45% Of Vegans Feel Discriminated Against At Work, Says Study

A staggering 45 percent of vegans feel discriminated against by their employers, according to a new study.

The research, conducted by Crossland Employment Solicitors law firm, involved quizzing 1,000 vegans about their experiences in the workplace.

Of those question, 45 percent said they felt discriminated against. A further 31 percent said they felt harassed at work or unfairly treated due to their veganism.

‘Wouldn’t hire a vegan’

The survey also polled 1,000 employers, and discovered that almost half (48 percent) do nothing to accommodate vegans. Perhaps most surprisingly, three percent say they wouldn’t hire someone if they knew they were vegan, which Crossland Employment Solicitors say is likely to go against the Equality Act 2010.

Around a quarter of employers (24 percent) believe most people go vegan to be fashionable or lose weight. And almost a third (30 percent) said catering for vegans and be expensive or difficult.

Discrimination

“Our research shows that prejudiced attitudes towards vegan workers is endemic among British employers and a lack of understanding as to the potential impact of the Equality Act 2010,” Beverley Sunderland, Managing Director of Crossland Employments Solicitors, said.

“We’d advise that employers need to be taking such beliefs seriously and acting against those who are derogatory about vegans.

“After all, if an employee was mocking someone’s religion, their sex or their race, an employer would not hesitate to take serious action.”