or AI may be tools that we use to create equal opportunites for colleagues with either physical disabilities or learning difficulties or neurodivergence.