This guide covers discrimination in the workplace. It explores your rights as an employee or worker and the steps you can take if you feel:

• you are being treated unfairly, or
• may be the victim of unlawful discrimination.

The RCN also has a range of resources on equality, inclusion and human rights that may help you, including our Let's talk inclusion resource, which aims to help you start conversations to tackle discrimination.

The Equality Act 2010 ('the Act') applies in England, Scotland and Wales. The Equality Act 2010 was not enacted in Northern Ireland (see the 'Further information' section below for more on this).  

The Act protects people from discrimination on the basis of what are termed 'protected characteristics'. These are:

• age
• disability
• gender reassignment
• marriage and civil partnership
• pregnancy and maternity
• race
• religion or belief
• sex
• sexual orientation.

Under the Act, it is unlawful to discriminate against someone because of a protected characteristic. Individuals are protected from discrimination in a number of contexts including employment, access to goods and services, education and housing.

The Act covers the whole employment relationship including:

• recruitment
• training
• terms and conditions
• redundancy
• discipline
• dismissal, and
• post-employment (covering discrimination or harassment which arises from and is closely connected to the employment, for example references given or refused after employment has ended).

The principles also apply to students on placement and to ‘workers’ in general (rather than simply employees) meaning that you are protected from discrimination if you are a bank or agency worker. See our agency workers guide for more information on the distinction between worker and employee.

RCN Nursing Workforce Standards

The RCN Nursing Workforce Standards are designed to support a safe and effective nursing workforce alongside each nation’s legislation. They include guidance on workforce planning and rostering, as well as staff health, safety and wellbeing. Standard 12 states that the nursing workforce should be treated with dignity, respect and work in environments where equity, diversity, and inclusion are embedded in the workplace culture. 

If you work outside of the NHS, please see our Employment Standards for Independent Health and Social Care Sectors. These set out what we expect employers in these settings to deliver for the nursing workforce.

If you are experiencing discrimination because of a protected characteristic, please contact us for advice on what to do next.

Before contacting us, you should read your employer’s equality and diversity policy and start gathering evidence. See our bullying and harassment diary template for an example of how to record any incidents, and keep copies of any paperwork/emails that evidence what has happened.

There are a range of possible next steps to help resolve your issue, which will depend on the circumstances. They include:

• Informal action

You could try to resolve any problems with your employer informally in the first instance. You could arrange a meeting with your employer, inform them of the problems that you are experiencing and ask them to take appropriate action to resolve these problems. Remember, evidence is important so please keep your own record/diary of who you spoke to and when, along with any action plan/changes that were agreed as a result of your complaint. See our Problems at work checklist for more detailed guidance on how to approach this.

• Formal grievance

To raise a formal grievance, you’ll need to put your complaint in writing using your employer’s grievance policy. Read our Problems at work checklist for more information and contact us for advice before lodging a grievance with your employer.

• Legal action at an Employment Tribunal (Industrial Tribunal in Northern Ireland)

Read our guidance on employment tribunals for more information about this. Please note a legal claim cannot normally be brought once three months less one day has passed since the incident (unless the issue is part of a series of events which can be characterised as a 'continuing act', in which case the time limits are calculated from the last event of the series). This area is complex and given the time limits involved, it’s really important to contact us for advice as soon as possible if you’re considering asking the RCN for support with this type of action.

Other sources of support

Taking action can be challenging but the RCN is here to support you. If you need emotional support, please do contact us. Our counselling team may be able to help you. Find out more about our counselling service.

You may find our other member support services helpful – such as the Peer support service and the Immigration advice service.

Under the Act, it can be unlawful for an employer to discriminate against a worker because of their age.

Direct and indirect discrimination can arise in a number of circumstances, including:

• how an employer selects new staff; for example, they cannot state in an advertisement that the post must be filled by a person of a particular age
• refusing to offer, or deliberately not offering, a person employment on the grounds of their age 
• changing the terms offered by an employer to a person in employment, on the grounds of their age
• not giving a promotion, transfer, training or any other benefit on the grounds of their age
• dismissing an employee or subjecting them to any other detriment on the grounds of their age.

If you are experiencing discrimination, you should refer to your employer’s equality and diversity policy and speak to your line manager about your concerns. If you are unsatisfied with the response, contact us.

Justifying age discrimination

It may be possible for an employer to justify both direct and indirect age discrimination, on the grounds that the activity in question was objectively justifiable as a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.

