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Religion or belief discrimination is were you maybe face discrimination, harassment or victimisation because of your religion or belief. It is one of the nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act and is mainly divided into two areas: religion and religious belief and philosophical belief.

The Equality Act does not give a comprehensive list of religions, although its explanatory notes give examples – the Baha’i faith, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Rastafarianism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism. Religious belief is an individual’s own faith and how it affects their life. Broadly speaking, a philosophical belief must be all of the following:

• genuinely held
• not just an opinion or point-of-view based on current information
• a weighty and substantial aspect of human life and behaviour
• clear, logical, convincing, serious, important, and
• worthy of respect in a democratic society, compatible with human dignity and not conflicting with the fundamental rights of others.

It is broadly accepted that, for example, humanism, atheism and agnosticism are ‘beliefs’, but supporting a football team or loyalty to your native country are not.

All protected beliefs are equal – whether religious or philosophical – so one protected belief cannot override another.

So how do we ensure we do not discriminate against Religion and religious beliefs and philosophical belief?

Areas of employment where religion or belief discrimination may most frequently occur are:

• recruitment
• requests for taking annual leave, breaks and time away from work for religious reasons
• dress code

Recruitment – Within the recruitment process we do not ask candidates for any kind of information relating to their religion or beliefs. We believe that this information is not required in order for us to select the best person for the job. Following the pre-employment stage we ask that if any staff require any form of reasonable adjustment to standard working practices due to a religion or belief they let us know so we can discuss further.

 

Requests for taking annual leave, breaks and time away from work for religious reasons – As a service that runs 24/7/365 we do not have any form of shut down due to a religious holiday. Annual Leave is managed on a rotating basis where someone who had a certain time off one year may not be approved the following year to allow another staff member who may not have previously had that time. Time away from the workplace for religious reasons is always managed on a case by case basis and Derian would make any reasonable adjustments that work for both the individual and also the running of our services.

 

Dress code –  Although within the Care Team we have a set uniform due to IPC regulations we have ensured the uniform is flexible enough to accommodate the various requirements of different religions relating to dress and appearance. We would always make any reasonable adjustments required to ensure staff feel comfortable in work and IPC standards are maintained.  On the commercial side of the organisation, all staff are asked to appear professional however have the flexibility to present that in line with their personal religious beliefs.

 

At Derian House we have zero tolerance on any kind of discrimination. If you feel you or someone you work with is a victim of discrimination, please speak to the HR department.