promoting equal opportunities and diversity: a toolkit for

Promoting equal opportunities and diversity:A toolkit for the communications sector

September 2008

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1

PART A GettingStarted9 1 Layingthefoundationsforequalityanddiversity

9 1.1 Yourownvisionforequalityanddiversity

9 1.2 Buildingabusinesscase

10 1.3 Involvementandaccountability

10 1.3.1 Someonetochampionthecause

11 1.3.2 Diversityleaders

11 1.3.3 ThebackingoftheBoard

PART B Employees13 2 Recruitmentandselection

13 2.1 Howyoudescribejobsandpeople

14 2.2 Whereandhowtolook

15 2.3 Usingrecruitmentagencies

15 2.4 AcceptingCVsintherecruitmentprocess

15 2.5 Recruitmentandselectiontraining

16 2.6 Shortlistingandinterviewing

17 2.7 Personalcontacts:theeffectonequalopportunities

17 2.8 Targetedrecruitmentand‘positiveaction’

19 3 Retainingtalent

19 3.1 Providingsupportandaninclusiveworkingenvironment

19 3.2 Flexibleworking

20 3.3 Preventingbullyingandharassment

20 3.4 Faithatwork

21 3.5 Maximisingpotential

22 3.6 Termsandconditions

PART C ExternalStakeholders25 4 Customerdiversity

26 5 Workingwithindustryandotherbodies

27 6 Supplierdiversityandthird-partycontracts

28 7 CorporateSocialResponsibilityandthecommunity

28 7.1 Workingwithcommunitygroups

29 7.2 Workingwithcollegesanduniversities

29 8 Promotingequalopportunities

3 ForewordbyDavidCurrie

4 Introduction

2

PART D TrackingProgress31 9 Monitoringequalopportunitiesanddiversity

31 9.1 Gatheringmonitoringdata

32 9.2 Applicationforms

32 9.3 Monitoringtheequalopportunitiesclimateandculture

32 9.4 Collectingdataforreporting

33 9.5 Exitinterviews

33 9.6 Communicatingprogressandimpact

34 10 Evaluation

APPENDICES 35 Glossaryoftermsandlistofabbreviations

37 Appendix1 EqualityLegislationandRegulations

38 Appendix2 AccesstoWork

40 Appendix3 Templatesforshortlistingandinterviewing

41 3A ShortlistingRecordSheet

43 3B InteviewAssessmentForm

45 3C SelectedCandidateForm

47 3D SummaryRecordofUnsuccessfulCandidates

49 Appendix4 TheDisabilitySymbol

50 Appendix5 Exitinterviews

51 Appendix6 Equalopportunities:performanceindicators

52 Appendix7 Sourcesoffurtherinformation

54 REFERENCES

As a society we are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for all our citizens, and this is reflected increasingly in law. Ofcom, like all public bodies, is tasked through legislation with promoting equality of opportunity both within our organisation and in the industries we regulate. Setting out in policy terms how equality can be improved is the easy part; delivering on those policies challenges all organisations, and particularly smaller companies whose resources are often limited. All communications companies, however small or large, are obliged to meet a range of equal opportunities legal requirements. Increasingly, communications companies and others beyond the sector are also realising business benefits from improving equal opportunities and increasing the diversity of their workforce. For this reason, we decided to put together this diversity toolkit to help all communications companies learn from the experiences of others. This is not a set of rules, but rather examples of policies, procedures and templates that can be easily adapted to different circumstances and help you meet your legal obligations and work towards best practice in this area. We hope this will prove a useful toolkit for all communications companies and contribute to creating a more inclusive and diverse industry.

David Currie Chairman

FOREWORD

4

Everyoneinoursocietyshouldhaveanequalchance

tobenefitfromtrainingandworkopportunities.

AtOfcom,wearecommittedtopromotingequal

opportunitiesanddiversitywithinourown

organisationandhelpingtheindustriesweregulate

todothesame.

UndertheCommunicationsAct2003,Ofcom

hasadutytopromotetheimportanceofequal

opportunitiestoallradioandtelevisionbroadcasters.

Asourindustryconverges,wewanttopromotebest

practiceacrossthebroadercommunicationssector.

That’sthereasonforthis‘toolkit’.Wewantto

promoteequalopportunitiesanddiversitybyhelping

you,thecommunicationssector,toputgoodsystems

inplace.Wehopeyou’llfindthatit’sausefulsource

ofeffectivemethods,andthatitsuggestsarangeof

activitiesforyoutouseoradapt.

Whatdowemeanby‘equalopportunities’and‘diversity’?

Whetheranemployerofafeworofthousands,all

communicationsbusinessesareobligedtomeetthe

requirementsofequalitylegislation2.Thelegislation

prohibitsdiscrimination,harassmentandvictimisation

ofemployeesandothersonthegroundsof:

•Race;

•Gender;

•Genderidentity;

•Sexualorientation;

•Religionorbelief;

•Disability;or

•Age.

Thisappliestohowyourecruit,trainandpromote

individualsandtotheirtermsandconditionsof

employment.Theseareasshouldberegularly

reviewedtoensurethattheiroperationandscopeare

freefromunlawfuldiscrimination.Yourprocedures

mustmakesurethateveryjobapplicant,and

employee,istreatedasanindividual.Thismaymean

treatingpeopledifferently,forexamplebymaking

areasonableadjustment,inordertoensurethat

theyaretreatedfairly.Insomeareas,thismayneed

positiveactionfromyou–forexample,withtargeted

training–tohelppeoplewhoareunder-represented

inyourorganisationorinaspecificjob.Trainingcan

alsoequipemployeeswiththeskillstheyneedto

competeequallyforjobs.

Itisalsoimportanttonotethatshouldoneofyouremployeescommitanactofdiscriminationorharassmentinthecourseoftheiremploymentwithyou,boththeemployerandtheemployeearelegallyliable,unlesstheemployercanshowtheytook‘reasonablesteps’topreventit.Implementingacomprehensiveequalitypolicy,strategyandactionplancanhelptodemonstrateyourcommitment,asanemployer,toavoidingdiscriminationandharassment.

Anypolicyshouldapplytoallstaff(includingpermanentandtemporaryworkers)aswellastoanyotherindividualswhoarenotemployedbythecompanybutwhocarryoutworkat,orprovideservicesto,thecompany.Thestaffshouldabidebytheprinciplesofnon-discriminationsetoutinthepolicyinrespectoftheircurrentandformercolleagues,visitors,clients,customersand/orsupplierstothecompany.

Formoreinformationonhowequalitylegislationaffectsyourbusiness,seetheEqualityandHumanRightsCommissionwebsite:www.equalityhumanrights.com.

INTRODUCTION

5

Somebusinesseswithinthecommunicationssector

arealsoaffectedbylegislationthatmakesitunlawful

todiscriminateintheprovisionofgoods,facilities

orservicestothepubliconthegroundsofsex,race,

disability,gender,sexualorientation,age,sex,religion

orbelief.Discriminationinprovidingservicesmeans:

•refusingtoprovideaservice;

•providingalowerstandardofservice;or

•offeringaserviceondifferenttermsthan

youwouldtootherpeople.

Thislegislationaffectsbusinessesthatprovidegoods

orservicesdirectlytomembersofthepublic.Itdoes

notaffectthosethatsupplygoods,facilitiesorservices

tootherbusinesses.However,itisimportantto

recognisethatbothpublicandprivateorganisations

areincreasinglylookingtoworkwithsuppliers

thatcandemonstrateacommitmenttoequal

opportunities.Forexample,publicsectorprocurement

generallyasksforinformationaboutthecompany’s

equalopportunitiespolicy.Therearesignsthatthis

requirementmightbeextendedinthefuture.The

EqualityBill,plannedforthe2008/2009Parliamentary

session,aimstointroducean‘EqualityDuty’tothe

publicsectorwhichwillrequireorganisationsto

tacklediscriminationandpromoteequalitythrough

theirpurchasingfunctions3.Therearealsoexamples

ofprivatesectorfirmsbuildingrequirementsto

demonstrateacommitmenttoequalopportunities

anddiversityintotheirprocurementprocessandinto

theirservicecontracts.Forexample,TycoandDuPont

havetakenthisstepwiththeirappointedlawfirms.

Diversityreferstothedifferencesandsimilaritiesthat

existamonganorganisation’sworkforce,potential

employees,customersandotherstakeholders.

Itincludes-butisnotlimitedto-thelegallydefined

groups:race;gender;genderidentity;sexual

orientation;religionandbelief;disabilityandage.

Diversityreferstoanorganisation’sabilitytomeet

itslegalobligationsinensuringequalopportunities

formembersofeachofthesegroupsandtomove

beyondthistowardsbestpractice.

Bestpracticerequiresanorganisationtounderstand

andvaluethecomplexityofdiversity–thatfew

individualscanbedefinedasbelongingtoasingle

groupandthatnotallindividualsbelongingto

agrouphavethesameneedsoraspirations.

Thebestpracticediversityorganisationvalues

highperformanceandoutputsandencouragesall

employeestoreachtheirfullpotential–regardless

ofidentity.Itconstantlyworkstoovercomesubtle

biases,prejudicesandassumptions.Itpositions

diversityasabusinesspriorityandunderstands

howdiversitybestpracticecansupportitsoverall

businessobjectivesandwhatpoorperformance

ondiversitycancosttheorganisation.

Thescopeofthistoolkit

Thistoolkitisnotintendedtobeasetofrules.

Rather,it’stohelpyoutakeeffectiveaction

andmakefastprogressbylearningfromthe

experiencesofothers.

Theactivitiesinthistoolkitaren’tcompulsory.

Buttheywillhelpyoutoavoiddiscrimination,ensure

equalopportunitiesandbuildonthebenefitsof

diversity.Stepssuchashavinganequalopportunities

statementandsupportingpolicies,andmonitoring

andrecordingthegender,ethnicity,disabilities,

age,religionorbelief,andsexualorientationofyour

staff,areimportantinshowingyourcommitment

toequalopportunitiesandareastarttomaking

suitablearrangementstopromotethem.

Throughoutthistoolkitwe’veprovidedpractical

suggestionsforactionandlinkstootheruseful

sourcestohelpgetyoustartedortoextendyour

goodpractice.

6

Equalopportunitiesanddiversityaregoodforbusiness

Anyindustrywillbenefitfromofferingequal

opportunitiesanddevelopingadiverseworkforce,

butthecommunicationssectorhas,potentially,more

togainthanothers.Inarapidlychanging,highly

competitiveenvironment,beingagileanddrawing

ontalentfromthewidestpossiblepoolcanhelp

providetheadvantagesneededtomeetthediverse

needsofcustomers.Indeed,thediversityofindividual

andbusinesscustomersandoftheUKtalentpool

isgrowing:

Customerdiversity

•45%oftheethnicminoritypopulationareunder25,

comparedtoathirdoftheWhitepopulation;and

theyhaveafaster-growingrateofspending5.

•10%ofbusinessstart-upsintheUKarefromethnic

minoritygroups6

•BlackMinorityEthnic-ownedbusinessesinLondon

employed560,000people,generatingacombined

salesturnoverof£90bn,in20047

•26%ofallbusinessesareownedbywomen8

•4in10gaypeopleinvestheavilyintechnology,

comparedwith25%ofheterosexualpeople9

•In2007,gaypeoplespent£70bnintheUK10

•Thereareover9.7milliondisabledadultsintheUK

withaspendingpowerestimatedat£45–£50bn11

•95%ofBlackAfricanadultsand90%ofIndian

adultsintheUKusemobilephones,compared

with85%ofallUKadults12

•74%ofIndianand72%ofPakistaniadultshave

homeinternetaccess,comparedto62%ofall

UKadults13

Workforcediversity

•By2030,8%oftheworkforcewillbefroman

ethnicminority12

•1milliondisabledpeopleonincapacitybenefit

saytheywanttowork16

•By2050,two-fifthsofthepopulationwillbeover

50;morepeoplewillhavecaringresponsibilitiesfor

olderrelativesandmaychooseflexibleworkingto

makethispossible17

•Retiringbabyboomersarepredictedtorestructure

theirwork,phasingitoutovertimeratherthan

retiringcompletely18

•The‘Millennials,or‘GenerationY’,accountfor11%

oftheEuropeanworkforceandwanttohavearange

ofexperiencesbeforecommittingtofull-timework.

Menandwomenwanttobeabletotaketimeoutof

theircareersatvariouspointsintheirliveswithout

damagingtheircareers19

•Oneineightfathersofchildrenunder6yearsold

hasmadeaformalrequestinthepasttwoyears20

toworkflexibly.

•13%ofcurrentUKuniversityfirst-year

undergraduateshaveadisability,and24%

arefromanethnicminoritybackground21.

