Recruitment

It's up to employers how they recruit for their organisation.

There are no set processes that are required by law. But employers must follow a fair process and certain laws that apply throughout the whole recruitment process, including:

• discrimination
• data protection

Employers should also follow good practice and any policies their organisation might have on:

• recruitment
• equality, diversity and inclusion

Find out more about improving equality, diversity and inclusion

If an applicant is a member of a trade union

It's against the law to treat someone less favourably or cause them detriment based on whether they are, or are not, a trade union member.

Detriment means someone experiences one or both of the following:

• being treated worse than before
• having their situation made worse

For example:

• you reduce their hours
• they experience bullying
• they experience harassment
• you turn down their training requests without good reason
• you overlook them for promotions or development opportunities

Get more advice and support

If you have questions about any stage of the recruitment process, contact the Acas helpline.

Acas also provides training for recruitment, selection and induction.