Ensuring Equality in Employment

Ensuring Equality in Employment

Understanding Discrimination in Employment

  • Discrimination means treating a person less favourably due to their protected characteristics such as age, sex, race, religion, disability, transgender identity, and sexual orientation.

  • Direct discrimination occurs when someone is treated worse than another person because of a protected characteristic.

  • Indirect discrimination happens when a rule or policy applies to everyone but disadvantages a person with a particular protected characteristic.

Laws to Promote Equality in Employment

  • The Equality Act 2010 is the key law in the UK that protects against discrimination in employment. It covers job applicants, employees, and former employees.

  • Employers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees or job applicants under the Equality Act 2010.

  • The Part-Time Workers Regulations 2000 ensures that part-time workers receive equal treatment compared to full-time workers.

Positive Action in Employment

  • Positive action refers to steps taken by an employer to counteract the effects of past discrimination. For example, encouraging specific groups to apply for jobs or providing training only to those groups.

  • Positive action is not positive discrimination. Positive discrimination, such as hiring a candidate because they belong to a specific group, is generally illegal.

Equality Policies and Procedures

  • Many businesses have equality policies in place that outline their commitment to equality and diversity in the workplace.

  • These policies often include information about how to report discrimination, how it will be investigated, and the penalties for discrimination.

  • Employers may also organise diversity training to educate staff about equal treatment and respect for all groups of people.

Impact of Failing to Ensure Equality

  • Failing to ensure equality can lead to legal consequences, including fines and reputational damage.

  • Employment tribunals are specialist tribunals that hear disputes between employers and employees over employment rights, including discrimination claims.

  • Companies striving for equality typically have a more diverse workforce which can lead to a wider range of skills and ideas in the business.