Agrowingnumberoforganisations,bothwithin

andoutsidethecommunicationsindustries,are

talkingaboutthebenefitstheyhaverealised

frominvestinginequalopportunitiesanddiversity.

Thesebenefitsinclude:

7

•makingiteasiertofindnewtalent;

•increasingemployeesatisfaction,makingiteasier

toretainexistingtalentandimproveproductivity;

•generatingnewopportunitiesforcreativityand

innovationfromabroadermixofpeople;

•developingastronger,morepositive

corporateidentity;

•improvingunderstandingofhowdiversecustomers

think,whatdrivestheirspendinghabits,andhow

toaccessmarketstheyhavepreviouslybeenunable

toeffectivelytapinto;and

•buildingapositivereputationasasocially

responsiblebusiness.

‘Equal opportunities’ and ‘diversity’ may mean different things to different people. It is therefore important that you define what it means for your organisation. It can set the standard to judge how well your company is doing. So put it in writing and publicise it to everyone who’s part of your business.

9SECTION 1 Laying the foundations for equality and diversityPartA:GettingStarted…

PartA:GettingStarted…

SECTION 1

Laying the foundations for equality and diversity

1.1Yourownvisionforequalityanddiversity

Awrittenequalopportunitiesstatementshouldset

outyourorganisation’sequalopportunityobjectives

andthepoliciesandactionsthatyouwilldevelopto

meetthemandtocreateaculturethatencourages

andvalueseveryone’sdifferences.Youmaybeable

togetsomeusefulequalopportunitiesdefinitions

fromothercompanieswithinyourindustryorsector.

Creatingavision,communicatingwhatyour

organisationwillbelikeonceithasachievedits

equalityanddiversityobjectives,andthebenefits

itwillexperienceareimportantpartsofthechange

process.Achievingsomeequalityanddiversity

objectivescanbelengthy.Itisimportantthat

everyoneinyourorganisationmaintainsasense

ofpurposeduringthisjourney.Involvingemployees

atalllevelsinbuildingasharedvisioncanbea

strongmotivatingexerciseandhelpstoensurethat

everyoneunderstandsthekeyequalityanddiversity

challengesfacingyourorganisation.

1.2 Buildingabusinesscase

Identifyingwhyequalopportunitiesanddiversity

isimportanttoyourorganisation,andhowitcan

helpachieveyourcorestrategicobjectives,helpsto

positionitasamainstreampolicyanddevelopment

issueratherthanasan‘optionalextra’.

TheIntroductionsectionprovidedsomeinformation

onchangingdemographicsinthelabourand

customermarketsandexamplesofthebenefitsthat

canaccruefromequalopportunitiesanddiversity

action.Thisinformationmighthelpyoudetermine

yourbusinesscase.Thebestbusinesscasesare

customisedandmovewiththechangingcontextof

theorganisation.Thereforeitisimportantthatyou

considerwhatarethecurrentkeyissuesfacingyour

companyandhowequalopportunitiesanddiversity

mighthelptoaddressthem.Forexample,oneUK

companyneedstoovercomeaskillsshortageto

achieveitsgrowthobjective.Thecompanyisusing

itsdiversityprogrammetohelpattracttalentfroma

muchwiderpoolthanithastraditionallydrawnfrom.

AnotherUKcompanyisusingitsdiversityprogramme

tohelptargetfemalecustomersasawaytoincrease

revenueandmarketshare.

10 SECTION 1 Laying the foundations for equality and diversityPart A: Getting Started…

For your business case to be effective, it is important

that you assess its contribution to your business

over time. So don’t just argue that it’s important, set

some indicators by which you can demonstrate its

importance. These indicators might be qualitative

and/or quantitative.

Useful sources:

• Talent not Tokenism: the business

benefit to workforce diversity:

www.equalityhumanrights.com

• Customising the business case for diversity:

www.cipd.co.uk (go to tools section)

• Business case for diversity and equality:

www.equalities.gov.uk/research/bus_case_div.pdf

• The business case for diversity: good practices in

the workplace: ec.europa.eu/employment_social/

fundamental_rights/pdf/events/busicase_en.pdf -

• Managing Diversity, Measuring Success:

www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/dvsequl/general/_

mngdivmscs.htm

1.3 Involvement and accountability

To achieve real progress with equal opportunities

and diversity, it is important that everyone in your

organisation understands their role in the change

process. This might involve their responsibilities in

how they behave with colleagues and/or customers.

For line managers, it might involve considering

equality and diversity issues when recruiting or

promoting. For senior managers it might involve

considering the equality and diversity implications

and/or opportunities of their key business and

policy decisions.

Different departments/functions within an

organisation may have specific issues to consider.

For example, consider the impact of the images and

language used in internal and external publications

and how they reflect the organisation’s commitment

to diversity. Procurement might consider how to

ensure equality for minority-owned businesses in the

tendering process and how to be certain that suppliers

match the organisation’s own commitment to equal

opportunities. IT should consider the accessibility of

your systems, internet and website(s).

In building involvement it is important to ensure that

first, everyone understands their role and second, they

have the knowledge and support they require to fulfil

this role. To make sure that involvement is embedded,

some organisations now include ‘contribution

to equal opportunities and diversity goals’ in the

personal performance assessment process.

Useful sources:

• Line managers and diversity: making it real,

Opportunity Now

• Line manager guide, Employers’ Forum

on Disability

1.3.1 Someone to champion the cause

Many companies have a senior executive who is given

the job of championing equal opportunities within the

business. This is a good thing; he or she can make sure

that the issues are aired at a senior level. It also shows

that a company is genuinely concerned about creating

a culture based on equality, and employing a wide

range of people.

Even better, make sure your champion has an ally

at Board level who can press equality issues to the

directors of the company. However, remember that

if he or she leaves the company, these issues run the

risk of being put to one side.

Practical activities:

• Think about the possible benefits of having someone

senior to champion equality in your company;

• Set up a diversity group that touches every part of

your organisation, chaired by a senior executive;

• Sign up a Board director to get the issues aired at

Board level – or, better still, get two directors in

case one leaves;

11SECTION 1 Laying the foundations for equality and diversityPartA:GettingStarted…

• Thinkaboutstrengtheningyourapproachby

forminganequalitygroup,drawnfromalllevels

ofthecompany,toactasacommunication

channelbetweentheBoardandthestaff;

• Considersettingupanadvisorygroup,which

couldincludeexternalstakeholders.

1.3.2 Diversityleaders

Forequalityanddiversitytobecomeembeddedinthe

daytodayrunningofyourcompany,youneedleaders

whounderstandthechallengesandopportunities

itbringstoyourbusiness.Putsimply,theyshouldbe

abletoapplytheirleadershipskillstomeetingequality

anddiversityobjectivesandtodrawingbenefitsfrom

diversity,justastheywouldtoanyotherbusinessissue.


•Offerequalityanddiversitytrainingtoyour

currentleaders;

• Buildequalityanddiversityintoyourtraining

forfutureleaders;

• Addequalityanddiversityobjectivestothe

keyindicatorsyouusetomeasureyourleaders’

contributiontothebusiness.

1.3.3ThebackingoftheBoard

Althoughit’simportanttoshoweveryonethatyour

Boardisseriousaboutequalopportunities,words

mustbebackedupwithactions.Turningagood

policyintoaneverydayhabitdependsonactive

supportfromthedirectorsineverythingthe

companydoes.

Yourcompanyshouldbeabletoshowhowequal

opportunitiesanddiversitylieattheheartofitsplans

forthefuture.Thedirectorsshouldalsoinsiston

regularprogressreports,withgenuinestatisticsthat

showhowtheworkforceischangingandthatpeople

fromunder-representedgroupsareholdingjobsat

alllevels.

Equalopportunitiesanddiversityshouldbeevery

seniorexecutive’schallenge,withindividualdirectors,

andtheBoardasawhole,leadingbyexample.


• PutsomeideasinfrontoftheBoardfor

theirsupport;

• Runaseriesofmasterclassesorprovidecoaching

totheBoardtoensuretheyunderstandthe

equalityanddiversityissuesaffectingtheir

business;

• Commissionadiversityaudit,ifyouhaven’t

donesoalready;

• Carryoutananalysisofemployees’skillsby

differentidentitygroups;

• EncouragetheBoardtosupportwork

shadowing-schemesortoparticipate

inmentoringprogrammes.

Your approach to recruitment can have a big effect on your success in attracting and keeping people who traditionally miss out.

13SECTION 2 Recruitment and selectionPartB:Employees…

PartB:Employees…

SECTION 2

Recruitment and selection

2.1Howyoudescribejobsandpeople

Ajobdescriptionshouldpaintaclearpictureofthe

rolethatneedstobefilled,itsmaindemandsand

whatyouexpectfromacandidate.However,the

pressuretofillavacancyquicklycanleadtorunning

tiredoldadvertisements,oftenwithjobrequirements

thathavelongsincechanged.

Updatingjobdescriptionsgivesyouthechance

tothinkagainaboutwhatskills,knowledgeand

experienceyouactuallyneed.Thisinturncouldlead

youtoareviewofhowthejobcanbedoneand,

perhaps,encourageyoutowidenthenettoinclude

potentialapplicantswithdifferentqualities.

Makesureyourjobdescriptionsconcentrateon

theoutputsrequiredfromthepersonratherthan

theprocessforachievingthem,assomepeople,

particularlythosewithadisability,maydothings

differently.Forexample,askfortheabilitytoproduce

accuratewordprocessedreportsquicklyratherthan

theabilitytotouchtypeat80wpm.Thiswillmean

thatsomeonewhousesvoicerecognitionsoftware

becausetheyhavearthritisisnotdiscouragedfrom

applyingforthepost.

Somedisabledpeople,ethnicminoritiesandwomen

oftenmissoutonrolesbecauseoftheiruntypical

educationorcareerexperience.Thisisn’tsurprising;

inthepast,manyrecruitershavehadfixedideas

onthe‘right’backgroundforparticularjobs.You

shouldstrivetolookbeyondthisandfocusonskills

andabilities.

Ifemployeesarerequiredtowearauniformorfollow

adresscode,considerhowthismightimpacton

peoplefromdifferentreligionsandhowtheirneeds

canbeaccommodated.

Yourcandidatespecificationsshouldbewrittendown.

Theyshouldoutlinetheskills,knowledge,abilities,

qualifications,experienceandqualitiesthatare

necessaryanddesirableforapersontobeabletodo

thejobwell.Don’tuseanexistingorpastpostholder

asamodelforthis.Onlyuseagerestrictionsifthejob

specificallydemandsthis.Forexample,adriverwill

havetobeoldenoughtoholdalicence.Steerclear

ofwordslike‘young’,‘youthful’,‘old’,‘mature’,etc

todescribethepersonyouarelookingfor.Instead

usewordslike‘enthusiastic’,‘drive’or‘responsible’,

forexample.Onlyaskforaperiodofexperience

ifyoucanjustifywhythisisnecessary.Forexample,

askingforeightyearsofexperiencemightindirectly

discriminateagainstsomewomen,disabledpeople

andpeopleofdifferentages–andyoumightmissout

onthebestpersonforthejob.Concentrateinsteadon

theskills,knowledgeandabilitiesyouneed.

Usethejobdescriptionstohelpyoudecideonwhatis

neededforeachtask.Bybeingclearinyourownmind

aboutthetypeofpersonyouneedforthisrole,you

willfinditeasiertodrafttheadvertisement,carryout

14 SECTION 2 Recruitment and selectionPartB:Employees…

theshortlisting,decideontheinterviewquestions

andultimatelydeterminewhichisthebestcandidate.

Aconsistent,fair,openandsystematicprocedurewill

helptopreventdiscriminatorypracticesanddecisions

creepingintotherecruitmentprocess.Itcanalso

protectyouandyourorganisationagainstclaimsof

discriminationifyouareabletodemonstrateanopen,

fairandconsistentlyappliedsetofcriteriathroughout

therecruitmentandselectionprocess.

Byregularlyreviewingjobdescriptions,andfocusing

onthequalitiesthatyou’rereallylookingfor,you

canhelptobreakdownprejudicesandstereotyping.


•Ifyoudon’thavethemalready,introducejob

descriptionsandwrittencandidatespecifications;

•Takeafreshlookateachjoband,if

needed,updateyourjobdescription

andcandidatespecifications;

•Makesureyouradvertisementsstill

reflecttherole;

•Makeapplicationformsavailable

inaccessibleformats;

•Ensureweb-basedrecruitmentisaccessible

todisabledpeople;

•Drawontheexperienceofstaffmembers

fromunder-representedgroups;

•Joinbodiesthatsetstandardsonrace,gender,

sexualorientation,genderidentity,age,religion

andbelief,anddisability;and

•Investigatewhatyou’llneedinordertoregister

forInvestorsinPeople(IIP)accreditation.

