On the one hand we have the biological argument that you cannot change the sex you were born into, and on the other the rights of individuals who feel that they were born into the wrong body and wish to live life as the gender they feel applies to them, free from bias and discrimination.Continue reading “Why must we choose between 2 extremes in the Trans debate when there is a sensible, compassionate middle ground?”
Category Archives: Bias
We all know about race and sex, what other types of discrimination do employers need to be aware of?
There are several. People often site religion, which is a good answer although it is included under race. An example of ‘banter’ that crosses the line would be repeatedly asking a colleague of certain faiths if they would like a bacon sandwich. Nationality is also covered under race. Harassment due to sexual orientation is oftenContinue reading “We all know about race and sex, what other types of discrimination do employers need to be aware of?”
Which will cost you more, calling someone a Scottish **** or a Geordie ****?
Nationality is included in the legal definition of race discrimination so the Scottish insult is likely to be a bigger claim. However, although regions of the UK are not included in the definition please don’t use this as an excuse to start abusing all Geordies, Scousers and Brummies! That is still likely to be classedContinue reading “Which will cost you more, calling someone a Scottish **** or a Geordie ****?”
New law means responsible employers must train their employees on how to avoid sexually harassing others.
Effective 26th October, the law now requires employers to take ‘all reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. Although the wording is similar to the previous phraseology, those 3 new words ‘all reasonable steps’ means it will now be significantly harder for organisations to defend claims, even if they don’t believe they haveContinue reading “New law means responsible employers must train their employees on how to avoid sexually harassing others.”
Tempted to build rapport by asking a job applicant how old their children are? That’ll be £90,000 please!
Outside work, if you meet someone new and get chatting it seems completely normal to ask about kids, how old they are and take an interest. It’s just part of normal conversation and being friendly. However, this is an area where you need to be so careful in job interviews and other workplace conversations suchContinue reading “Tempted to build rapport by asking a job applicant how old their children are? That’ll be £90,000 please!”
Study finds we think 15 percent of the UK is gay and 5 percent are trans. What are the actual figures?
In our last article we discussed how the public perceives the Muslim population in the UK, along with other minorities, to be much higher than they actually are. The same applies to the gay and trans communities. According to a study by Yougov we perceive that 15 percent of the UK is gay but theContinue reading “Study finds we think 15 percent of the UK is gay and 5 percent are trans. What are the actual figures?”
Only 4 percent of the UK population is Muslim. Why do people think it is fifteen percent?
These are the most recent figures from a YouGov study. It also found that, whereas the Asian population of the UK is seven percent, we perceive it to be fifteen. This overestimation of the size of Muslim and Asian communities in the UK has been a feature throughout my HR career, and I can onlyContinue reading “Only 4 percent of the UK population is Muslim. Why do people think it is fifteen percent?”
Why are we hard wired to discriminate against others?
Direct Discrimination Very few people I have met would be deliberately, or consciously, racist or discriminate in any way. That would be ‘direct’ discrimination e.g. not employing someone because they are black, or may have babies etc. Indirect Discrimination Often it is ‘indirect’ discrimination that causes problems for employers. It occurs when you apply aContinue reading “Why are we hard wired to discriminate against others?”