Job hunter told to abide by ‘strictly vegan office’ rules – is it legal?

A job hunter recently shared a series of questions he’d received from the hiring manager at a potential workplace to Reddit.

‘Applied for a job, received this in an email. Can they really force this upon me or not hire me based on this?’ asks the post’s caption, alongside a series of screenshots detailing one standout query.

The recruiter’s email reads: ‘Our workplaces are strictly vegan. You do not have to be vegan away from work, but you do need to bring vegan lunch and have plant milks to eat on site, or eat lunch off site. Can you confirm you are fine with this?’

Reddit users flocked to share their thoughts on the request, with responses ranging from anger to approval.

‘I will be a worktime vegan if the pay is good enough,’ said one person, while another wrote: ‘That is so weird. Some startups really do the best they can not to hire.’

A third commenter added: ‘This would be enough of a red flag to me not to want to apply anymore,’ but one more asked: ‘Where is this? It sounds like a dream.’

Putting aside whether or not you’d personally ditch ham sandwiches and dairy during the day, many wondered about the legality of such a demand on employees.

Shah Qureshi, Employment Partner at national firm Irwin Mitchell, tells Metro.co.uk: ‘This requirement is highly unusual and some would argue draconian. However it is not unlawful per se if it is included as a requirement for the role.

‘There are two caveats to this. Firstly, if it discriminates against the worker because of their religious or deeply held beliefs, then it could be unlawful under the Equality Act 2010.

‘Secondly, if a disabled worker needs to follow a non-vegan diet, the employer is legally required to make reasonable adjustments to allow this.’

No mainstream religions appear to require meat-eating from followers, and there’s a fairly strict set of rules on what counts as a deeply held belief.

Shah explains: ‘The test for beliefs that are protected under the Equality Act are:

• The belief must be genuinely held.
• It must be a belief and not an opinion or viewpoint based on the present state of information available.
• It must be a belief as to a weighty and substantial aspect of human life and behaviour.
• It must attain a certain level of cogency, seriousness, cohesion and importance.
• It must be worthy of respect in a democratic society, be not incompatible with human dignity and not conflict with the fundamental rights of others.’

Essentially, you need to really believe in the carnivore lifestyle to make this a case worth arguing. It’s likely far easier and simpler to conclude the job’s not for you and walk away.

In terms of disabilities, things become more complicated. Some people may be advised by doctors not to follow a vegan diet and to increase their intake of iron, protein or calcium. However, they would likely be able to consume these nutrients outside of working hours or top up reserves with vegan meal replacements and supplements.

The disability would also need to be ‘based on medical evidence,’ adding another layer of faff to go through.

Is it really worth it for the sake of a scotch egg?

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