2.2Whereandhowtolook

Makingsurethatallpotentialcandidatesareawareof

employmentopportunitieswithinyourorganisation

andaremadetofeelthattheycanreachtheirfull

potentialthereisessentialinattractingthebesttalent

fromthewidestpool.Choosethelanguageand

imagesforyouradvertisementscarefully.Ensure

theyaccuratelyreflectthepersonspecification

andjobdescriptionandarewelcomingtoall

potentialcandidates.

Toattractunder-representedapplicantsyoumightfind

itusefultoexplorelesstried-and-testedsources,such

asnetworks,clubsandassociations,andadvertising

inmediaandpublicationsaimedatspecificgroups

andcommunities.

However,don’texpectasuddensurgeofapplications

justbecauseyou’veinvitedthem.Peoplearemuch

morelikelytobeinterestedinyourcompanyifthey

seethatyouhaveagenuinecommitmenttoequal

opportunities.Anadvertisementaloneisn’tenough;

yourcommitmentneedstobeshownthroughother

companyactivitiesthattheseunder-represented

groupsseeintheirdailylives.


•Buildrelationshipswithgroupsandorganisations

thatrepresentforexample,disabledpeople,

differentreligiousandbeliefgroups,lesbian,

gayandbisexualpeople,womenworking

intechnology,minorityethnicgroupsetc.;

•Supportandattendeventshostedby

thesegroups;

•Invitetheirrepresentativestoyourown

companyevents;

•Makesureyouradvertisementsstillreflect

therole,andcontainwelcomingandinclusive

languageandimages;

•Participateinrecruitmentfairsandevents-even

ifyouhavenovacancies–andmakesureyour

standsandthepeoplestaffingthemareappealing

topeoplefromdifferentbackgrounds;

•Buildrelationshipswithspecificuniversities,

collegesandschoolstohelpencouragepeople

whoareunder-representedinyourcompany

toconsideracareerinthejobareasyouoffer;

15PartB:Employees… SECTION 2 Recruitment and selection

•Asktheadviceofyourownstafffromunder-

representedgroups;

•Placeadvertisementsinpublications,websites,

pressorradiospecificallyaimedatthepeople

youaretryingtoencourageapplicationsfrom;

•Setupweblinkswithminoritywebsites;

•Offerworkexperienceandshadowing

opportunitiestomembersofunder-represented

groups;and

•Alwayssendvacanciesdirectlytothesegroups.

2.3Usingrecruitmentagencies

Agenciescanbeveryuseful.Theyknowthe

recruitmentmarketand,sincethey’reexpertsin

providingclientswithagoodrangeofapplicants,

itcanbeagooduseoftimeandmoneytogettheir

help.However,unlessyoumakeapointoftelling

them,theymaytendtoputuponlyapplicantswho

havefollowedtraditionalcareerpaths.

Makesurethattherecruitmentagencyisfamiliarwith

yourcompany’scultureandbeliefs–particularlyon

equalopportunitiesanddiversity.Inparticular,ensure

thattheagencywillnotdiscriminateonyourbehalfby

obtainingconfirmationfromthemthattheywillmake

reasonableadjustmentsforcandidates,forexample

byprovidinginformationaboutpostsinalternative

formatssuchasontapeorbyplaintextemail.

2.4AcceptingCVsintherecruitmentprocess

WhenteamsandHumanResourcesdepartmentsare

underpressure,itcanbetemptingtofillvacancies

quicklybyworkingfromCVs.However,CVsonlyreveal

somuch;relyingonthemmeansthatyouwon’t,atthe

earlystage,getthepersonalinformationyouneedto

monitorequalopportunities.

Soifyou’replanningtoworkonlyfromCVs,consider

gatheringthisinformationfromeveryoneyouinviteto

thesecondstageoftheprocess.(Youshouldalsotell

applicantsinadvancethatyou’llbedoingthis,

why,andhowtheinformationwillbeused.)

Evenso,you’regoingtomissoutonimportant

informationfromeveryonewhodoesn’tmakeit

throughthefirststage.That’sdatathatcouldbe

useful;forexample,itwouldshowwhetheryour

advertisingisattractingrepliesfrompeoplewhoare

notwellrepresentedinyourcompany.That’swhy

usingCVsaloneworksagainstbeingabletocheckon

equalopportunities.Wesuggestyouavoidit,unless

youcanfindotherwaystogetaroundthedrawbacks.


•Chooseyourrecruitmentagenciescarefullyand

workwiththeonesthatwillbestsupportyour

equalopportunitiesanddiversitycommitments.

Aspartofyourprocurementprocess,theyshould

beabletotellyou,forexample:

•Whattheirpolicyandpracticesonequal

opportunitiesanddiversityareandwhattraining

theyprovideonthistotheirstaff;

•Howtheyensurethattherecruitmentprocess

isaccessibletocandidateswithadisability;

•Howtheysourcecandidatesfromabroadrange

ofbackgroundsandparticularlyfromgroupsthat

arecurrentlyunder-representedinyourcompany;

•Makeitcleartorecruitmentagenciesthat

youwantapplicationsfromawiderangeof

candidates.Thefactthatyouhaveanequal

opportunitiespolicymaynotbeenough;

•IfCVsarecomingfromarecruitmentagency,ask

themtobackthisupwithseparateinformation

tohelpyourequalopportunitieschecking;and

•considerrequestingaminimumdiversityquota

whenshortlistsarebeingprepared.

2.5Recruitmentandselectiontraining

Ittakestrainingandskilltodrawupagoodshortlistof

candidates,andtointerviewthemproperly.Ifyoucut


cornershere,you’llwasteagreatdealoftimeand,

ofcourse,alotofexpensiveadvertising.

Everyoneinvolvedinrecruitmentandselection

shouldhavearecordofexperienceortraining

inequalopportunities.Thisincludesyourmost

seniorexecutivesand,forthatmatter,experienced

interviewerswhomayhavedevelopedbadhabits.

Refreshertrainingshouldbeprovidedregularly.


•Checkonthelevelofskillsyouhaveinyour

companytorecruitandselectnewpeople;

•Providetrainingorrefreshercoursesforeveryone

involvedintheprocess;

•Considerusingyourintranet,andonlinetools,

torunrefreshercourses;

•Checkthevariousvideoandoff-the-shelfpackages

availableforrefreshertraining;and

•Ideally,insistthateveryonenewtorecruitment

andselectionfirstreceivestraining.

2.6Shortlistingandinterviewing

Youmayneedtochangethewayyoushortlistand

interviewifyouaretogetthebestresults.Regular

reviewsofyourshortlistingprocedurecanhelpto

identifyshortcomingsandleadtobetterresultsby,

forexample,providingsuitablearrangementsfor

applicantswithspecificneeds.

Makesurethatyou(andanyonethatyou’reshort-

listingwith)areagreedontheshortlistingcriteria

andareclearabouttherelativeimportanceofeach

criterion.Theseshouldbebasedontherelevant

criteriaintheadvertisement,whichshouldinturn

bebasedonthejobdescriptionandcandidate

specification.Itcanbeusefultohavealistof’essential’

and’desirable’criteria.Youshouldalsoagreeonhow

youwilldeterminewhetheranapplicanthasmetthe

criteria.Youmayfindthatyoustillhavetoolargea

shortlistattheendofthefirstsiftandneedtocut

itdownfurther.Ifso,thenyoumightdevelopmore

detailedcriteriabasedontheoriginalones.However,

don’tintroducenewandunrelatedcriteria.

Thismayseemobviousbutdon’tuseapplicants’

personaldata,suchastheirage,maritalstatus,

gender,disability,ortheaddressontheirapplication

formorCV,tomakeassumptionsabouttheirability

togettoworkortodothejob.Youshouldalsoavoid

rejectingapplicantssimplybecausetheyappear

tohavegapsintheiremploymenthistory.These

couldbeforanumberofjustifiablereasonswhich

couldincludetheshort-termimpactofadisability,

caringresponsibilitiesorpastdiscrimination.Don’t

makeassumptionsaboutsomeone’sphysicalfitness

basedonageanddon’tassumethatsomeoneistoo

qualifiedorexperiencedforthejoborthatitisnot

wellenoughpaidforthem.Aslongasyouhaveclearly

identifiedthesalaryrangeintheadvertyoushould

trustthereasonsthecandidatehasforapplying.

Itisinyourinteresttoadoptastructuredand

consistentapproachtotheshortlistingprocessandto

recordthereasonsforyourdecisions.Thismayprotect

youagainstsubsequentcomplaintsfromunsuccessful

applicants.Thereareotherrisksinnothavinganopen

andfairshortlistingprocedure,including:

•missingthebestcandidate;

•damagingyourcompany’simageandreputation;

•breakingthelaw;and

•facingclaimsfordiscrimination.

Whenyouinvitesomeonetocomeforaninterview,

askthemiftheyrequireanyreasonableadjustments

andmakesuretheseareputinplace.Remember

thattheAccesstoWorkschemecanpayforthings

suchascommunicationsupportfordisabledpeople

atinterviews,aswellasmanyofthesupportcosts

foradisabledemployee(seeAppendix2).Itisalso

goodpracticetoallowsomeflexibilityaround

interviewtimestoavoidsignificantreligioustimes,

suchasFridayafternoons,orevenings,whichmight

disadvantagepeoplewithcaringresponsibilities.

Iftheinterviewisnottakingplaceinyourworkplace,

itisalsoimportanttoconsidertheaccessibilityand

17SECTION 2 Recruitment and selectionPartB:Employees…

appropriatenessofthelocation.Forexample,being

inproximitytoalcoholmaybeprohibitedforsome

candidatesonthegroundsofreligionorbelief.Ora

noisyenvironmentmightdisadvantageacandidate

withahearingimpairment.

Appendix3providestemplatesforshortlisting

andinterviewing.


•Considerusingaprocessforshortlistingthat

removesanypersonalinformationsuchasage,

gender,nationalityormaritalstatus.

•Onlyuseassessmentmethodsthatfitthejob.

•Makesureyouaskcandidatesatthestartof

theinterviewiftheyrequireanyadjustments

tobemadetotheroom,forexamplethelayout

orlighting.

•Onlyaskquestionsthatarerelatedtothejob

andavoidpersonalquestions,suchasasking

ifsomeoneismarried.

•Donotaskquestionsormakereferencetoa

person’scolour,disability,age,race,national

origin,religion,racialorigin,gender,gender

identityorsexualorientation.Ifadisabled

candidatewantstodiscusstheirimpairments,

doso,butletthemknowthatyouarenot

assessingthemonthis.

•Askthesamequestionsofeachcandidate,but

bepreparedtoprobesothatyougetasmuch

informationfromthepersonaspossible.

•Ifyoualreadyhaveanemployeefromaparticular

minoritygroup,considerincludingthem

(andtrainingthem)intherecruitmentprocess.

•Makeaspecialsectiononyourapplicationform

wherepeoplecanshowskillsandexperience

they’vegainedoutsideofwork.

•Considerjoiningorganisationsandschemes

suchas‘TwoTicks’(seemoreinformationin

Appendix4).

•Provideone-to-onecoachingsupportasan

emergencyrefresherininterviewingskills.

•Lookagainatyourapplicationformstomake

surethatinformationtotrackequalopportunities

canbeseparated.

•Itisbestpracticetohaveaninterviewpanelwith

abalanceofgenderandethnicbackgrounds.

2.7Personalcontacts:theeffectonequalopportunities

The‘whoyouknow’methodoffillingjobsremains

verycommon,particularlyinsmallerorganisations

butalsoinsomelargercompanies,andit’snothard

toseewhy.Usingyourcontactsgivesyouashort

cuttofindinggoodpeople,quickly,andwithout

agencyfeesoradvertising.Theproblemisthatusing

a‘littleblackbook’instantlyexcludesanyonewhois

inexperienced,orwhoisnotalreadyintheindustry.

Thisisaformofdiscrimination,particularlyasunder-

representedgroupstendtobelesslikelytohave

contactsintheindustry.Theresultisthatmanyjobs

arefilledwithoutthesegroupsofpeopleevenhaving

hadthechancetoapply.Thisinturnleadstoavicious

circle,wherepeoplehavelittlepossibilityofajob,and

thereforelittlechanceofexperience,andtherefore

littlechanceofnewopportunities.


•Checkhowmanypermanentandshort-term

jobvacanciesyoufillwithoutaformalinterview

beingheld.

•Usethisinformationtoshapeyourrecruitment

policiesandprocedures.

