Paul McAleavey comments on Cheshire Police discrimination case.
“It is lawful for employers to take positive action to improve under-representation in their workforces, but only in two narrow circumstances. This case shows how easy it is for an employer to get it wrong.
Where two candidates are completely matched in skills and qualifications, in certain circumstances an employer can choose the candidate with a protected characteristic over the other and this will not be discriminatory. Here, Cheshire Police force adopted too blunt an approach by choosing candidates less qualified than Mr Furlong for the next stage in the recruitment process. Employers must be proportionate in seeking to redress under-representation in their workforces.”
Find out more here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-48460555
