The hidden dangers of online tribunal decisions
Online judgments. In February 2017 employment tribunal decisions become accessible online (see Follow up ). However, the database goes further than just recording judgments. Where a claim has been withdrawn or settled via Acas, this is still recorded as a decision and those are also online. They give the parties’ names, the type of claim and the outcome, but not the actual settlement details. So the post-claim settlement of a dispute will not secure complete confidentiality.
Search engines. Search engines, e.g. Google, will also return decisions in the database, meaning employees can easily find decisions concerning claims made against you, even if you settled them.
Pro advice. A search of a job applicant’s name should bring up any recent tribunal decisions in which they were a claimant, so you could use the information to weed out unsuitable candidates. However, if you deny someone a job because of the existence of a previous discrimination claim, that constitutes unlawful victimisation, so don’t alert individuals to your findings!
Employment tribunal decisions
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