ab MISHCON DE REYA The Lifecycle of an Employment Relationship: A Guide to Avoiding Discrimination Pitfalls Jennifer Millins Susannah Kintish
ab MISHCON DE REYA MISHCON DE REYA: WHO ARE WE? —104 partners and legal directors and over 300 lawyers —Core departments: –Corporate –Dispute Resolution : largest group of international injunction specialists in England –Employment : one of the largest employment departments in London –Private –Real Estate 2
ab MISHCON DE REYA THE LIFECYCLE OF AN EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP 3 RecruitmentDuring EmploymentTermination Redundancie s & other dismissals Victimisation Maternity /paternity leave Performance management Training Promotion Pay review s Advertisin g roles Identifying & shortlisting candidates Interviewing Accommodatin g disabilities Flexible working Grievances
ab MISHCON DE REYA PROTECTED CHARACTERISTICS (AND FRIENDS) Protected Characteristics: -Sex -Pregnancy/maternity -Marriage/civil partnership -Race -Religion or belief -Sexual orientation -Gender reassignment -Age -Disability Other s with protected status: -Part-time workers -Fixed-term workers -Agency workers 4
ab MISHCON DE REYA THE LIFECYCLE OF AN EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP 5 RecruitmentDuring EmploymentTermination Redundancie s & other dismissals Victimisation Maternity /paternity leave Performance management Training Promotion Pay review s Advertisin g roles Identifying & shortlisting candidates Interviewing Accommodatin g disabilities Flexible working Grievances
ab MISHCON DE REYA RECRUITMENT PROCESS 6 Scope of the role Full-time, part-time, fixed term Advertising the role Identifying candidates and short-listing Beware subconscious bias Interview process Medical Questionnaires
ab MISHCON DE REYA 1. RECRUITMENT PROCESS 7 Subconscious Bias High Warmth Low Warmth Low Competency High Competency Pity Admiratio n Contem pt Distrus t
ab MISHCON DE REYA THE LIFECYCLE OF AN EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP 8 RecruitmentDuring EmploymentTermination Redundancie s & other dismissals Victimisation Maternity /paternity leave Performance management Training Promotion Pay review s Advertisin g roles Identifying & shortlisting candidates Interviewing Accommodatin g disabilities Flexible working Grievances
ab MISHCON DE REYA DURING EMPLOYMENT 9 Flexible working Family friendly policies Shared parental leave Pregnancy & maternity leave Culture Culture of firm Individual teams Particular habits/practices Training staff on diversity policies Encourages inclusive attitudes Increases employee awareness Reasonable steps defence Ongoing monitoring of the make- up of workforce Keep accurate and up to date records Helps identify diversity issues
ab MISHCON DE REYA PROMOTION AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT 10 When selecting for promotion, you should follow the same principles as for recruitment. Advertising promotions Promotion criteria Applications Interviews Ongoing monitoring Equal pay Positive discrimination
ab MISHCON DE REYA THE LIFECYCLE OF AN EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP 11 RecruitmentDuring EmploymentTermination Redundancie s & other dismissals Victimisation Maternity /paternity leave Performance management Training Promotion Pay review s Advertisin g roles Identifying & shortlisting candidates Interviewing Accommodatin g disabilities Flexible working Grievances
ab MISHCON DE REYA TERMINATION Generally, employers must ensure that they: have a fair reason for dismissal, follow a fair procedure and act fairly and reasonably (so as to avoid unfair dismissal); comply with the terms of the employment contract, particularly as regards the employee's notice period (so as to avoid wrongful dismissal); and do not discriminate unlawfully. Fair reasons for dismissal Automatically unfair dismissals Discriminatory dismissals Victimisation Redundancies Damages for discrimination 12
ab MISHCON DE REYA THE LIFECYCLE OF AN EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP 13 RecruitmentDuring EmploymentTermination Redundancie s & other dismissals Victimisation Maternity /paternity leave Performance management Training Promotion Pay review s Advertisin g roles Identifying & shortlisting candidates Interviewing Accommodatin g disabilities Flexible working Grievances
ab MISHCON DE REYA ANY QUESTIONS? 14 Jennifer Millins Legal Director E: T: Susannah Kintish Associate E: T: