A Birmingham office worker has raised serious concerns about gender segregation in her workplace, alleging that female employees have been forced to work separately from their male colleagues following a company takeover.
New ownership brings controversial changes
The woman, who remains anonymous, revealed that new office rules were introduced after the company was purchased. She described arriving after a weekend to find desks rearranged with a physical divider separating male and female employees.
In a Reddit post seeking advice, she expressed feeling "uncomfortable" about the arrangement and noted that most male colleagues appeared to support the change. More worryingly, she observed that women were being excluded from informal decision-making processes that typically occur through quick conversations between colleagues.
Alleged unfair dismissal raises legal questions
The situation escalated when a colleague who complained about the segregation policy was reportedly dismissed. According to the anonymous employee, the woman had her pass taken away after working for 19 months with the team.
She questioned the legality of both the segregation policy and the dismissal, noting that the company allegedly used the employee's short service period to avoid providing justification for her termination.
Responding to queries about the nature of their work, the woman described it as a typical modern office environment involving phones, computers, spreadsheets and client management. She confirmed there was no legitimate business reason provided for the segregation policy.
Legal experts weigh in on discrimination concerns
Reddit users and employment law experts were quick to identify potential legal violations in the situation. Many highlighted that segregating staff by gender could constitute indirect discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.
One commenter explained: "If there's no legitimate business reason, and it has the effect of shutting women out of important conversations, then that sounds like indirect discrimination."
Regarding the dismissal, another user noted: "If your colleague were dismissed for complaining about this then that would be an automatic unfair dismissal. The two year qualifying period does not apply if the reason you were dismissed is that you made a complaint about something you reasonably perceived to be discriminatory."
Multiple respondents encouraged the woman to contact Acas (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) for professional guidance and to consider filing a formal grievance through her company's HR department if available.
The case has sparked broader discussions about workplace equality and the protection available to employees who raise concerns about potentially discriminatory practices in UK workplaces.
