Give Thought To Dress Codes Before It Becomes An Issue

As controversy around workplace dress codes hits the headlines again, David Green and Brian Palmer consider what employers can do to avoid embarrassing and costly religious discrimination claims.

The latest in a line of high profile cases of alleged religious discrimination has been resolved without recourse to a tribunal. But, the case, involving the catering firm Eurest, shows that employers must proceed with care when seeking to enforce dress codes.

Amrit Lalji, the employee at the centre of this case, was a cleaner and customer relations worker for Eurest, based in the British Airways VIP lounge in Heathrow. She wore a small nose stud, a Hindu symbol of her married status comparable to a wedding ring. She had been wearing the stud for more than a year without comment before she was instructed by a manager to remove it. When she refused to comply, she was suspended and subsequently dismissed.