2.8 Targetedrecruitmentand‘positiveaction’

Anumberoforganisationshavedeliberatelyaimed

theiradvertising,andtaken‘positiveaction’to

increaseopportunitiesforpeoplethatareunder-

representedintheircompanyorinparticularjob

roles.Thelawallowsthis,providedthesecompanies

areofferingthechanceoftraining(ratherthanjobs)


inparticulartypesofwork,topeoplewhowould

otherwisehavelittlechanceofbeinghired.Oncethey

havebeentrained,peoplethenapplyandcompete

forjobsinthenormalway.

Pleasenotethat‘positiveaction’isnotalegal

requirementandthelawonlyallowspositiveaction

inrelationtotraining,togivea‘leg-up’where

particulargroupswouldotherwisebepoorly

represented.Provisionsfor‘positiveaction’existunder

theSexDiscriminationAct,1975,RaceRelationsAct,

1976,DisabilityDiscriminationAct,1995,Employment

Equality(ReligionandBelief)Regulations,2003,

EmploymentEquality(SexualOrientation)Regulations,

2003andEmploymentEquality(Age)Regulations,2006.

Thelawpermitsforcompanieswithanunder-

representationofaparticulargroupatcertainlevels

orinspecificjobrolestoincludeastatementintheir

jobadvertisementsthattheywelcomeapplicantsfrom

thegroupsthatareunder-representedtoencourage

applications.Ithasalsobecome‘goodpractice’to

includeastraplineinadvertisements,suchas‘we are

working towards equal opportunities’tocommunicate

yourcommitmentonthisissue.

Positivediscriminationwithregardtorace,gender,

age,sexualorientation,genderidentityandreligion

andbeliefisillegal.Thisiswhenacompanyoffers

someoneajobmainlybecausetheywanttoincrease

thenumberofstaffforexample,inaparticularethnic

grouporgender.

Conversely,theDisabilityDiscriminationActdoes

notprohibit,butnordoesitrequire,positive

discriminationinfavourofdisabledpeople.Employers

cantreatdisabledpeoplemorefavourablythanthose

whoarenotdisabled.ThisisbecausetheDDAis

asymmetricalinthatitonlyprovidesprotectionfor

disabledpeople;non-disabledpeopleonthewhole

arenotcoveredbytheAct.


•Collectmonitoringdataasearlyintherecruitment

processaspossible;and

•Monitoringdisabilityisparticularlychallenging–

youmaywishtolookattheEmployersForumon

Disability’spublication’MonitoringforChange’.

Useful sources:

•Mindyourlanguage–aguidetogetting

recruitmentright:www.efa.org.uk

•Recruitmentandjobadvertisements:


•TheStonewallLesbianandGayRecruitmentGuide:

www.stonewall.org.uk

•Recruitmentthatworks,Barrier-free

e-recruitment:www.efd.org.uk

19SECTION 3 Retaining talentPartB:Employees…

3.1Providingsupportandaninclusiveworkingenvironment

Bringingintalentedpeoplefromallwalksoflifeis

onlythebeginning.Manyofyourrecruitsmayfind

themselves‘theonlyone’intheirgroup;forexample,

theonlywomaninatypicallymaledepartment,orthe

onlydisabledperson.It’sagoodidea,then,tomake

suretheyhavesomeonetosupportthem.

Diversetalentwillonlythriveinaninclusive

environmentwhichisagreatplacetowork

foreveryone.


• Considerintroducinga‘buddy’systemwhere

peopleareteamedupwithsomeonewhocan

offerthemsupportandadvice.Thiscouldbe

anon-goingpartoftheirinductionprogramme;

•Mentoringisanotherusefulformofsupport

forneworpromotedstaff.Thisshouldwork

alongsideotherprogrammes,andnotreplace

therelationshipwithaperson’slinemanager;

• Considerincludingageneralquestionasking

everyemployeeiftheyneedareasonable

adjustmentatappraisalsandreviewsinorder

tomakeiteasierforthemtodotheirjob;

• Considersettingupdifferentemployeenetworks

e.g.multicultural,faith,disability,lesbian,gay,

bisexualandtransgenderandgendernetworks.

Thesecanbeagreatvehicleforproviding

collegiatecoachingandsupportaswellas

consultingstafffromdifferentgroupsabouttheir

needsandthesuccessfulimplementationofyour

equalopportunitiesanddiversityactions;and

• Introducingequalopportunitiesanddiversity

awarenesstrainingcanhelptoimproveawareness

andunderstandingofthelegalandpractical

contextaroundthisissueandaddressindividual’s

assumptionsandstereotypes.Itcanalso

communicateyourbusinesscasefortakingaction

onthisissue,yourprogressandsuccessesaswell

aswhatinvolvementandsupportthecompany

isaskingfromitsemployees.

Useful sources:

• Settingupnetworksforlesbian,gayandbisexual

employees:www.stonewall.org.uk

•Makinggoodconnections:bestpractice

forwomen’scorporatenetworks:

www.opportunitynow.org.uk

3.2Flexibleworking

“Flexibleworkingcanhelpyourecruitandretain

thebestpeopleforyourorganisation,increase

productivityandlowerabsenteeism”22.Thereisa

growingbodyofevidencethatgreaterflexibilityin

how,whenandwherepeopleareallowedtomeet

theircontractualobligations,togetherwithfamily-

friendlyworkingpracticesisseenasacornerstone

ofattractingandretainingemployeesandimproving

companyperformance23.Manyworkingparents

andcarersofthesickandolderordisabledpeople

havecaringresponsibilitiesthatdonotfitwellwith

standardworkingpatterns.Bothmenandwomen

canbenefitfromaculturethatencouragesflexible

working,andapositiveapproachtoflexibleworking

canbegoodforemployersaswellasemployees.

Flexibleworkingcanhelptoreduceturnoverand

SECTION 3

Retaining talent

20 SECTION 3 Retaining talentPartB:Employees…

absencecosts.Thecostofreplacingstaffcanbeup

to150%oftheirannualsalaryandstress–oftena

majorcauseofabsence–canresultwhenindividuals

struggletobalanceworkandpersonalcommitments24.

Someotherbenefitsinclude:

• Improvedattractionandretentionofstaff;

• Reducedabsenteeism–casualandsickness;

• Attractingthemarketofskilledwomenlooking

toreturntoworkaftermaternityleave;

• Competitiveadvantage;

• Improvedmoraleandcommitment.

Therearemanyformsofflexibleworkingpatternsthat

canbeintroducedintotheworkplacewhichcanhelp

employeestoworkeffectivelyandefficientlyaswellas

manageoutsidecommitments.Inanycase,inaddition

tothebenefitstoyourorganisation,therearealsoa

numberoflegalobligationsonemployersinrespect

offlexibleworkingincluding:

• Consideringflexibleworkingrequestsfrom

employees;

• Avoidingdiscriminationonthegroundsofgender,

disability,religionorbelief;

• Settingthetermsandconditionsofworkfor

non-standardworkers;

• Leavearrangements.

Useful sources:

•www.workingfamilies.org.uk

•www.employersforwork-lifebalance.org.uk

• Flexibleworking:therighttorequestand

thedutytoconsider:www.berr.gov.uk

3.3Preventingbullyingandharassment

Yourcompanyislegallyobligedtoprotectallyour

employeesfrombullyingandharassment.Moreover,

whenanindividualexperiencesbullyingand

harassmentitcanadverselyaffectnotonlytheir

well-beingbutalsotheirperformanceatwork.

Whenbullyingorharassmentislinkedwithanaspect

ofanindividual’sidentity,itishighlypersonalandcan

sometimesbedifficulttoreport.Itisimportantthat

yousetoutaclearpolicyandsystemfortacklingany

bullyingandharassmentandtakeazero-tolerance

approachthatisclearlycommunicatedtoeveryone.


• Developanti-bullyingandharassmentpolicy

andproceduresandensuretheseareclearly

communicatedtoallemployees;

• Providetrainingformanagersandstaffonhow

toovercomeanybullyingandharassment;and

• Ensureeveryoneunderstandswhatisacceptable

andunacceptablebehaviorinyourcompany.

Useful sources:

• Bullying:preventingthebullyingandharassment

ofgayemployees:www.stonewall.org.uk

• Anti-bullyingandharassmentresources:

www.cipd.co.uk

• Bullyingatwork:beyondpoliciestoaculture

ofrespect,OpportunityNow,2005.

3.4Faithatwork

Sincetheextensionofemploymentlawstoreligion

andbeliefin2003,thisissuehasbecomethefocusof

increasingattention.Asanemployerthereareseveral

practicalissuestoconsider,includingforexample,

dresscodesanduniforms,providingprayerspace

andholidayleave.

Providingamulti-faithprayerspaceoraquietroom

isbecomingmorecommoninorganisationsacross

theUK.Indeed,thismaybecomestandardpractice

inthefuturefororganisationsoveracertainsize.

Althoughcompaniesarenotcurrentlyrequiredto

provideaquietorprayerroom,itisgoodpracticeto

dosoifspaceisavailableanditsuseforprayerdoes

notcauseproblemsforotherworkersorthebusiness.

Ifyourcompanyoperatesauniformora‘dresscode’,


it’simportantthatthisdoesn’tdiscriminateagainst

religiousgroups.

Inamulti-faithworkplaceitisimportantforcolleagues

tohaveinformationonthedifferentpractices,

observancesandobligationsoftheircolleagues

tohelppromotemutualunderstandingandrespect.


• Considerhowyoucansupportstaffwhose

religionsmayrequireextendedperiodsoffasting

andensurethatunreasonableextraburdensare

notplaceduponthemduringthesetimes;

• Ifyourcompanyhasadresscode,ensurethatit

accommodatespeoplefromdifferentreligionsas

farasissafeandreasonableanddoesnotconflict

withthedresscode–requiredortraditional–

ofsomereligions;

• Considersettingupanemployeefaithnetwork

tohelpdevelopsupportandinclusionamong

employeeswithdifferentreligiousbeliefsand

non-beliefs–thisisalsoagoodwaytoconsult

staffontheirneeds(remembernoteveryone

fromthesamereligiousgroupwillsharethe

samepractices);

• Usecalendarsofreligiousfestivals,talks,

socialeventsandexhibitionstofostergreater

understandingofdifferentfaiths;and

• Auditpoliciesandpracticestoensuretheydo

notdirectlyorindirectlydiscriminateagainst

particularfaithgroups(e.g.holidayentitlement).

Useful sources:

• Informationonreligiousfestivals–

www.bbc.co.uk/religion/tools/calendar

• Employers’ForumonReligionandBelief–

www.efrb.org.uk

• TheBusinessofFaith–

www.thebusinessoffaith.org

3.5Maximisingpotential

Maximisingemployeepotentialreferstothe

opportunitiesindividualshaveforcareerdevelopment,

trainingandpromotion.Whilepromotionrefers

tomovingverticallyuptheorganisation,career

developmentdoesn’tnecessarilyimplypromotionbut

alsoreferstoopportunitiestobroadenanindividual’s

skillsandexperiencesotheycangrowprofessionally

andpersonally.Investinginyouremployeescanhelp

themfeelmorevalued,increasestaffsatisfaction

andretentionaswellasincreasingtheproductivity

andskillsofyourworkforce.Itcanalsomakeyour

companymoreattractivetopotentialemployees.

Under-representedgroupsintheworkforcecanface

barrierstomaximisingtheirpotential.Forexample,

severalgroupshavebeenfoundtoexperience

barrierstoinformalnetworking,whichisoftenan

importantwayofgainingopportunitiesforcareer

developmentandpromotion.Somelesbianandgay

staffmaybeanxiousaboutthepotentialhomophobic

attitudesofsomeseniorheterosexualcolleaguesor

clients.Networkingcentredaroundpubsoralcohol

canexcludesomepeoplewhosereligiousbeliefs

preventsthemfromparticipating.Womenhave

alsobeenfoundtobelessconfidentinnetworking

andsomeprefermoreformalopportunitiesfor

careerdevelopment.

Itisalsoimportanttoconsidertheimplicationsofthe

locationandtimingoftrainingfordifferentemployee

groups.Forexample,off-sitetrainingrequiring

overnightstaysmaydisadvantageemployeeswith

careresponsibilitiesorcertainreligiousbeliefs.

Itisimportanttoensurethatthetrainingvenuecan

accommodateanyreasonableadjustmentneedsof

participantsaswellastheirdietaryrequirements.

Assumptionsaboutthe‘right’waytogetwork

done,ratherthanfocusingonoutputs,canalso

disadvantagesomeemployeesintheperformance

assessmentprocess.Forexample,home,flexi-,or

part-timeworkersareoftenseenas‘lesscommitted’.

