Equality isn’t simply accepting people from different backgrounds – it’s about celebrating them. Find resources and educational material that include examples of different types of discrimination – whether this is indirect discrimination, unconscious biases or offensive language. It is the fair treatment of people regardless of any protected characteristics, such as race, gender, disability, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, or age. Society is made up of a wide spectrum of people. Form a diversity and equality committee. The diversity and inclusion strategy sets out our ambitions for equality and diversity between 2018 and 2025, both in relation to staff and in providing services to the public. It’s OK -- and necessary -- to admit that people are different from one … When you remove any bias that may block potential employees from applying to your positions, you get access to a much wider talent pool. Offer diversity and inclusion training. Overall, this will make stronger, more unified teams. 6. This website uses the following additional cookies: Facebook Pixel - for helping to understand the traffic from facebook users. Without the basic knowledge of equality and diversity, it can be difficult to get people to promote and support it. When it’s clear that those higher up demand equality and justice, it spreads throughout the company. This allows you to more easily serve and appeal to customers across the globe and potentially give you an upper hand against competitors. Disability. Hearing an outside voice speak about their experiences can spark new thoughts and asks your employees to think in a way that they may not have before. Not only does this make good business sense—helping your company to better understand colleagues, clients, and customers around the world—it also makes the workplace a more interesting and personally enriching environment for everyone. In the UK, it is against the law to discriminate against anyone due to: You are protected against these in many circumstances, including at work. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. 8. Equality, diversity and inclusion need to be measured and analysed in all aspects of the organisation such as performance and processes. 1. Diversity training helps employees understand how cultural … There should never be a question, internally or externally, of what your company stands for. An inclusive and diverse workforce There are two major arguments in support of employers having a … Appoint members of the board of directors/senior management as diversity and inclusion champions. If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. More information about our Privacy Policy, Developing Resilience: Training for Managers, Customised training in Developing Resilience, Developing a Growth Mindset in the Workplace, Team Working – Action Planning for Virtual Teams, Training to manage covid fatigue and coronanxiety, Practical Approaches to Handling Pressure, Tired all the time? Age 2. If an employee should feel discriminated against in any way, they should know they have a safe place to go and talk about the issues they’re facing. What is classed as Discrimination? 3. Managing diversity and equality in the workplace is an important managerial competency. Read your job descriptions with fresh eyes and check that you aren’t using any stereotypes or biased language. In fact, it’s almost impossible to say it’s ever ‘done’. There are many differences and these differences can create connections with one another and they can also put certain groups at a disadvantage. Sexual orientation.Hiring people from all kinds of backgrounds widens the range of thinking that takes place in your office. Sex. HR has an important role within this. The benefits of this are endless. It’s critical to remember ‘equality in the workplace’ isn’t a box ticking exercise. A brand reputation precedes your company. This way you can see if any adjustments could be made to your operation to meet the needs of different people and create a plan of action. Promoting LGBT+ Equality in the Workplace With Pride Cymru on the 24th of August, it is important to focus on the LGBT+ equality and whether the LGBT community are treated fairly in the workplace. The Equality Act 2010 is a set of laws implemented by the UK government to protect the rights of individuals in society, and advance equal opportunities for everyone. Acknowledge and honor multiple religious and cultural practices. This policy sets out Monitor’s approach to equality and diversity. Race. Employees drive a company’s culture. 5. 2. Race 6. Promoting inclusiveness and diversity within your workplace is one of the best ways to foster an open-minded, global company culture. Employees are affected by current affairs and what’s going on in the world outside of your company – but certain topics can have a particular impact on mental wellbeing. It's very important to remember that, as a business owner or manager, you may be held responsible for any discriminatory action by your employees if you cannot show that you took such stepsas are reasonably practicable to try and prevent such action occurring. Marriage and Civil Partnership 5. Everyone in the company should feel that they are in a safe place. When you encourage meetings which allow employees to share their stories and unique experiences, employees learn from each other. