In case you hadn't noticed, there is a general election taking place in the UK on Thursday. But should politics be allowed in the office?
An employer has the right to enforce a dress code which it feels appropriate in the work place which can prohibit the use of any items that support political parties such as badges or t-shirts.
These guidelines maybe set out in the company’s dress code or even their policy on political activities in the work place.
Generally employers may feel the need to enforce a policy that prohibits politically endorsed items from being worn in the work place, particularly by members of staff who are ‘public-facing’ so as to avoid creating any impression that the company is endorsing a particular political view.
Under the Equality Act 2010 (the act) it is unlikely that an employee who has been prohibited from displaying their support for a particular political party would constitute a ‘belief’ for the purposes of the act but a belief based on a political philosophy could potentially be covered by the act.
However, even if an employee’s political belief is deemed to be covered by the act a claim for discrimination is likely to fail if the employer can show that all employees are prohibited from displaying items in support for a political party in order to avoid disruption, harassment and intimidation of all employees.
It would be beneficial for all companies to have in place a policy on political activities in the work place setting out clear terms on what is considered to be appropriate conduct in the work place which would help avoid any potential disputes between employees who may have opposing political views.
This policy should state that employees are not to engage in any form of political activity during working hours and that company facilities such as photocopiers should not be used for the purpose of political campaigning.
The policy should also make clear that employees should not carry out any sort of activity that would suggest that the company supports a particular political party or political view.
Employees should also be reminded that any conduct in breach of this policy could be deemed as harassment or intimidation of fellow colleagues and would be addressed under the company’s disciplinary procedure.
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