Resolved complaint (59) about family responsibility discrimination in employment
Learn how a complaint (59) about family responsibility discrimination in employment was resolved through conciliation.
Summary
- Year: 2022
- Relevant Act: Disability Discrimination Act; Sex Discrimination Act
- Grounds: Disability; Family responsibilities
- Area(s): Employment
- Settlement terms:
- Adjustments provided
About the complaint
The complainant works as a software support officer at the respondent company. He said that his son has a learning disability, asthma and Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder and needs a lot of one-to-one support and tuition. He alleged the company denied his request for a small reduction in working hours a few days a week to enable him to attend appointments and that a manager told him 'this is not a child care' and that it would affect the productivity of the team. He alleged he was singled out and required to take breaks at specific times.
The company said the complainant's request could not be accommodated due to operational requirements. The company denied the alleged comment and said that all staff were required to take breaks for health and safety reasons.
The complaint was resolved with an agreement that the complainant work from home for a set period. As the complainant would not need to travel to and from work, he would be able to take his son to appointments without changes to his working hours.
Guidance on the use of these summaries
This is a summary of a selected complaint that has been resolved through our conciliation process. It's designed to help people better understand how complaints might be resolved and what outcomes are possible.
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Please note:
- all complaints are de-identified
- complaints are resolved on a 'without admission of liability' basis
- some content may include confronting or offensive language.
