What's stopping you?

Most people have doubts about speaking out about discrimination. But you don’t have to put up with it. So, what’s stopping you from taking action?

“I don’t know whether there’s anything I can do”
Well, in many circumstances, discrimination is illegal. So there’s probably something you can do about it. If you’re not sure what your rights are or how to enforce them, Get advice!

“I’m just being oversensitive. Other people probably wouldn’t let it bother them”
If you think someone might be discriminating against you, it doesn’t really matter whether or not other people would just put up with it. They don’t have to and nor should you.

“If I make a fuss, people will think I’m a troublemaker”
You might be surprised. People might be very supportive.
But complaining can sometimes damage your relationships with people, particularly at work. It’s illegal to treat you worse than others because you complained about discrimination at work. It’s called victimisation. So if your colleagues start making life difficult for you, you can complain to your boss about them. And if your boss doesn’t put a stop to the victimisation, you can complain to an employment tribunal.

“I don’t want everyone at work knowing about things I want to keep private”
You might be worried that complaining will draw attention to something you don’t want people at work to know about (such as your sexuality, your transgender status, a disability, or the fact that you have been sexually harassed). But if you don’t take any action, the person discriminating against you might tell other people anyway. If you decide to complain, you can ask your employer to keep your complaint confidential. If they don’t, your employer could be breaking the law.

“If I complain I think they’ll just find an excuse to get rid of me.”
It is illegal for your employer to sack you or make you redundant if the real reason they are doing this is because you complained about discrimination. This is also victimisation.

“I’m worried that, if I complain, they’ll give me a bad reference if I go for another job”
Sadly, some people in life really can be that unpleasant. To give someone a bad reference out of spite and not because of genuine poor performance is, of course, illegal. It’s another example of victimisation. But you’d have to take your employer to an employment tribunal to prove this. This can be a complicated, time-consuming and stressful process, but you might be able to get advice and support. See Get advice!

March 2010