Assumptionsorstereotypesaboutanindividual’s

aspirationscanalsobecareerlimiting:forexample,

thestereotypethatallwomenwillhavechildren

22 SECTION 3 Retaining talentPartB:Employees…

withinacertainagegroupandslowtheircareerdown

orthatpeoplewithadisabilitywillnotseekorbeable

toprogresstomoreseniorroles.Researchalsoshows

thatturnoveramongolderworkerstendstobelower

thanamongyoungerones,whichmeansitisjustas

importantandworthwhiletoinvestintheirtraining

anddevelopment.

Toavoiddirectlyorindirectlydiscriminatingagainstan

employeeandensurethatyourcompany’sapproach

tomaximisingpotentialisappliedtoeveryone,itis

importanttoensurethatopportunitiesandprocesses

areasformalandobjectiveaspossible,andaculture

iscreatedwheredifferenceisunderstoodandvalued.


•Makesurethatopportunitiesfortrainingand

promotionarewidelycommunicatedtoall

staffandareavailabletoeveryoneonafair

andequalbasis;

• Reviewthetraininganddevelopmentneedsof

allyouremployeesonaregularbasisandensure

thatmanagershavetheskillstheyneedtohelp

identifythetrainingneedsofothers;

• Considerprovidingspecificcareerdevelopment

opportunitiessuchastrainingormentoringfor

under-representedgroups;

•Monitorthetrainingparticipationandpromotion

ratesofminoritycomparedwithmajoritygroups

toensurenoindirectdiscriminationisoccurring;

and

• Provideeveryoneinvolvedinappraisaland

promotiondecisionswithtrainingwhich

specificallyincludesadviceonhowtoavoid

bias,assumptionsanddiscrimination.

3.6Termsandconditions

Yourcompanyislegallyobligatedtoensurethat,in

general,youprovidepeopledoingthesamejobwith

thesametermsandconditionsofwork.Thisdoesn’t

justrefertotheirbasicpaybutalsotothefullrange

ofbenefitsyouprovide,suchasbonuspay,pensions,

companyhealthinsurance,etc.

Itisillegaltopaysomeonelessthantheirpeersor

nottoofferthemequivalentbenefitsduetotheirage,

disability,race,sexualorientation,religionorbeliefs.

TheEqualPayAct,1970specificallydealswithequal

paybetweenmenandwomen.

Ifyouemploypart-timeworkersyoumustnottreat

themanylessfavourablyintheirtermsandconditions

thanfull-timeworkers.

Useful sources:

• Pay,benefitsandworkforceconditions:

www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/

forbusinessandorganisation/employers/pages/

paybenefitsandworkplaceconditions.aspx

• EqualPay:

www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/dvsequl/equpay/

PartX:Name SECTION X What24

If your company provides a product, facility or a service directly to members of the public, no matter how large or small you are, you are legally bound to ensure that they are not disadvantaged on the grounds of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation or religion and belief.

25SECTION 4 Customer diversityPartC:ExternalStakeholders…

PartC:ExternalStakeholders…

SECTION 4

Customer diversity

Serviceprovidersareobligedtomake‘reasonable

adjustments’toensurethatdisabledpeoplearenot

preventedfromusingtheirservices.TheCodeof

Practiceonaccesstogoodsandservices,available

ontheEqualityandHumanRightsCommission(EHRC)

website,helpsdisabledpeopleandserviceproviders

understandhowtomakereasonableadjustments.

Thereisalsopotentialforyoutoincreaserevenue

bybetterunderstandingthediversityofyour

customermarkets.Howtheyrespondtoadvertising

andmarketing,whereitismostproductivelyplaced,

whethertheyhavespecificneedsetc.canallhelp

toimprovetargetingandsales.

Therearealsoimplicationsforbusiness-to-business

companies.Publicsectororganisationsnowhave

adutytoensuretheirsupplierssupporttheir

equalopportunitycommitmentsand,increasingly,

privatesectorcompaniesarelookingtoonlywork

withsupplierswithgoodcredentialsonequal

opportunitiesanddiversity.Inasurveyof80large

privateandpublicsectororganisations,70%saidthey

aremovingtowardsensuringthattheirsupplierscan

provehighstandardsofperformanceandpractice

onequalityanddiversity.

Beingabletodemonstrateyourcommitmenttoequal

opportunities,yourfutureplansandtheprogressyou

haveachievedmighthelpyoutowinbusinessaway

fromyourcompetitors.


•Considerevaluatingthepotentialvalueof

differentcustomergroupstoyourbusiness

(e.g.ethnicminority,disabled,gay,lesbian

andbisexual,differentagegroups,female

customers,etc;

•Workwithdiversecommunitygroupsand/or

yourclientcompaniestobetterunderstand

theirneeds;and

•Ensurethatyourstaffhavealltheskillsand

informationtheyrequiretomeetdiverse

customerneeds.

Useful sources:

•Welcomingdisabledcustomers:www.efd.org.uk

•Serviceproviders–Areasofresponsibility:

www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/

forbusinessandorganisation/serviceproviders/

pages/areasofresponsibility

26 SECTION 5 Working with industry and other bodies PartC:ExternalStakeholders…

SECTION 5

Working with industry and other bodies

Youarenotonyourown.Youcanspeedupthe

progressofyourplansbyjoiningforceswith

groupswhoarealreadyworkingtopromote

equalityanddiversitywithinandbeyondthe

communicationssector.

Someoftheseorganisationschargeamembership

fee–forexample,OpportunityNow,Racefor

Opportunity,Stonewall,theEmployers’Forumson

Age,DisabilityandReligionandBeliefbuteachof

themalsooffer-freeresources.Otherorganisations

arefreetoparticipatewithinandarefocusedmore

specificallyonthecommunicationssector,suchas

Equalitec,whichseekstoaddressgenderinequality

intheIT,electronicsandcommunicationsindustries

byprovidingservicesandresourcesformore

effectiveimplementationofdiversitypolicies.

Informationoneachoftheseorganisations

andhowtocontactthemisprovidedin

Appendix7.

27SECTION 6 Supplier diversity and third party contractsPartC:ExternalStakeholders…

SECTION 6

Supplier diversity and third-party contracts

Moreorganisationsarenowtakingactiontoincrease

thenumberofminority-ownedbusinessesthatsupply

themwithgoodsandservices.Minority-owned

businessesrefertothosethatareatleast51%owned,

controlledandoperatedbyoneormoremembers

ofminoritygroupssuchasethnicminority,disabled

orGLBpeopleaswellaswomen,whoareunder-

representedasbusinessownersanddirectors26.

Thebenefitsofworkingwithminority-owned

businessesinclude27:

•Amorecompetitivesupplierbase;

•Betteraccesstostrategicallyimportantmarket

segments;

•Betterbusinesssolutionsandsecondsourcing

alternatives;

•Potentialforimprovedquality,enhancedservice

andlowercost;and

•Assistanceincreatingasupplierbasethatreflects

thecommunity.

Inadditiontoincreasingthediversityofyoursupplier

base,itisimportantthatyoursupplierssupportyour

owncompany’scommitmenttoequalopportunities

anddiversity.Justasyourcompanymightbeasked

todemonstrateitscommitmenttodiversity,youcan

askthesameofyoursuppliers.


•Askyoursupplierstodemonstratetheir

commitmenttoequalopportunitiesanddiversity;

•Considermeetingwithminoritybusinessesto

understandthebarriersthatmightdetertender

applicationsandhowtheycanbeovercome

inthefuture;

•Ensurethatallprocurementandtender

informationisappropriatelyavailableequally

toallprospectivesuppliers;and

•Findminority-ownedbusinessesbyusinglocal

networkssuchasBusinessLink,localChambers

ofCommerceandLocalAuthorities.

28 SECTION 7 Corporate Social Responsibility and the communityPartC:ExternalStakeholders…

SECTION 7

Corporate Social Responsibility and the community

Goodemployersknowthattheyhaveresponsibilities

–andthatlivinguptothem,itcanalsobegoodfor

business.CorporateSocialResponsibility,orCSR,is

somethingmanylargebusinessesaretakingseriously.

Infact,around80%ofFTSE100companiesnow

provideinformationoneithertheireffectsonthe

environment,ortheirapproachtothepeoplethey

hire,orboth.

AreportbyDTI’sBusinessImpactTaskForce28,

suggestedhowbusinessescanbenefitfrom

CSRactivities:

•Abetterreputationcanbeearnedthroughthe

wayabusinesstreatsitspeople,theenvironment,

itsrecordonhumanrights,itsinvestmentinlocal

communitiesandevenhowquicklyitpaysitsbills;

•Abusinesscanbemorecompetitivethroughgood

relationshipswithsuppliersandcustomers;by

havingaworkforcedrawnfromallwalksoflife;

byofferingagoodwork/lifebalance;andthrough

managingitseffectsontheenvironment;and

•Itcangetatightergriponrisks,whethertheycome

fromfinancialdealings,regulators,environmental

problemsortheopinionsofordinarypeople.

ThemovetowardsCSRhasgrownbecause:

•Wordspreadsquickly,andpeoplevotewiththeir

feet.Agoodreputationisvital,whetherit’sa

globalbrandoryourneighbourhoodcornershop;

•Thereareno‘jobsforlife’thesedays.Peoplemove

around,andacompanywithagoodrecordon

lookingafteritsstaffwillattractthebestpeople,

andkeepthemforlonger;

•Marketplacesaremorespecialist,withcompanies

needingtorespondtolocalcommunitiesand

cultures;and

•Customersareworriedaboutthegrowingpower

ofbusinesses–especiallythebigones–andare

askingifthey’rebehavingresponsibly.

TheEmployers’ForumonDisabilityisencouraging

companiestoincludedisabilityintheirCSRstrategies.

Forfurtherinformation,contactGlobalInclusion

Benchmark,orseewww.employers-forum.co.uk29.

7.1Workingwithcommunitygroups

Itisnotonlythemajorcorporationsthathavewoken

uptotheworldoutside.AMORIsurveyofsmall

andmedium-sizedenterprisesfoundthat61%were

involved“agreatdeal”or“afairamount”inthelocal

community.It’sagoodwayforabusinesstoraise

itsprofileinitscommunity–thesamecommunity

whereitalsolooksfortalent,andbusiness.

Communitymentoringisanotherwaytomake

contact.Businesses‘lend’experiencedmembers

ofstafftocommunitybusinesses,clubsand

groups–anyonewhocanbenefitfromtheir

professionalexpertise.

29SECTION 8 Promoting equal opportunities PartC:ExternalStakeholders…

SECTION 8

Promoting equal opportunities


•Encourageandhelpyourstafftotakepartin

communityprojects,forexample,bygiving

timeandlendingskillstocommunitymentoring

schemes.Theirinvolvementcanprovidethem

withpersonaldevelopmentandsatisfactionas

wellasenhancingyourcompany’sreputation

andprofile.

7.2Workingwithcollegesanduniversities

Youmayfinditusefultomakecontactwith

educationalinstitutionsinyourarea.Itwillintroduce

youtopossiblefutureemployees.Workthatyoudo

nowcouldpaydividendsinthefuturewhenitcomes

torecruitmentandmarketing.Youmayalsofind

youcaninfluencethecontentofstudentcourses.

Useful sources:

•Theemployer-ledorganisationslistedin

Appendix7canhelptodirectyoutoexisting

programmesandprojectsthatlinkwith

educationalinstitutions.

Youcanpromoteyourcompany’scommitment

tobetterpoliciesinmanyways.Averysimple

stepistoaddanequalopportunitiesstraplineto

yourrecruitmentadvertising.Again,givecareful

considerationtowhereyouwillplaceeach

advertisement.(SeeSection2.2“Whereandhowto

look”above.)Alargerstepmightbetoaddanew

clauseinyoursuppliers’contracts,encouragingthem

tousegoodequalopportunitiespracticesintheir

workforyou.


•Makesurethatsupplierssuchasrecruitment

agenciesunderstandyourcompany’sbeliefs

andvalues;and

•Mentionyourequalopportunitiespolicyin

yourrecruitmentadvertising.

30 PartX:Name SECTION X What

Any company that’s serious about welcoming people from all walks of life will want to check whether its policies are actually working. There is no ‘right’ way to do this: you need a system that suits your company, and can be operated with the resources you’ve got and any systems you already have. You should communicate positively to staff about monitoring and provide assurances regarding the confidentiality of the information obtained. They should know that you are using the information to ensure that your company is a great place to work for everyone.

31SECTION 9 Monitoring equal opportunities and diversityPartD:TrackingProgress…

PartD:TrackingProgress…

SECTION 9

Monitoring equal opportunities and diversity

Theimportantthingistoknowhowwellyou're

doinginmeetingthegoalsyouset,andseeingwhat

needschanging.Butthatalsomeansmorethan

justcollectingabunchofstatistics.Itmeansfinding

outhowpeoplefeelthey'retreated,andhowwell

processesareworking.

