Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Employee relationsEmployment lawEmployment tribunals

Christian telesales employee tells tribunal he objected to ‘lying’ to make sales

by John Eccleston 15 May 2013
by John Eccleston 15 May 2013

A Christian telesales worker has told an employment tribunal that being required to lie to potential customers to make sales was against his beliefs.

The tribunal heard how the claimant, who was employed at a telecommunications company, objected to being required to deceive potential customers in order to obtain sales. He told the tribunal that such a process was against his religious beliefs and he was therefore protected by the Equality Act 2010. However, the tribunal rejected his claim.

The claimant said he was told during his training to “be creative” when talking to “gatekeepers” such as secretaries and PAs, and he noted that during the training he felt that “at the end of the first day he thought he would end up in an employment tribunal”. He also made a note that the trainer had advised him “to lie”.

He additionally claimed that he had heard his colleagues lying to customers.

He claimed religion or belief discrimination on the basis that he was working in a hostile environment and said he was dismissed for refusing to lie to customers, but the employer argued it had not required the claimant to lie to meet targets.

However, he lost his case because he failed to produce sufficient evidence that the company had required him to lie to potential customers as part of his role.

The tribunal also found the claimant had signed the company’s code of conduct, which prohibits employees from misleading customers and reflected the fact the company was subject to the telecoms industry’s regulatory rules. The tribunal rejected his claim that his signature had been forged.

The employment tribunal pointed out that the claimant’s belief that he should not be required to lie is not unique to Christianity and is a central article of faith in most, if not all, major religions and does not, in itself, amount to a religion. The belief is at most a manifestation of a religious belief.

It was also stressed that the claimant had presented no evidence that lying was a requirement in this workplace and that it believed the employer’s version of events that the claimant had been dismissed for failing to meet targets, not because of his refusal to lie to customers.

For full detail of the tribunal’s decision, visit XpertHR.

Philosophical beliefs and equality legislation

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

XpertHR has coverage of cases where beliefs have been found to be “philosophical beliefs” under equality legislation:

  • Journalist’s belief in “higher purpose” of public-service broadcasting
  • A violinist’s humanist beliefs
  • A belief in the importance of tackling climate change

XpertHR also has details of cases where beliefs have been found not to be “philosophical beliefs” under equality legislation:

  • An ex-serviceman’s belief in the importance of wearing a poppy in November
  • Beliefs about government conspiracies behind the 9/11 and 7/7 terrorist attacks

John Eccleston

previous post
Does play have to be the opposite of work?
next post
HR director profile: Andrew Donovan, Magnox

1 comment

alistair mcquade 30 Mar 2014 - 11:10 am

I forget the percentages, but there are some people who are engaged in their work, some compliant and some out to sabotage their work. This seems to me to be a case of the latter. Which is a shame because ethics in selling is a topic that deserves more airtime, especially as ethical and empathic sales approaches can yield big dividends for companies.

Comments are closed.

You may also like

Fire and rehire: the relocation question

22 May 2025

Restaurant tips should be included in holiday pay

21 May 2025

Black security manager awarded £360k after decade of...

20 May 2025

Minister defends Employment Rights Bill at Acas conference

16 May 2025

CBI chair Soames accuses ministers of not listening...

16 May 2025

Union rep teacher awarded £370k for unfair dismissal

15 May 2025

EHRC bows to pressure and extends gender consultation

15 May 2025

Tribunal finds need for degree in redundancy selection...

14 May 2025

‘Polygamous working’ is a minefield for HR

14 May 2025

Contract cleaner loses EAT race discrimination appeal

14 May 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+