The study found that nearly half (48%) of 1,000 employers surveyed admitted that they don’t do anything to accommodate vegans such as vegan food in the canteen.
HR NEWS: ‘“My boss refers to vegans as tree-huggers”, “management don’t understand vegans and make ignorant comments” and “vegans are as weird as new age travellers” are just some of the negative comments vegan workers are subjected to by employers and colleagues, a new study has found. Researchers discovered that nearly half (45%) of 1,000 vegan employees questioned have felt discriminated against by employers, while nearly a third (31%) have felt harassed at work or unfairly treated due to their veganism, (rising to 36% amongst millennials).
The findings commissioned by employment law specialists, Crossland Employment Solicitors, found that nearly half (48%) of 1,000 employers surveyed admitted that they don’t do anything to accommodate vegans such as vegan food in the canteen or supplying toiletries free from animal testing. The study found discrimination between how vegetarians and vegans are treated, with 78% of employers saying they do cater for vegetarians’ dietary beliefs or requirements. Amongst vegan employees, only 18% said their staff café offers vegan options with some claiming to also “feel pressured to fit in with limited menu choices at work functions”…
While 3% of bosses said they wouldn’t hire someone if they knew they were vegan, which is likely to be contrary to the Equality Act 2010, the survey also found that almost three quarters of UK employers (74%) do not realise that under the Equality Act 2010 ‘philosophical beliefs’ are a protected characteristic in employment law. This is likely to include veganism. A vegan worker commented that “other faith groups are exempt from work clashing with their faith but vegans aren’t”. There was also widespread misunderstanding amongst employers about what to do if an employee was to express negative opinions about vegan beliefs in the office or to a customer.’ SOURCE…
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