POLITICAL DISCUSSIONS
Election day is upon us! Which means political discussions in the workplace are likely...
This is of course no bad thing, unless those discussions lead to an intentional or (more likely) unintentional act of harassment and / or a breakdown in workplace relations.
Ideally, you will have mitigated the risk of this by having policies in place which emphasise the need for employees to show respect for those who hold opposing views, and will have provided training to individuals about how certain comments or behaviours may in fact fall foul of equality legislation.
“It is broadly accepted that supporting a political party is not a philosophical belief under the Equality Act 2010. However, a political philosophy affecting significantly how a person lives their life may be protected.'
However, if you do find out that one or more employees have taken things too far. It is important to investigate those matters quickly, and then to carefully analyse whether disciplinary action is necessary, having regard for whether less severe measures could be more appropriate / more effective (e.g. retraining and / or mediation between employees).
The Acas guide on religion or belief discrimination states: “It is broadly accepted that supporting a political party is not a philosophical belief under the Equality Act 2010. However, a political philosophy affecting significantly how a person lives their life may be protected.'
Furthermore, under the Employment Rights Act 1996 – dismissing an employee solely or mainly because of their political opinions or affiliation is likely to be unfair dismissal, unless misconduct by the employee would justify fair dismissal.”