Nearly two thirds of neurodivergent workers believe employers see neurodiversity as a "red flag"
A poll by Zurich UK of 1000 neurodivergent people found that 63% believed employers viewed neurodiversity as a red flag. A similar number said they had been discriminated against when applying for a new job. Given these statistics, it is perhaps not surprising that half of those polled said stigma stopped them disclosing their condition. A quarter of them had been ghosted by recruiters after disclosing their neurodiversity.
New ACAS guidance on gender reassignment discrimination published
ACAS have published new guidance on Gender reassignment discrimination in the workplace, updating their previous 2017 guidance. Important changes include that the protected characteristic of gender reassignment may include non-binary and intersex people. It also outlines specific steps that employers can take to prevent discrimination, including how to support employees going through gender reassignment, having a transitioning at work policy, and setting up a staff LGBT+ network for staff and allies.
TUC publishes report on Black women's experience of racialised sexual harassment in the workplace
The Black women's experience of sexual harassment in the workplace report, which is based on surveys and focus groups, found high levels of racialised sexual harassment against Black women. Nearly two thirds of respondents had experienced sexual harassment at work, with half of respondents saying their experience of sexual harassment had a negative impact on their mental health. 58% of Black women who had experienced sexual harassment did not report it, with 38% saying they did not think it would be taken seriously. Recommendations made by the TUC to deal with the issue include employers taking a zero-tolerance approach and providing training on racialised and gendered sexual harassment. It also recommended that the government extend legal protections by enacting dual discrimination provisions.
Inquiry launched into options for reform of certain family leave
On 6 December, the Women and Equalities Committee launched an inquiry into options for reform of paternity and shared parental leave. Reviewing the parental leave system, within the first year of government, had been promised in the Labour Party's Plan to Make Work Pay paper. Written submissions are requested on: -
- To what extent has the statutory shared parental leave scheme given parents' choice and flexibility around parenting responsibilities in the first year?
- What have been the longer-term equality impacts of the scheme such as sharing responsibilities for children as they grow up
- What have been the labour market impacts of the scheme, particularly for women?
- Why has the take up been so low and how can it be increased?
- How can inequalities in take up, including by ethnicity, income, qualification level and occupational status, be addressed?
- Are there potentially more effective alternatives to the current "maternal transfer" model?
- Which countries have most effectively incentivised equal parenting and wider gender equality through their approaches to parental leave and what would be the costs and benefits of replicating these approaches in the UK?
The call for evidence closes on 31 January.