9.1Gatheringmonitoringdata

Whileemployeesmaybecomfortableandusedto

databeinggatheredontheirgender,theymaybe

lesssureaboutyouaskingforotherpersonaldetails.

Itisthereforeimportantthatyouhavetakenstepsto

createaninclusiveworkingenvironmentbeforeyou

askformonitoringdataandareclearabouthowthey

willandwon’tbeused.Thiswillhelptoelicitagood

responserateandprovideyouwithvaluabledatato

helpprogressyourequalopportunitiesanddiversity

programmes.

Itislegal(thoughnotarequirement)intheUKtoask

formonitoringdataongender,genderidentity,race,

disability,sexualorientation,ageandreligionand

belief.Whilesexualorientationisoftenthoughttobe

ahighlypersonalissue,itisthebasisofdiscrimination

intheworkplaceandisthereforeimportantto

monitor.However,languagearoundthisissueis

extremelyimportant.Stonewallhasproducedaguide

tomonitoring,availableinthe‘workplaceguides’

sectiononitswebsite.

Genderidentity(transgenderstatus)isnotasexual

orientationandStonewallrecommendsthatitis

notincludedinthesectiononsexualorientation

butisinsteadinasectiononitsownorinthe

gendersection.

The2001Censusprovidesthemostcomprehensive

andreliabledataaboutthepopulationcurrently

available.TheformerCRErecommendsthatyouuse

thesameethniccategoriesasthoseintheCensus

questionnairetocollectinformationaboutethnic

background.Thislevelofdetailmaybeofparticular

valuetocompanieswithalargenumberofstaff,

butlessrelevanttoyouifyouareasmalltomedium-

sizedemployer.

Disabledpeoplemustfeelsecureaboutdisclosing

theirdisabilityandaskingforsupporttoenablethem

tocontinueworkingeffectively.Potentially,thiswill

reduceproblemswithperformance,sickleaveand

staffturnover.


•Besensitiveaboutwhenyougathermonitoring

statistics–trytoavoidholidayperiodsortimes

whenredundanciesarebeingmade;and

•Makesureyouclearlycommunicatehowand

whythisinformationisbeinggathered–aspart

ofyourcommitmenttoequalopportunities

anddiversity–andhowitwillbeused.

32 SECTION 9 Monitoring equal opportunities and diversityPartD:TrackingProgress…

Useful sources:

•Theex-CREGuideonEthnicMonitoringand

theex-DRCguidanceonmonitoringdisability

arebothstillavailableontheEHRCwebsite:


•Howtomonitorsexualorientationinthe

workplace:www.stonewall.org.uk

9.2Applicationforms

Thisisusuallythefirsttool,alongwithaskingfor

CVs,thatemployersusetonarrowdownjobseekers

intoashortlist.Atfirstglance,it’sagoodleveller;

everyoneisaskedtoanswerthesamequestions,

butintheirownway.

However,applicationformscanalsoleadto

discrimination,evenbyaccident.Personalinformation

cancausecompaniestomakeassumptionsorjumpto

conclusionsaboutajobseeker,andweakenhisorher

chancesofmakingittothenextstage.Forthisreason:

•Personalinformationshouldgoonaformthatcan

bedetachedorseparated,andkeptbackfromthe

peoplewhodecideontheshortlist;and

•Ifpossible,onlyaskpersonalquestionsthatare

importanttotherole.Forexample,doyoureally

needtoknowwheresomeonewenttoschool,

ortheirage?

9.3Monitoringtheequalopportunitiesclimateandculture

Itisimportanttomonitortheextenttowhichyour

companyhasaculturethatvaluesandsupportsequal

opportunitiesanddiversity.Oneusefulwaytodo

thisisthroughtheemployeesurvey.Byincluding

anoptionforeveryonetoanonymouslydisclose

informationabouttheiridentitygroupsonthe

survey,youcancross-analysehoweachidentity

grouprespondedtoeachsurveyquestion.Thiswill

helpyoucompareandunderstandifanydifferences

areoccurringbetweengroupsofemployees.You

canalsoincludesomespecificquestionsaboutequal

opportunitieswithinthesurvey.Forexample,you

canaskaboutopportunitiesforworkingflexibly,

perceptionsofthecommitmentofyourcompany

andseniormanagementtodiversity,orwhether

employeeshaveexperiencedbullyingorharassment.

Consultingwithyouremployees,eitherthrough

networksorbyformingfocusgroupdiscussions,

isalsoanimportantandrichsourceoffeedback.Itcan

tellyouhowpoliciesandproceduresareworkingin

practiceandwhatitisreallyliketobefromaminority

groupworkinginyourcompany.

Useful sources:

•ACASprovidefreeaudittoolstohelpcheckthe

equalityanddiversityclimateofyourorganisation

atwww.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1440

9.4Collectingdataforreporting

There’sasayingthat”onlythethingsthatget

measuredgetimproved”,andthistendstobetrue

inimprovingequalopportunities.Thefirststepto

monitorhowyou’redoingistotrackhirings,internal

movements,informationfromexitinterviewsand

otherrelevantchangesamongyourstaff.Trendsin

promotionsarealsoimportant;thesewilltelltheir

ownstoryaboutwhethergroupsthatareoften

excludedarebeingattractedandrecognised.

Butdothesekindsofresultspaintameaningful

picture?Notentirely.Whileit'simportanttocount

howmanywomenarerepresentedordisabledpeople

orpeoplefromminorityethnicbackgrounds,it’s

alsovitaltocheckwhethertheyareplayingapartat

everylevelinthecompany.Monitoringis,however,

acomplexactivityandshouldnotbeundertaken

withoutconsideringcarefullywhetheritistheright

timetocollectthisinformation,howquestionswill

beframedandwhetherornottheinformationwill

becollectedanonymously.Ifthetimeisnotright

foryourorganisationamonitoringexercisemay

causemistrustandanxietyandyouremployeeswill

notansweryourquestionshonestly.Remember,

thereisnolegalobligationonemployeestoanswer

monitoringquestions.

33SECTION 9 Monitoring equal opportunities and diversityPartD:TrackingProgress…

Thefullpicturecomestogetheronceyoucheckboth

thequantityandqualityofyouropportunitiesfor

peoplefromawholerangeofbackgrounds.

Theresultsshouldthenbeshownregularlytoyour

directors,likeanyotherfiguresthatreportonthe

healthofthebusiness.


•Yourmeasuringsystemsshouldpickupon

changestoyouremployees,includingstatus,

gradeandtraining;and

•Rememberthatusefulinformationcanalso

bepickedupthroughstaffsurveys,rates

ofabsenteeismandanyharassmentor

discriminationcomplaints.

9.5Exitinterviews

Anexitinterview(aninterviewthattakesplacewhen

someone'sleaving)givesyouaone-offopportunity

tohearemployeesattheirmostopenandhonest.

However,somepeoplemaybereluctanttobeopen

andhonestinanexitinterview.Concernsovergetting

agoodreferenceorthenexttemporarycontractmay

stopthemfromgivingtheirgenuineopinion.They

mayneedtobereassuredbeforetheyopenup.Others

maybefrank(sometimes,very)abouthowtheysee

thecompany.Somakethemostofthisopportunity.

Itcangiveyoupricelessinformationonwhat’sgood

andnotsogoodaboutyourequalopportunities

policy.Forfurtherinformationonexitinterviews

seeAppendix5.


•Ifyoudon’talreadydoso,introducean

exitinterviewwitheveryonewholeaves

yourcompany.

9.6Communicatingprogressandimpact

Makingsuccessfulprogresswithequalityand

diversitywilldependgreatlyontheunderstanding,

commitmentandinvolvementofallyouremployees.

Soit’simportantthattheyalsogetfeedbackonthe

overallprogressbeingmade.Aswellasreporting

changesinstatistics,sharingsuccessstoriesabout

individuals’progressbringsthisissuetolife.Butdon’t

justcommunicateyourprogressinternally,individual

andbusinesscustomersandotherstakeholdersare

interestedtoo.Publiclysharingyourprogressand

planscanhelpattractdiversetalent,customers

andbusiness.


•Includeregularupdatesonyourequality

anddiversityprogressandplansinemployee

newsletters;

•Considercelebratingyourprogresswithannual

internalawardsforemployeeswhohavemade

anoutstandingcontributiontoequalityand

diversity;and

•Ifyouareparticularlyproudofsomethingyou

haveaccomplished,considerapplyingforoneof

themanynationalandregionalexternalequality

anddiversityawardsopentosmall,mediumand

largebusinesses.

34 SECTION 10 EvaluationPartD:TrackingProgress…

SECTION 10

Evaluation

Withalltheinformationinfrontofyou,youcan

reachsomeinformedconclusionsabouthowwell

yourpoliciesareworking,andthereasonsbehind

trendsandissues.Youshouldalsoanalysehow

yourcompany’sapproachaffectsparticulargroups,

andtrytospottrendsandpracticesforthefuture.

Forexample,youcould:

•Identifywhetherpeoplewithbroadtypes

ofimpairmentareexperiencinginequality;

•Identifywhatiscausingthisandtakeremedial

action;and

•Makepositivechangestoimproveunderstanding

anddiversity.

Theresultsofyourconclusionsshouldbeopen

foralltosee.

YourBoardshouldreceiveregularprogressreports.

Thesestudiesshouldshowhowmanypeopleyou

havehiredfromunder-representedgroups,anda

checkonwhethertheyareclusteredaroundthelower

jobgrades.Thisinformationmaybeimportantwhen

youfirmupyourplansforthefuture.

InAppendix6,you’llfindwaystomeasurehow

well,orotherwise,yourcompanyisdoingin

creatingequalopportunitiesandacultureforall.


•Assessyourcompany’sperformancebyusing

amixtureofstatisticsyou’vegatheredand

personalviewpoints(collectedduringstaff

surveysandfocusgroups);

•Lookintothecontractstatusofstafffrom

under-representedgroupsandreviewhow

theyaredistributedbygradeandgeneral

staffturnover;and

•Comparetheiropportunitiesfortrainingand

development,rewardsandpromotionswith

thatoftheircolleagues.

Part X: Name SECTION X What

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Baby boomer

This term refers to a person born during the

temporary peak in the birth-rate that occurred

following World War II.

Discrimination

Both ‘direct’ and ‘indirect’ discrimination are referred

to within anti-discrimination legislation. Direct

discrimination occurs when a person is treated

less favourably on grounds of their race (including

colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin), sexual

orientation, gender reassignment], religion or

belief, age, gender, civil partnership or marital status,

pregnancy, disability, trade union membership

or fixed-term or part-time status.

Indirect discrimination occurs when a rule, condition

or requirement is applied to everyone but has a

disproportionately adverse effect on people of a

certain race (including colour, nationality, ethnic

or national origin), sexual orientation, gender

reassignment, religion or belief, age, gender, civil

partnership status or marital status, pregnancy,

disability, trade union membership or fixed-term

or part-time status, and where there is no objective

justification for this. While the concept of ‘indirect

discrimination’ is not referred to in the Disability

Discrimination Act 199, there is a duty within the

Act to make reasonable adjustments to reduce or

remove disadvantage.

Diversity

Diversity refers to the differences and similarities that

exist amongst an organisation’s workforce, potential

employees, customers and other stakeholders.

It includes - but is not limited to - the legally defined

groups: race, gender, gender identity, sexual

orientation, religion and belief, disability and age.

Diversity refers to an organisation’s ability to meet

its legal obligations in ensuring equal opportunities

for members of each of these groups and to move

beyond this towards best practice.

Best practice requires an organisation to understand

and value the complexity of diversity – that few

individuals can be defined as belonging to a single

group and that not all individuals belonging to

a group have the same needs or aspirations.

The best practice diversity organisation values

high performance and outputs and encourages all

employees to reach their full potential – regardless

of identity. It constantly works to overcome subtle

biases, prejudices and assumptions; it positions

diversity as a business priority and understands how

diversity best practice can support its overall business

objectives and what poor performance on diversity

can cost the organisation.

Equal opportunities/equality

Equal opportunities refers to practices that enable

everyone in the workplace to develop to their full

potential. It includes the removal of barriers which

may lead to discrimination and disadvantage being

experienced by certain groups. It includes specific

reference to the identity groups covered by current

UK anti-discrimination legislation: race; gender;

gender identity; sexual orientation; religion and

belief; disability and age. Equality is a shorthand

term for equal opportunities.

PartX:Name SECTION X What36

GenerationY

Thisreferstopeoplebornbetween1978and1998.

FormoreinformationandresearchonGenerationY,

refertowww.askgeny.co.uk

Positiveaction

Positiveactiondescribesmeasurestargetedat

aparticulargroupcoveredbyanti-discrimination

legislationthatareintendedtoredresspast

discriminationortooffsetthedisadvantagesarising

fromexistingattitudes,behavioursandstructures.

