Equality & Diversity 2014/15

In the last few months, the equality law agenda has been subject to rapid legal and political change. With more to come!  Couple this speed of on-going change with the still too common situation where well intended individuals, usually through their limited understanding of effective E&D adopt and/or implement misguided systems and procedures;  approaches that all too often add unnecessarily burden and/or cost and can even hinder good practice being followed; and the need for regular update training on E&D starts to become clear. 
 
For example are you and your team fully conversant with the following recent changes ? and do you all have the confidence,  knowledge and skills to apply them effectively ?  

Are any of your team scared to manage because of the fear of the staff member filing a discrimination claim or one about bullying/harassment. 

• Disability has now been re defined by European judges to include obesity. There are implications here for equality as well as employer's health, safety and well being at work policies

• A "belief in public service" arising from a tribunal case in Chesterfield extends still further the topics that can be considered under "Religion and Belief" in the Equality Act.

• Do you understand the three key benchmarks that define belief?  They have resulted in a "belief in climate change, a belief in anti fox hunting and a belief in democratic socialism" all being added to the ever growing list topics?

• The Protected Characteristic of "Race" is now further extended to include "Caste". An important case in Birmingham has already highlighted the potential for "marriage discrimination" in poor employment practices

• A growing number of cases are highlighting liabilities for employers and staff if someone is discriminated against or harassed because of a mistaken assumption that the recipient of this behaviour is  disabled, gay or has some other characteristic which they don't actually possess!

• Paternity rights are now further enhanced with new rights for fathers to attend ante natal clinics with their partner.  There are also further added further obligations for employers to carefully consider ALL requests for flexible working - not just those linked to work and family issues

• Money, money -money! Tribunals can now order  company wide equal pay audits if an individual case appears to highlight widespread discrimination on pay and benefits between the sexes in the whole organisation

On more general issues front, upward bullying is thought to present a challenge for at least 25% of all managers.  

For example: new managers coming into a workplace and like they do, asking questions, seeking out information from staff and being met by cold indifference/irritation/being ignored or worse. Situations when staff are found to be passive-aggressive that is to say indicating agreement initially only to operate like a sly resistance movement later. Plus the all too common situation is where a manager is scared to manage because of the fear of the staff member filing a discrimination claim or one about bullying/harassment. 

Managers have the right to manage but are sometimes paralysed because of a fear/urban myth that the race / gender / disability card might be played.  

It's interesting that the courts have just imposed an injunction on a serial litigant preventing him from filing any more claims.

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Concrew Training offers pre-developed one-day good practice workshops for delivery on your premises that are designed to provide high quality high value routes to ensure managers and staff maintain an effective robust and current understanding of equality and diversity.  

These workshop are suitable for all sectors and business types and participants at all levels.  

For more information visit our web site at: 
http://concrew-training.co.uk/courses/equality-and-diversity

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