Having won her claims for harassment, direct discrimination and victimisation, non-binary ex-employee Rose Taylor was awarded £180,000 in damages at the remedy hearing which was held on Friday 2nd October.
Jaguar Land Rover have apologised for the poor treatment Rose Taylor was subjected to whilst working for the car manufacturer. The company has committed to using the recommendations of the case to strengthen its "diversity and inclusion strategy".
If nothing else, this should act as a stark reminder to employers to review their diversity and inclusion practices, and ensure there are robust systems in place to sensitively deal with discrimination issues in the workplace as soon as they arise. Discrimination claims in particular are costly to defend. There is also no cap on the compensation that can be awarded, unlike in other types of employment claims, so the level of damages can be very high.
Cases like this also highlight the importance of training staff. It is not enough for management to understand what rights workers have and how workers should be treated. It is also vital that there is an in depth understanding amongst workers of the importance of treating co-workers with dignity, as well as how best to bring issues to the attention of management, so that they can be dealt with promptly.
At Clarkslegal we offer bespoke, interactive training both for management and staff: ranging from diversity and inclusion training to dealing with grievances. If your company would benefit from a bespoke training session, please get in contact with our employment law team at contact@clarkslegal.com