Lawfulmeasurescanincludetrainingandspecial

encouragement,suchastargetedadvertisingand

recruitmentliterature.Formoreinformationon

whenpositiveactioncanbeused,pleaserefer

totheEqualityandHumanRightsCommission-


Reasonableadjustment

Reasonableadjustmentisalegaltermintroduced

undertheDisabilityDiscriminationAct1995.

Itreferstoanactionthathelpsalleviateasubstantial

disadvantagetoadisabledperson,enablingthem

tocarryouttheirworkoruseaservice.Making

areasonableadjustmentmightinvolvechanging

policies,procedures,providingadditionalservices

(e.g.materialsinlargeprint,oralteringthephysical

environment.TheActdoesnotexactlydefinewhat

reasonableadjustmentsareasthiswillrelateto

thecircumstancesofeachbusinessandindividual,

consideringfactorssuchascost,practicality,health

andsafety,etc.TheEqualityandHumanRights

Commissionprovidesfurtherinformationon

reasonableadjustments–


Transgender

Transgenderisusedtodescribethediversityof

genderidentityandexpressionandcanbeusedwhen

someonedoesnotconformtocommonideasof

genderroles.Thisincludes,forexample,transvestites,

transsexualpeople(whohavechangedtheirgenderas

theiridentityisoppositetothegenderassignedthem

atbirth),andintersexedpeople(whoarebornwith

chromosomalanomaliesorambiguousgenitalia)30.

UKanti-discriminationlegislationdoesnotpermit

discriminationagainstanindividualonthegrounds

thathe/sheintendstoundergo,isundergoingor

hasundergonegenderreassignment.

Formoreinformationontransgender,referto

Stonewall–www.stonewall.org.ukandPress

forChange–www.pfc.org.uk

ABBREVIATIONSBME: Black,minorityethnic

GLB: Gay,lesbian,bisexual

CV: CurriculumVitae

CSR: CorporateSocialResponsibility

FTSE: FinancialTimesandtheLondonStock

Exchange(UKStockIndex)

DTI: DepartmentforTradeandIndustry

(nowBERR–DepartmentforBusiness,

EnterpriseandRegulatoryReform)

37

Appendix1

EQUALITY LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS

ActsofParliament

EqualPayAct,1970

SexDiscriminationAct,1975

RaceRelationsAct,1976

SexDiscriminationAct,1986

DisabilityDiscriminationAct,1995

ProtectionfromHarassmentAct,1997

HumanRightsAct,1998

RaceRelations(Amendment)Act,2000

CivilPartnershipAct,2004

GenderRecognitionAct,2004

DisabilityDiscriminationAct,2005

EqualityAct,2006

Regulations

SexDiscriminationAct(AmendmentofLegislation)

Regulations,2008

SexDiscrimination(GenderReassignment)

Regulations,1999

RaceRelationsAct,1976(Amendment)

Regulations,2003

EqualPayAct,1970(Amendment)Regulations,2003

EmploymentEquality(SexualOrientation)

Regulations,2003

EmploymentEquality(ReligionorBelief)

Regulations,2003

EmploymentEquality(SexDiscrimination)

Regulations,2005

EmploymentEquality(Age)Regulations,2006

38

Appendix2

ACCESS TO WORK

WhatisAccesstoWork?

Ifyouarethinkingaboutrecruitingadisabledperson,

youwillknowtheyhavetheskillsandpotentialto

dothework,buttheremaystillbepracticalproblems

toovercome.

AccesstoWork(AtW)isavailabletohelpovercome

theproblemsresultingfromdisability.Itoffers

practicaladviceandhelpinaflexiblewaythatcan

betailoredtosuittheneedsofanindividualina

particularjob.AtWdoesnotreplacethenormal

responsibilitiesoftheemployertoimplementHealth

andSafetyregulationsorreplacetheresponsibilities

requiredbytheDisabilityDiscriminationAct.

Howdoesitdothis?

Aswellasgivingadviceandinformationtodisabled

peopleandemployers,JobcentrePluspaysagrant,

throughAtW,towardsanyextraemploymentcosts

thatresultfromaperson’sdisability.

Howdoestheprogrammework?

AtWcanofferagranttowardstheapprovedcosts

thatarisebecauseofanindividual’sdisability.

Forpeoplewhoarestartingajobwithyou,thegrant

isupto100%oftheapprovedcosts.Forthosewho

alreadyworkforyou,thegrantisupto80%ofthe

approvedcostsoverthefirst£300.

Ifyouhaveadisabledemployeeorifyouwantto

recruitsomeonewithadisability,contactyourlocal

DisabilityEmploymentAdviser(DEA)throughyour

nearestJobcentrePlusOfficeorJobcentre.TheDEA

willputyouintouchwithanAccesstoWorkAdviser

whowilldiscussyourparticularcircumstances

withyou.

WhattypeofhelpcanbeprovidedthroughAccesstoWork?

AtWcanhelpinanumberofways.Forexample,

itcanhelppayfor:

•Communicatorsupportatinterview(CSI)which

meetsthefullcostofhiringaninterpretertoremove

barrierstocommunicationatinterview;

•Asupportworker,whichallowstheapplicant

tousetheservicesofahelper.Typesofsupport

mightincludereadingtoavisuallyimpairedperson,

communicatingforahearing-impairedperson

viasignlanguage(otherthanatinterview,which

iscoveredbyCSI),providingspecialistcoaching

forapersonwithlearningdifficultiesorhelping

apersonwithcareneeds;

•Specialaidsequipmenttohelpadisabledperson

functionintheworkplace;

•Adaptationtopremisesortoexistingequipment;

and

•Helpwiththeadditionalcostsoftravelto,

orin,workforpeoplewhoareunabletouse

publictransport.

Howarethedisabledperson’sparticularneedsassessed?

TheAtWAdviserwillnormallyspeaktoyouand

youremployeetoarriveatthemosteffective

solution.Inthemajorityofcases,thiscanbe

doneoverthetelephone;however,avisitcanbe

arrangedifnecessary.Sometimesspecialistor

technicaladvicemaybeneeded,whichtheAtW

Adviserwillhelparrange.

39

Howlongwillittaketoputtheassistanceinplace?

Theaimwillbetogetyouthehelpthatyouneed

intheshortestpossibletime.However,ifitislikely

totakesometime,theAtWAdviserwillexplore

temporaryalternativeswithyou,forexamplea

supportworkerorreader,whilethepermanent

solutionissortedout.

Whowillpurchasethehelpneeded?

Itisusuallyyou,theemployer,whoarrangesto

purchasetheagreedsupportandthenyouclaim

backthegrantfromAtW.

HowmuchistheAccesstoWorkgrant?

AccesstoWorkmakesgrantstowardscosts.Ifyoutake

onanunemployedpersonorhaverecruitedsomeone

lessthansixweeksago,thegrantisupto100%of

thecostsapprovedbytheAtWAdviser.Whatever

theemploymentstatusoftheapplicant,AtWpays

upto100%oftheapprovedcostsofhelpwith:

•Supportworkersandfarestowork;and

•Communicatorsupportatinterview.

AtWalsopaysadditionaltravelcostsincurreddue

toadisability.

Forpeopleworkingforanemployer,andwhohave

beeninthejobforsixweeksormoreandneedspecial

equipmentoradaptationstopremises,AtWpays

aproportionofthecostsofsupport,asfollows:

ApprovedCost MaximumAccess toWorkcontribution

Lessthan£300 Nil

Between£300 80%ofthecostover£300and£10,000

Over£10,000 80%ofthecostbetween£300and£10,000and100%ofthecostover£10,000

Allhelpisforamaximumperiodofthreeyears,after

whichtheAtWBusinessCentrewillreviewthesupport

andthecircumstances.AccesstoWorkmayprovide

helpforafurtherperiodifyouremployeecontinues

tobeeligibleforhelpundertherulesthatthenapply.

Remember,AccesstoWorkisavailablewhen

additionalcostsareincurredbecauseofadisability.

Itcannotbeusedtoprovidesupportusually

providedbyemployersorrequiredunderlegislation

foralltheiremployees.AccesstoWorksolutionsare

individuallytailoredtomeetthedisabilityneeds

ofthedisabledemployeeintheworkplace.

TheDisabilityAct1995putsadutyonemployersto

takeanystepsthatarereasonabletoreduceorremove

anysubstantialdisadvantagethataphysicalfeature

oftheirpremisesortheiremploymentarrangements

causesadisabledemployeeorjobapplicantcompared

withanon-disabledperson.Thisisknownas

‘reasonableadjustment’.JobcentrePluscannotgive

legaladviceonthismatter.ThefactthatJobcentre

Plusisprovidinghelpforadisabledemployeethrough

AccesstoWorkdoesnotmeanthatyouhavesatisfied

thisduty.

40

Appendix3

TEMPLATES for shortlisting and interviewing

Onthefollowingpagesareanumberoftemplates

thatyoucanuse,oradapt,tohelpyouinyour

recruitmentandselectionactivities.

41

3A Shortlisting Record Sheet

Essential Requirement 1




Name of Applicant

Job Title:

Name of Shortlister:

43

Candidate name:

Job Title:

3B Interview Assessment Form

Assessment Area Ess/Des Rating Notes

1. Work Experience A B C D E

i)Abilitytodemonstraterelevantwork

experiencewhichhasinvolved...

ii)Abilitytodemonstraterelevantwork A B C D E

experiencewhichhasinvolved...

2. Working Relationships A B C D E

i)Abilitytodealwitharangeofpeople

externallywithtact,patienceandcredibility

ii)Abilitytobuildgoodconstructiveinternal A B C D E

relationships,andcontributetoteamworking

3. Communication Skills A B C D E

i)Spokencommunicationskills–

e.g.manner,attitude,confidence,

accuracy,conciseness,conviction

ii)Presentationskills A B C D E

iii)Writtencommunicationskills– A B C D E

e.g.clearandconcisewritingstyle.

(Havetheybroughtinasamplereport?)

4. Personal Skills A B C D E

i)Innovative-e.g.theabilitytogenerate

newideas,abilitytopushthroughsolutions

ii)Adaptability–e.g.theabilitytoadapt A B C D E

tonewsituations,takeonnewresponsibilities

iii)Judgement– A B C D E

e.g.evidenceofdecision-makingskills

iv)Planningandorganisation– A B C D E

e.g.theabilitytomakesurethatprioritiesand

deadlinesaremet,andtoanticipateproblems

5. Professional and Technical Skills A B C D E

i)Knowledgeandunderstandingof

contemporary[sector/industry]issues…

ii)ITskills–inparticular... A B C D E

iii)Commitmenttopersonaltraining A B C D E

anddevelopment

44

3B Interview Assessment Form

Assessment Area Ess/Des Rating Notes

6. Management Skills A B C D E

i)Resourcemanagementskills–

e.g.theabilitytoplanresources,

managebudgets,meetagreed

deadlinesandqualityrequirements

ii)Projectmanagementskills– A B C D E

e.g.theabilitytouseparticularproject

managementtools

iii)Peoplemanagementskills A B C D E

iv)Informationmanagementskills A B C D E

7. Other A B C D E

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Post:

Candidate:

Assessmentby: Date:

Assessorinitials:

Rating

A=Excellent

demonstrateshighlevelofability/knowledgerequiredin

areaandpracticalandsuccessfulexperienceutilisingthat

knowledge/skillinwork-basedsituations

B=VeryGood

demonstratesability/knowledgeinareaandexperience

inapplyingitinwork-basedsituations

C=Acceptable

hasadequatelevelofknowledge/skillinareaandsome

experienceofapplyingitinwork-basedsituations

D=Limited

demonstratessomeoftheknowledge/skillrequiredbut

limitedexperienceinapplyingitinwork-basedsituations

E=Weak

doesnotdemonstrateknowledge/skillrequired/hasno

experienceinapplyingitinwork-basedsituations

Ess/Des

Ess=criteriaessentialforthejob/difficulttoacquire

inpost.Candidateswhodonotmeetthis(scoringless

thanC)shouldnotbeappointed.

Des=criteriawhicharedesirableforthejob/easily

acquiredinpost.

45

3C Selected Candidate Form

DetailsofParticipant

Title:

Vacancy Ref:

Interview date:

Interview location:

Panel

Name: Signature:

Name: Signature:

PreferredCandidate

Name:

Reasons for selection:

ForHRuseonly

Conditionalofferdate:

Referencechecks:

1.

2.

Formalofferdate:

Startdate:

47

3D Summary Record of Unsuccessful Candidates

Vacancy title:

Ref:

Name Reasons for regret Keep Details? Y/N

49

Appendix4

THE DISABILITY SYMBOL31

HowwillIrecognisetheDisabilitySymbol?