It can be difficult to show that discrimination is justifiable and employers should take care in making judgements about someone’s ability to do a job based on their age.

Please also see 'When can discrimination be justified?' below.

Retirement

The default retirement age of 65 has been abolished and in future it will only be possible for employers to operate a compulsory retirement age if this can be objectively justified as a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. The Department for Work and Pensions has help and support for an older workforce. ACAS also has guidance on this area.

Under the Act, it is unlawful for an employer to discriminate against a worker because they have a disability. Our advice guide on Disability and the Equality Act gives further information, including how to disclose disability to your employer and how to challenge disability discrimination. 

We also have information in our Health Ability Passport guidance which provides detailed information on reasonable adjustments.

Please also see 'When can discrimination be justified?' below.

If you are being discriminated against, you should refer to your employer’s equality and diversity policy and speak to your line manager about your concerns. If you are unsatisfied with the response, contact us.

The Act protects employees, prospective employees and those accessing vocational training from unfavourable treatment on the grounds of pregnancy and taking maternity leave. The law applies regardless of how long a person has been employed by their employer and you are protected to the end of your maternity leave (including additional maternity leave). Since 1 January 2024, the protection extends beyond that protected period where the unfavourable treatment is because of the pregnancy or pregnancy-related illness.

Please also see our Having a family toolkit for more detail.

Here are some basic principles:

• Recruitment

You do not have to tell a prospective employer that you are pregnant when you apply for or are interviewed for a job. The fact that you are pregnant should not be considered when determining who gets the job.

• Informing your employer of your pregnancy

You must ensure you follow the correct processes when notifying your employer of your pregnancy. Once you have taken steps to inform your employer of your pregnancy you should not be subject to unfavourable treatment.

• Maternity leave

You will be entitled to maternity pay as provided for in your contract of employment and any salary increases that occur while on maternity leave. If you do not have a written contract, or your contract doesn't mention maternity pay, there is a minimum entitlement to Statutory Maternity Pay as set out in legislation. Your employer must also inform you of any promotion opportunities and changes to your terms and conditions, including reorganisation.

• Returning from maternity leave

You have a right to return to the job you had previously, with the same terms and conditions, when returning during or at the end of ordinary maternity leave of 26 weeks.

If you are experiencing discrimination, you should refer to your employer’s equality and diversity policy and speak to your line manager about your concerns. If you are unsatisfied with the response, contact us.

Exceptions

It is important to note that whilst section 18 of Act prohibits direct discrimination relating to pregnancy and maternity, it does not include discrimination by association with a pregnant person or discrimination by perception.

ACAS have further detailed guidance on discrimination because of pregnancy and maternity.

Under the Act it is unlawful to discriminate on the grounds of someone's race. The Act says race can mean your colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins.

It is unlawful for an employer to give discriminatory terms of employment, deny promotion, training or transfer or withhold benefits, facilities or services, or segregate, on the grounds of race.

Racism in the workplace

If a colleague or patient demonstrates racist behaviour - for example by making racist jokes - then raise this issue with your line manager. Racist jokes are offensive and can create a hostile working environment. 

If you are experiencing discrimination, you should refer to your employer’s equality and diversity policy and speak to your line manager about your concerns. If you are unsatisfied with the response, contact us.

You can read our guidance for members on the race riots of summer 2024 here. It includes practical guidance on what to do if you are subject to racial abuse, and what to do if your employer isn't being supportive.

Language discrimination 

The Equality and Human Rights Commission Employment: Code of Practice section 17.47 states that:

"An employer might also wish to impose a requirement on workers to communicate in a common language – generally English. There is a clear business interest in having a common language in the workplace, to avoid misunderstandings, whether legal, financial or in relation to health and safety. It is also conducive to good working relations to avoid excluding workers from conversations that might concern them".

However, section 17.48 of the code goes on to state that:

"employers should make sure that any requirement involving the use of a particular language during or outside working hours, for example during work breaks, does not amount to unlawful discrimination. Blanket rules involving the use of a particular language may not be objectively justifiable as a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. An employer who prohibits workers from talking casually to each other in a language they do not share with all colleagues, or uses occasions when this happens to trigger disciplinary or capability procedures or to impede workers’ career progress, may be considered to be acting disproportionately".

If your employer states that you cannot use your own language during your breaks, lunches or outside working time (e.g. before the start or end of your shift), please contact us. 

The Act makes it unlawful to discriminate against someone because of their religion or belief.

Religion means any religion and a reference to religion includes a reference to a lack of religion.

