What can national stereotypes tell us about employment in the UK? The British reputation in global circles is one of reservation – a dry sense of humour, yes, a stereotypical love of tea, certainly, but also a certain buttoned-up distance from passion and conflict which has its advantages and disadvantages.
It isn’t hard to understand where the British reputation for a ‘stiff upper lip’ might come from. Given that the British Empire was one of the most powerful and trigger-happy international forces over the last six centuries, many perceptions of British behaviour come from observation of soldiers on foreign lands –not exactly a neat representation of the real substance of the national psyche.
And yet – there is no doubt some seed of truth in the image of the stoical Brit. Old-fashioned it may be, but it does also have more serious consequences: individuals ‘keep calm and carry on’ even in situations where they should be kicking up a fuss. But why should they? Justice and sensible moral conduct change with the times – and Britons are getting turned on to this in the workplace. Just look at the busy rosters of the employment solicitors London houses.
Indeed, employment solicitors like Thomas Mansfield are a sign that the tight-lipped prejudices of the isles are just that – prejudices, assumptions. With so many cuts to public sector jobs, and a rise in un-checked private sector employment, there is an increasing chance that employment law can be breached and go unnoticed in the modern workplace.
And it is essential that people feel free to report such breaches. Indeed, one of the many reasons why employees have previously been shy about highlighting discrimination is the nature of employment law, not their ‘stiff upper lip’.
Indeed, employment law is so tricky because the actions and transgressions which it prosecutes are complex and very often psychological or non-material. Evidence is often based on my word against your word – but this doesn’t make the damage any lighter.
The new Equality Act 2010, which will allow claimants to launch single cases which may cover several types of discrimination, is making it easier to fit the nature of prosecution to the slippery and wide-reaching nature of the fault.