TheDisabilitySymbol(seenabove)isacircular

symbol,usuallygreen,withtwoticks.

WhatamIpromisingifIusetheTwoTickssymbolinourjobads?

Itmeansthatyouwillguaranteetointerviewa

disabledapplicantifheorshemeetstheminimum

standardsforthatjob.It’sthereforeimportanttomake

itclearwhatthosestandardsare.Thatway,applicants

willhaveagoodideaofwhetherit’sworthapplying

andwhattoexpect.

WhereelseistheDisabilitySymbolused?

Youmayseeitinthevacancysectionofanewspaper,

oronavacancydisplayedonaJob-point,oron

applicationformsorpapersproducedbyanemployer.

Whatifwe’realreadyusingthesymbol?

Itmeansthatanyofyouremployeeswithdisabilities

canspeakupiftheyfeelyoucouldbedoingmoreto

helpthemusetheirabilitiesfully.Italsomeansthat

theguaranteedinterviewyoupromisetopeople

outsideappliestointernalcandidatesaswell(again,

iftheymeettheminimumstandardsforthejob).

Whathappensifoneofouremployeesbecomesdisabled,orhis/herdisabilitieschangewhileworkingforus?

Ineithercase,usingthesymbolmeansthatyouwill

doallyoucantomakesureyouremployeecanstay

withyouinasuitablejob.

DoestheDisabilityDiscriminationAct(DDA)haveanyeffectoncompaniesusingthesymbol?

No;allemployersmuststillactinlinewiththeDDA.

Theobligationsyouagreetomeetbyusingthe

symbolareextratothedemandsoftheAct,andinno

wayaltertherightsofanemployeewithdisabilities.

FormoreinformationabouttheDDAcontactthe

EHRCwebsitewww.equalityhumanrights.com

Whatmorecanyoutellmeaboutthe‘TwoTicks’scheme?

TheTwoTickssymbolisawardedbyJobcentre

Plustoemployerswhohaveagreedtomakefive

commitments.Theseconcernthehiring,keeping,

traininganddevelopingofemployeeswithdisabilities.

Byusingthesymbol,theyshowthattheyhaveagreed:

•Tointerviewalldisabledapplicantswhomeetthe

minimumstandardsforajobvacancyandconsider

themontheirabilities;

•Todiscussatanytime–butatleastonceayear–

anythingthatcanbedonetomakesuretheycan

developandusetheirabilitiestothefull;

•Tomakeeveryeffort,shouldanemployeebecome

disabled,tokeepajobforthem;

•Tomakesurethatalltheiremployeesareawareof

issuessurroundingdisability,sothattheyarefully

equippedtomakethesecommitmentswork;and

•Toreviewthefivecommitmentseveryyear,tosee

whathasbeenachievedandtoplanimprovements.

BothemployeesandJobcentrePlusshouldbekept

fullyinformed.

www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/Customers/

HelpForDisabledPeople/DisabilitySymbol/index.html

50

Appendix5

EXIT INTERVIEWS

Exitinterviewsareanexcellentopportunitytohear

honestfeedback.Herearesomethoughtsonhow

tomakethemostofthem.

•Beforetheinterview,thinkcarefullywhatyou

wanttogetoutofit.

•Agoodintervieweris,aboveall,agoodlistener.

Don’tgetdrawnintodebatesorarguments.

•Bepreparedforsomebombshells.Expectthe

unexpectedand,throughout,stayfocusedon

theemployee.

•Consideraskingquestionssuchas“whatwould

havemadeyoustay?”and“ifyouhadamagic

wand,whatwouldyouchange?”

•Ifyoudon’talreadyknow,askopenly“whyare

youleaving?”Trytofindoutwhatheorshethinks

wouldimproveyourworkingculture,employment

conditionsandtheorganisation’smorale.

•Ask“whatdidyoulikemost(andleast)about

yourjobwithus?”

•Workuptothetougherstuff.Savethehardest

questionsuntillast.

•Leavetimeattheendoftheinterviewfor

generalcomments.

•Takenotesofthemainpoints,butremember

thatit’smoreimportanttolistenthantowrite.

•Besureyoumakegooduseofwhatyoudiscover

inexitinterviews.There’slittlepointinhaving

themotherwise.

51

Appendix6

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES: PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Herearesomeofthesignsthatmayshowhow

wellyourcompanyisperforminginofferingequal

opportunitiestopeoplefromallwalksoflife.Clearly,

onlysomewillberelevanttoyourparticularbusiness.

1. Thereadinessofyourcompanytorecognise

people’seffortstowardsequality,andtopraise

achievements,throughyourperformance

appraisalsprocess.

2. Theamountofinvolvementyouremployees

haveinsteeringgroups,interviewpanels,

andworkingparties,andindevelopingand

achievingworkplans.

3. Theamountofworkthatgoesontoraise

awarenessofequalityissuesinindividual

departments.

4. Thechangeyouhaveseeninthetypeof

peoplewhoworkforyou,including:

•Numbersofpeoplefromminoritygroupsin

specificroles,includingseniorlevelemployment;

•Howparticulargroupsarerepresentedin

differenttypesofjobsandsalaries;

•Thetake-upinpart-timeandjob-sharing

opportunities;

•Howmanypeoplehavebeenrecruited

andpromoted;

•Howmanyarestaying,howmanyareleaving;

•Thenumberofmotherscomingbacktowork

frommaternityleave;

•Trainingpatternsincludingapplicationsfor

trainingandthosewhoreceivedtraining;

•Howmanyreasonableadjustmentshavebeen

madefordisabledrecruitsoremployeeswho

becomedisabled;and

•Informationfromexitinterviews.

5. Thetrendsshowningrievances,disciplinary

interviewsandpeopleleavingorabsent

fromwork.

6. Howhappypeoplearewiththewayyoufilljobs.

7. Howsatisfiedpeopleare,showninappraisals

orstaffsurveys,withthehelpyougivethemto

balancethedemandsofworkandhomelife(for

example,throughhavingflexibleworkinghours).

8. Thecompanybeingcommittedtolookinto

particularequalopportunityinitiatives,and

givingfeedbackonthem.

9. Carryingoutsurveysthatpinpointissues

withjobsatisfaction,careerdevelopment,

management,support,anddiscrimination

orharassmentatwork.

10. Reviewsanddiscussiongroupswhichpaint

anaccurate,unbiasedpictureofhowstaff

andmanagersareperforming.

52

Appendix7

SOURCES OF FURTHER INFORMATION

You’llfindmoreinformationaboutOfcom’s

workonourwebsite:www.ofcom.org.uk

EqualityandHumanRightsCommissionEqualitystatutorybody


GovernmentEqualitiesOffice

www.equalities.gov.uk

DepartmentforBusinessEnterprise

andRegulatoryReform

www.berr.gov.uk/employment

ACAS

Workingtoimproveorganisationsandworking

lifethroughbetteremploymentrelations.

Providinginformationandadvice.

www.acas.org.uk

BusinessintheCommunity

Amemberorganisationforbusinesses

committedtoimprovingtheirimpactonsociety.

www.bitc.org.uk

Disability

RNIB

Disabledpeopleuseawiderangeofspecialisthardware

andsoftwaretoaccesscomputers.Itisimportantthat

websitesaredesignedtobecompatiblewiththis.

Websitescanalsohave‘accessfeatures’builtintotheir

design,suchasachoiceoffontsizesorcolourschemes.

RNIB’sonlineWebAccessCentrecanprovidemore

informationondesigningandevaluatingwebsites.

www.rnib.org.uk

Employers’ForumonDisability

Employers’memberorganisationfocusedondisability

intheworkplace.

www.efd.org.uk

RNIDNewTechnologies

TheresearchanddevelopmentgroupoftheRNID.

www.ict.rnid.org.uk

JobcentrePlus(includingAccesstoWorkandthe

DisabilitySymbol)

Thereisawiderangeofpracticalhelpandadviceto

assistemployersintherecruitmentandemployment

ofdisabledpeopleavailablefromJobcentrePlus.

TelephonenumbersandaddressesoflocalJobcentre

Plusofficescanbefoundinlocaltelephonedirectories

orthroughtheJobcentrePluswebsite.

www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk

53

Age

Employers’ForumonAge

Campaignagainstagediscriminationintheworkplace.

www.efa.org.uk

AgePositive

Campaigntopromotethebenefitsofemploying

amixed-ageworkforce.

www.agepositive.gov.uk

ReligionandBelief

Employers’ForumonReligionandBelief

Employers’networktosharegoodpractice.

www.efrb.org.uk

TheBusinessofFaith

Aprojecttohelpbusinessesandindividualsinthe

CityofLondontoengagewithissuesofreligion

andbeliefintheworkplaceandincommerciallife.

www.thebusinessoffaith.org

SexualOrientation

Stonewall

Workingforequalityforlesbians,gaymenandbisexuals.


Gender

OpportunityNow

Employermembershiporganisationfocusedon

increasingthequalityandquantityofwomen’swork.


WomeninTechnology

Anonlinejobboard,networkingandeventgroup

forwomenworkingintechnologyjobsintheUK.

www.womenintechnology.co.uk

Equalitec

SeekstoaddressgenderinequalityintheInformation

Technology,ElectronicsandCommunications(ITEC)

industriesbyprovidingservicesandinformation.

www.equalitec.org.uk

Transgender

PressforChange

Acampaignorganizationtoachieveequality

fortransgenderpeopleintheUK.

www.pfc.org.uk

Race

RaceforOpportunity

AnationalbusinessnetworkofUKorganisations

committedtopromotingthebusinesscasefor

raceanddiversity.

http://www.bitc.org.uk/take_action/in_the_workplace/

diversity/race/champions.html

Work-LifeBalance

EmployersandWork-LifeBalance

AimedathelpingUKemployersimplement

andimprovework-lifebalancestrategies.

www.employersforwork-lifebalance.org.uk

WorkingFamilies

Helpingworkingparents,carersandtheiremployersfind

abetterbalancebetweenresourcesatworkandhome.

www.workingfamilies.org.uk

54

REFERENCES

2 AlistoftherelevantlegislationandRegulationsisprovided

inAppendix1.

3 Formoreinformation,referto‘FrameworkforaFairerFuture

–TheEqualityBill’,June2008,www.equalities.gov.uk/

publications/FRAMEWORK%20FAIRER%20FUTURE.pdf

4 ‘TycoaddsnewdemandsinsecondEvershedsdeal’,

www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=132779

5 Opcit

6 RaceforOpportunitywww.bitc.org.uk/take¬_action/

in_the_workplace/diversity/race/index.html

7 Opcit

8 DepartmentforBusiness,EnterpriseandRegulatoryReform;

www.berr.gov.uk

9 Outright2006,OMDInsight,Channel4,GaydarRadio.

10 Opcit

11 Employers’ForumonDisability;www.efd.org.uk

12 ThesedataaredrawnfromOfcomresearchduetobe

publishedinSeptember2008.Theresearchprovides

detailedinformationaboutthebehavioursandattitudesof

adultsfromthelargestethnicminoritygroupswithinthe

UK–Indian,Pakistani,BlackCaribbeanandBlackAfrican

communities.TheresearchformspartofOfcom’sremitunder

Section11oftheCommunicationsAct2003topromote

medialiteracy.

13 Opcit.

15 Opcit

16 Employers’ForumonDisability

17 Employers’ForumonAge;www.efa.org.uk

18 Opcit

19 AskGenY

20 Britain’shiddenbraindrain,EqualOpportunitiesCommission,

September2005.

21 HigherEducationStatisticsAgency,www.hesa.ac.uk

22 EqualOpportunitiesCommission,August2004.

23 ‘FlexibleWorkingandPerformance’,CranfieldSchool

ofManagementandWorkingFamilies,2008,

www.workingfamilies.org.uk

24 ‘Equalityandexcellence:thebusinesscase’,OpportunityNow,


25 Employers’ForumonDisabilityStandardBenchmarking

SurveyResults,2005.

26 Basedonthedefinitioninwww.btplc.com.

27 SupplierDiversity,RaceforOpportunity,June2004.

28 ‘WinningwithIntegrity’,publishedbyBusiness

intheCommunity.

29 BusinessescanbenefitbyaddressingdisabilityasaCSRissue.

Bydoingso,acompanywill:

• Ensureitmanagesdisabilityinthemostefficientandethical

wayinallareasofbusiness;

• Exploitthebenefitsofworkingwithdisabledpeople

andrespondtogrowingmarkets;and

• Managefinancial,legalandreputationalrisk.

30 ThisdefinitionhasbeendrawnfromtheStonewallwebsite:


31 TakenfromtheJobcentrePluswebsite.

promoting equal opportunities and diversity: a toolkit for

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