Belief means any religious or philosophical belief, including a lack of belief. However, if there is conflict between the philosophical belief and fundamental principles of human dignity, then it may not be protected. The Equality and Human Rights Commission website (for England, Scotland and Wales) have further guidance on religion or belief in the workplace.

For a philosophical belief to be protected under the Act it must be:

• genuinely held
• not an opinion or viewpoint based on the present state of information available
• a weighty and substantial aspect of human life and behaviour
• attain a certain level of cogency, seriousness, cohesion and importance, and
• be worthy of respect in a democratic society, not incompatible with human dignity and not in conflict with the fundamental rights of others.

Time off for religious observance

Your employer would have to prove that allowing you time off would be detrimental to services provided. If your line manager refuses reasonable changes to your work pattern without objective justification, this may be considered discrimination. You should discuss this matter with your line manager or human resource department in the first instance. If you require support, please contact us.

The Act makes it unlawful for employers to discriminate because of someone's sex, whether male or female. 

It also covers those individuals who are proposing to undergo, are undergoing, or have undergone a process or part of a process for the purpose of reassigning the person's sex by changing physiological or other attributes of sex. It is not necessary for persons to be under medical supervision to affect their gender reassignment in order to be protected.

Persons diagnosed with gender dysphoria or gender identity disorder may also be protected under the disability discrimination provisions of the Act, as those condition may have a substantial and long-term adverse impact on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

Please also see the ACAS guidance on Gender reassignment.

You can also see our guide on Discrimination: equal pay which explains more on discrimination between men and women in the workplace which can impact on pay and conditions.

If you are experiencing discrimination, you should refer to your employer’s equality and diversity policy and speak to your line manager about your concerns. If you are unsatisfied with the response, contact us.

Further reading

RCN Pride in Nursing campaign

ACAS: Supporting trans employees in the workplace

Citizens Advice: Absence from work because of gender reassignment

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Gender reassignment discrimination

NHS Confederation: Leading for all: supporting trans and non-binary healthcare staff

Under the Act it is unlawful to discriminate against someone because of their sexual orientation.

Homophobic abuse and jokes are not acceptable and your employer must take steps to protect you from harassment or abuse. If you are concerned about this you can obtain your employer’s dignity at work policy. You may wish to consider a grievance and if so, it is important that you contact us for further support.

Civil partnership and marriage

Under the Act it is unlawful to discriminate against someone because they are married or in a civil partnership. This protection does not extend to persons who are not married or in a civil partnership or are single.

This specific protected characteristic does not attract the full range of protections as with other protected characteristics. For example, the act does not afford protection against discrimination by perception or association. There is also no protection from discrimination if a person is unmarried or single, cohabiting, widowed or divorced. However, harassment related to civil partnership might amount to harassment related to sexual orientation.

If you are experiencing discrimination, you should refer to your employer’s equality and diversity policy and speak to your line manager about your concerns. If you are unsatisfied with the response, contact us.

Not all instances of unfair treatment will be classed as unlawful discrimination. Under the Act, it is possible to ‘justify’ certain types of unfair treatment if there is a good enough reason for it.

Objective justification

Certain types of discrimination can be justified in law if they are a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. This is known as objective justification. Ultimately, the courts decide if discrimination can be justified in this way.

Objective justification can only be invoked in certain situations. They are:

• cases of indirect discrimination (where a practice, policy or rule puts someone with a protected characteristic at a disadvantage, when compared to others who do not share the same characteristic)
• discrimination arising from a disability, and
• age discrimination.

If you are experiencing discrimination but your employer is suggesting it is justified, you should refer to your employer’s equality and diversity policy and speak to your line manager about your concerns. If you are unsatisfied with the response, contact us.

Visit the Equality and Human Rights Commission website (for England, Scotland and Wales) or Equality Commission Northern Ireland for more information on discrimination. Both of these organisations have produced a Code of Practice relating to employment, which is useful to consider if you feel your employer may not be acting correctly.

The Equality Act 2010 has not been adopted in Northern Ireland but there are two laws which promote equality of opportunity for people with disabilities by banning disability discrimination and which give enforceable legal rights to people with disabilities. These are the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Special Educational Needs and Disability NI Order 2005.

See our guidance:

• Discrimination and equal pay
• Disability discrimination
• RCN Peer Support

Other RCN resources: 

• Equity, diversity and inclusion
• Let’s talk… inclusion: Being the change

ACAS guidance: 

• Asking and responding to questions of discrimination in the workplace