Disability discrimination advice for businesses

Disability discrimination claims – legal support for employers

Under the Equality Act, it is unlawful to treat employees, workers or candidates less favourably because of a disability. The Act also protects workers from harassment or victimisation because of a disability.

Any claim of direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, harassment or victimisation could have severe consequences for your business. It’s important to minimise your businesses risk of exposure to a discrimination claim, and our employment law solicitors can help you do so.

Tees provides practical and realistic advice to manage any concerns you have in relation to disability discrimination claims. Our priority is always to guide your business towards a suitable resolution.  For all queries, please contact our employment law team on 0800 0131165. 

Your legal duties under the Equality Act as an employer

As an employer, you must comply with the Equality Act 2010. The Act does not cover all medical conditions, and in most cases employers should obtain medical information to determine if an employee is likely to be deemed disabled under the Equality Act definition. Tees helps employers access appropriate employee medical records and information including advising on access to medical records legislation. We can advise you on the process to follow if you need to obtain an employee's medical information.

Employers must be aware of discrimination arising from a disability – where someone is treated less favourably because of a situation arising in consequence of their disability. Disability discrimination claims are notoriously complex and varied, but at Tees, we have the experience needed to guide you through any situation.

‘Reasonable adjustments’ for disabled employees

Our solicitors can help you manage your duty as an employer to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for employees with a disability. There is no specific guidance as to what is considered ‘reasonable’ – but if you fail to comply with this duty, your business may face a claim for discrimination. Tees has considerable experience guiding employers through this process; we’ll consider the effectiveness, practicability and cost of the adjustment and make a recommendation about the best way forward. We are here to ensure you fulfil your obligations to your employees and workers, and will guide you through a fair interpretation of the rules surrounding reasonable adjustments for disabled staff.

Our priority is to ensure your business complies with the rules and regulations surrounding disability discrimination, and minimise the risk of potential claims. Our specialists find innovative, practical solutions for employers.

Put simply, we will help you tick all the boxes and protect your employees, in a way that’s cost-effective and efficient for your business.

Specialist disability discrimination solicitors

At Tees we have comprehensive experience representing businesses through all types of disability discrimination cases. All employers must comply with the Equality Act. Our employment solicitors will ensure that your obligations are fulfilled, and your business is compliant with the Act to reduce the risk of claims by your employees.

Tees provides practical, straightforward and commercially-focused advice. We can help you:

• Make reasonable adjustments for employees with a disability
• Obtain effective medical reports
• Manage specific cases of long term sickness absence where the person falls within the Equality Act definition of a disabled person
• Handle grievances/complaints of disability discrimination.

How we work with you

At Tees, our dedicated employment law solicitors understand the sensitive and complex nature of disability discrimination claims.  So, if a complaint has been made against your business or staff, you can rely on Tees to support you. Our priority is always to achieve a resolution that works for your business. 

Tailored legal support for your business

Anti-discrimination laws are much easier to navigate with specialist legal support at your side. We will work with you to make sure your business complies with the law, and fulfils its legal obligations to employees. 

Managing legal costs

We understand how important it is to control legal costs, so we’ll be completely open with you about our fees before we start work. We’ll work efficiently to complete your work as quickly as possible and we’ll keep you informed of progress as we go along. 

What to do next

Tees will help ensure that your business is compliant with discrimination law, and minimise the potential of a claim by your employees.

Call our Employment Law solicitors on 0800 0131165

For an initial consultation, at no obligation, or fill out our enquiry form and a solicitor will get in touch.

Enquiry form