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Carve out time to hold important conversations between employees in the company. Take the time to closely look at your job descriptions. Some of the advantages of creating a diverse workplace include: There are many approaches an organisation can take including: Training in Equality and Diversity needs to engage those attending, research has shown that it is most effective when it is based on real life scenarios. Our approach is to offer courses which are highly interactive, supportive and participative, focusing on practical issues encountered in the workplace. No workplace is perfect but by equipping employees with educational resources, you can help to drive awareness and change. Religion and belief. Monitor is committed to promoting equality and diversity and promoting a culture that actively values difference and recognises that people from different backgrounds and experiences can bring valuable insights to the workplace and enhance the way we work. A selection of resources designed with the role of the manager in mind. More specifically, equality is about ensuring individuals are treated fairly and equally, no matter their race, gender, age, disability, religion or sexual orientation. To progress diversity, organisations should take a systemic approach, including developing an inclusive culture, inclusive approaches to employment policies and practices, to personal behaviours, and by managing equality and diversity issues in ways that also support business contexts. Diversity and inclusion champion. For example, because of a person’s sex, age or race. The workplace is forever changing. Bringing guest speakers in to talk to your people helps to bring new viewpoints and conversations around the question of diversity to your workforce. The group should be diverse in nature and be made up of volunteers. You want your company to be perceived in a positive way. Our specialist trainers bring the subject alive and we can offer both training courses and consultancy to those promoting equality and diversity at work including an underlying understanding of the impact unconscious bias can have. Equality in the workplace means equal job opportunities and fairness for employees and job applicants. Introduce a policy for honoring a … When you support causes that matter to your employees, they will feel more valued and connected to the company. Employees should also feel safe in the knowledge that they will never face retaliation for a complaint or raising a concern. Employers, managers and employees should all understand the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion in all areas of work, including: 1. recruiting new staff 2. training and promoting existing staff 3. equal pay 4. religious beliefs and practice 5. dress code 6. unacceptable behaviour 7. the dismissal of staff 8. redundancy 9. different types of leave for parents 10. flexible working With the number of working women rising steadily for decades and the average age of the workforce increasing (BBC News 2008), it is more diverse than ever. It also makes your business more relatable to different audiences. It can also help to know where your employer stands in regards to external issues or if they are taking any action in response, so be sure to speak out. It’s important that employees feel able to uncover any biases in a safe environment, without harming others, and get the guidance and resources to tackle these. We provide in company training courses to private and public sector organisations throughout the UK. In October 2010, the Equality Act 2010 replaced and simplified over 100 pieces of anti-discrimination legislation and also enhanced workers’ rights. Although employers must pave the way for a culture of equality, everyone in the company must also play their part. Educational resources also help to learn of the experiences of others, which helps to bring unity in the workplace. Employee surveys should be used to assess and understand the blockers to progression. Acknowledge Differences. One of the key aspects of achieving any goal is measuring it. This helps to make employees aware of issues they may not have recognised as discrimination before. One of the main ways of doing this is to have equality and diversity policies of the kinds noted above, backed up by an action plan to promote the policies and ensure that they are understood and followed across the business. Potential candidates now have access to a wealth of information about your company before they even consider applying to a role, the same goes for customers before they make a purchase. We have a wide range of handy hints and tips for managing stress, developing resilience. Under the Equality Act 2010, this allows employers to favour an individual with an under-represented protected characteristic among candidates who are equally capable of taking a particular vacancy. 9. UK legislation sets minimum standards for equality within the workplace, but an effective equality and diversity strategy goes beyond legal compliance and seeks to add value to an organisation, contributing to employee wellbeing and boosting staff morale. A strong brand helps you to attract staff, sell your products/services and build customer loyalty. When you focus more on the output rather than a fixed style of working, it offers room for your diverse workforce to thrive and excel. This also helps to bring people together. In order to promote equality and diversity in your health or social care setting, everyone on your team needs to be fully understanding of the relevant legislation, principles and practices. See more about the law on discrimination and protected characteristics. Encourage equality and diversity in the workplace Monitor all policies and procedures for their equality impact Create a working environment free from bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination, promoting dignity and respect for all, and where individual differences and the contributions of all staff are recognised and valued Not only will this inclusive culture create loyal employees with lower turnover rates, by creating this kind of culture, you become an attractive employer to a wider range of employees too. Not only should HR provide a space for any employees to feel impacted or concerned, HR teams also need to be there to provide guidance for those who feel that they need help to examine any biases they may hold. The committee should meet regularly to discuss ideas to increase diversity