Injury to Feelings Awards in Discrimination Claims Increased

“Vento bands? What on earth are Vento bands??” A client asked me this exact question the other day. Which made me realise that only employment lawyers know what they mean when the bang on about “vento bands” in the context of compensation for injury to feelings in discrimination claims.

Now I think about it they do sound like some weird fitness device. But they are not. “Vento bands” are used by employment tribunals to work out how much an employee should get for injury to their feelings if they are successful in their claim for discrimination.

The meaning of an “injury to feelings” award is exactly what it says the tin and an assessment is made as to how badly the discrimination has impacted the employee and “injured their feelings”.

The Tribunal will use the “Vento bands” as a guide to what they should award the employee.

The “Vento bands” as updated by the President of the Employment Tribunals is as follows:

The lower band: for "less serious cases, such as where the act of discrimination is an isolated or one-off occurrence": Between £900 and £9,100

The middle band: for "serious cases, which do not merit an award in the highest band". Between £9,100 and £27,400

The top band: for "the most serious cases, such as where there has been a lengthy campaign of discriminatory harassment on the ground of a protected characteristic". Only in "the most exceptional case" should an award for injury to feelings exceed the top of this band. Between £27,400 and £45,600