Discrimination at work

The principle of equal treatment requires that all people, and in the context of the workplace all workers, have the right to receive the same treatment, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of criteria such as gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. EU law prohibits discrimination on an increasing number of grounds, meaning that it is difficult for employers to treat people differently without encountering a charge of discrimination and needing to establish an objective justification for doing so. Equal treatment is one of the main principles of the Pillar of Social Rights.

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Rapport de recherche

22 November 2023

Psychosocial risks to workers' well-being: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic
+5
Lise Szekérand 8 other authors

Psychosocial risks represent a major challenge to the health and well-being of workers in the EU. While the COVID-19 pandemic intensified some of these risks, it also increased awareness of them among policymakers. Using data from the European Working Conditions Telephone Survey 2021 and building on a theoretical model that differentiates between job stressors and job resources, this report examines key psychosocial risks in the workplace and their impact on health. It also assesses job characteristics that could help to protect workers’ health and well-being in post-pandemic workplaces. While the prevalence of psychosocial risks varies across the Member States, work–life interference and work intensity are the most widespread risks in the EU, and the prevalence of the latter increased during the pandemic. Job stressors such as adverse social behaviour and job insecurity continue to be experienced by a significant proportion of workers in the EU. Although resources are available to combat some risks, these may not be sufficient, and preventive policies need to be implemented to prevent risks from arising in the first place.

Article

4 November 2020

Member States are dawdling on gender pay transparency
Catherine Cerf,
Christine Aumayr-Pintar
The gender pay gap in gross hourly earnings in the EU was 14.8% in 2018. To help combat discriminatory pay practices by employers, the European Commission recommended in 2014 the introduction of pay transparency measures in all Member States. But more than half still have not implemented any such measures. Ursula von der Leyen announced in 2019 the Commission’s intention to table measures introducing binding pay transparency measures as part of new anti-discrimination legislation. Where do Member States currently stand on the agenda?
Rapport personnalisé

30 August 2020

Role of social partners in tackling discrimination at work
Tina Weber,
Catherine Cerf

This report assesses the role of the social partners in tackling workplace discrimination. Against the background of EU and national anti-discrimination legislation, it highlights the extent to which the need to tackle discrimination on different grounds is on the radar of cross-sectoral social partners. It also provides an overview of the measures taken to deal with the persistent incidence of discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, race or ethnic origin, religion or belief, and sexual orientation or gender identity.

Experts en Discrimination at work

Les chercheurs d'Eurofound fournissent des informations spécialisées et peuvent être contactés pour des questions ou des demandes des médias.

Karel Fric

Research officer
Social policies research

Karel Fric est chargé de recherche au sein de l’unité Politiques sociales d’Eurofound. Son travail comprend des enquêtes scientifiques, des analyses de données et la gestion de projets, avec un accent particulier sur les conditions de travail et de vie, l’égalité et la discrimination. Auparavant, il a travaillé comme chercheur à l’Agence des droits fondamentaux de l’Union européenne à Vienne, en Autriche, et à Panteia, une organisation de recherche et de conseil basée à Zoetermeer, aux Pays-Bas. Karel est titulaire d’un doctorat en sciences sociales de l’Université Erasmus de Rotterdam et d’une maîtrise en économie de l’Université d’Utrecht.

Tina Weber

Senior research manager
Working life research

Tina Weber is a senior research manager in Eurofound’s Working Life unit. Her work has focused on labour shortages, the impact of hybrid work and an ‘always on’ culture and the right to disconnect, working conditions and social protection measures for self-employed workers and the impact of the twin transitions on employment, working conditions and industrial relations. She is responsible for studies assessing the representativeness of European social partner organisations. She has also carried out research on European Works Councils and the evolution of industrial relations and social dialogue in the European Union. Prior to joining Eurofound in 2019, she worked for a private research institute primarily carrying out impact assessments and evaluations of EU labour law and labour market policies. Tina holds a PhD in Political Sciences from the University of Edinburgh which focussed on the role of national trade unions and employers’ organisations in the European social dialogue.

Agnès Parent-Thirion

Senior research manager
Working life research

Agnès Parent-Thirion est chargée de recherche senior au sein de l’unité Vie professionnelle d’Eurofound, chargée de la planification, du développement et de la mise en œuvre de projets de recherche sur les conditions de travail, en particulier l’enquête européenne sur les conditions de travail (EWCS) et ses analyses. Elle est responsable de l’édition extraordinaire de l’EWCS 2021 et de la préparation du questionnaire pour l’EWCS 2024. Ses recherches portent sur les conditions de travail, la qualité de l’emploi, le suivi des conditions de travail, l’organisation du travail, le genre, l’avenir du travail et le temps. Elle travaille dans le domaine des enquêtes comparatives européennes depuis plus d’une décennie, dans tous les aspects, y compris la conception, l’élaboration de questionnaires, le travail sur le terrain, le contrôle de la qualité et l’analyse. Elle est diplômée en économie et gestion des universités Paris IX Dauphine et Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne et titulaire d’un diplôme d’études supérieures en statistiques du Trinity College de Dublin. Elle a récemment suivi des cours en ligne sur l’intelligence artificielle : leadership axé sur l’enquête avec MIT Sloan Executive Education et « Les grands enjeux de la transition : ré-ouvrir l’horizon, comprendre pour agir » avec le Campus de la Transition. Avant de rejoindre Eurofound, elle a travaillé pendant plusieurs années à la Commission européenne.

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The tripartite EU agency providing knowledge to assist in the development of better social, employment and work-related policies