If someone has experienced or witnessed religion or belief discrimination at work, they can make a complaint to their employer. The employer should take it seriously and look into it as soon as possible.
Religion or belief discrimination can be very distressing. It can have a severe impact on someone's mental health and wellbeing.
Employers should make sure that:
- employees know how to report religion or belief discrimination
- anyone who's experienced or witnessed it feels safe, protected and supported
- anyone accused of religion or belief discrimination is treated in an impartial and fair way
If you've experienced religion or belief discrimination
You should raise the problem as soon as possible. But if you raise it a long time after an incident took place, your employer should still take it seriously.
Find out what to do if you've been discriminated against
Witnessing religion or belief discrimination
If you think someone at work is being discriminated against, there are actions you can take. This could include trying to stop it happening if you feel it's safe, supporting people or giving evidence.
Witnessing discrimination might also affect you personally. In some circumstances, you could make a harassment complaint yourself.
Find out more about witnessing discrimination
Handling a discrimination complaint
If you're an employer or manager, you should look into any discrimination complaint in a way that's sensitive to:
- the person who made the complaint
- anyone who witnessed it
- anyone accused of discrimination
You should also:
- set aside your own religious or philosophical beliefs so that you can handle the complaint objectively
- respect the beliefs of all the people involved
Find out how to handle a discrimination complaint