The recent media furore over the dismissal of football pundit Andy Gray has highlighted an important point of employment law which employers should take note of.
Mr Gray was dismissed after making sexist remarks to his co-presenter Richard Keys. Mr Keys has since resigned from his position, publicly stating that "dark forces" at Sky had forced him to leave his job.
It has now been reported that Mr Gray is planning to sue Sky for £3 million in compensation for unfair dismissal, and it is possible that Mr Keys could lodge a claim for constructive dismissal in due course.
While Andy Gray has admitted that his behaviour was unacceptable and Richard Keys has said that his remarks were "deeply wrong", employers must always ensure that proper procedures are being followed before sacking people or accepting resignations in such circumstances.
If employees in a similar situation to Gray and Keys can establish in a tribunal hearing that their employer not only allowed a culture of sexism to exist in the workplace but had failed to respond to complaints in the past, the employee may well be able to successfully claim that they have been unfairly targeted.
To avoid this eventuality, employers should establish firm guidelines on acceptable behaviour in the workplace from the outset, and any complaints made by staff concerning sexist remarks or behaviour should always be investigated and appropriate action taken.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