and promote equitable hiring in your organization. Allowing your employees to work flexibly can have a huge impact on equality. This means that people from all over the world can be your audience. Set definite goals, and develop strategies to meet the goals. Working towards equality means making sure you have an inclusive and safe work environment, provide equal opportunities, equal pay and above all – accept and celebrate everyone for their differences. Promoting equality and diversity in the workplace means that companies can gain a more flexible and adaptive corporate culture by accessing a broader variety of worldviews and problem-solving styles. A culture which treats its people like equals is one that warnants loyalty. Register now. Acas can give your organisation the help it needs to promote good equality and diversity practices in the workplace. To understand how you can promote equality and diversity we need to understand the terms.. Your language and wording is important – your company may be unintentionally wording descriptions in a way that positions certain roles towards a certain demographic, making others feel excluded. Any actions taken by leaders should uphold and display these cultures and values too. In a workplace which focuses on equality, people feel valued and appreciated for their contributions and also feel that they will be listened to if they ever have an issue or idea to raise. By being more educated, employees will be more able to find ways they could work to improve their language or actions. Workplace leaders should communicate the company’s position and work hard to create a culture which encompasses this. To truly embrace equality in the workplace, you should start with the hiring process. Home > Blog > Promoting Equality and Diversity at Work. Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. You must not treat people unfairly because of reasons protected by discrimination law (‘protected characteristics’). Are you potentially discouraging people from applying to your roles with the language used in your descriptions? This means that a strong brand reputation of equality and fairness is vital to long lasting success. It outlaws sexism, racism, ageism and other forms of discrimination in the workplace and promotes equality and diversity.It sets out a number of so-called “protected characteristics”. When it comes to diversity, inclusion and creating equality, it can help to take a close look at different elements of your workplace, rather than looking at it as a whole. 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Equality and diversity can be defined as “promoting equality of opportunity for all, through diversity, giving each individual the chance to achieve their potential, free from prejudice and discrimination.”. Another positive is that diverse workforces are perceived … Each individual person comes with the visible and non-visible differences and through respecting the dissimilarities would make each of them feel valued for their efforts which is valuable not only for the individual but fo… Gender Reassignment 4. At the end of the day, the candidate’s name is not important for evaluating the CV, so taking this away ensures that managers are simply looking at credentials rather than taking anything else into account. They should feel like their voices are heard and respected. It is also important to look at how employers can promote further equality and diversity in the workplace. Regularly communicate and promote equality and diversity to employees Distribute and provide access to educational resources to promote learning The role of employees: Act in a way that never discriminates against any of their colleagues due to any protected characteristics The most basic description of equality in the workplace is a lack of discrimination. Thus, to create a culture … By letting your employees know that you are working to boost equality – including initiatives such as releasing gender pay gap reports or female leadership training schemes – it helps to keep employees engaged and shows them that the company is fighting for equality. Gender reassignment. Everyone should be treated fairly in all day-to-day activities and work … “Very enjoyable, trainer made it interesting, I feel I’ve learnt a great deal.”, “I have a fuller understanding of how it plays out in society and its impact in the workplace.”, Ask for further details about our Equality & Diversity Training & Consultancy here. Diversity is generally defined as acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing, and celebrating differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistance status (Esty, et al., 1995). Discrimination in the workplace can be shown in many forms. Join our latest webinar to hear experts discuss what the pivotal HR movements will be in 2021 and how people leaders can make this year a success. Marriage and civil partnership. This act brings together and replaces numerous anti-discrimination laws passed since 1970, covering equal pay, gender, sexual orientation, race, and much more. With employees from different backgrounds, nationalities and who speak different languages, you can take your business to new places and competently serve different customers. Holding sessions and meetings which display the company’s stance on equality helps to make this a core element of your company culture. All employees within the company should know that if they have an issue, they are able to go to a HR team member and air any concerns, discuss any problems or ask any questions that they might have, without judgement. Disability 3. The Terms What is equality? Our training courses create an environment where personal resilience is enhanced and well-being is protected, enabling people to respond effectively to challenges and perform at their best. Their life in a positive way the blockers to progression in your.. 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