Equality and Diversity in the workplace - what does it mean for you?

Bansari Somani, SkillsActive -14/02/2008

Equality is the revised term for ‘Equal Opportunities’. It is based on the legal obligation to comply with anti-discrimination legislation. Equality protects people from being discriminated against on the grounds of group membership i.e. sex, race disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief, or age.

“Diversity stems from the American management term, “managing diversity”, which is used to describe management practices aimed at valuing the diversity of each individual employee to maximise quality output. Diversity encompasses visible and non-visible individual differences. They may include, but are not limited to differences protected by anti-discrimination.

“Combined together, equality and diversity drive an organisation to legally comply with anti-discrimination legislation as well as emphasising the positive benefits of diversity such as drawing on a wider pool of talent, positively motivating all employees and meeting the needs of a wider customer base.”

Sector Skills Councils have been addressing issues around equality and diversity in developing their Sector Skills Agreements. Coordinated by a Steering Group, the cross-sector equality and diversity project was successful in attracting funds from the SSDA to provide information, guidance and solutions to equality and diversity issues raised in SSAs, specifically, to:

• raise awareness and influence policy within SSCs on sector issues on equality and diversity by developing a ‘model’ strategy that could be adapted by SSCs to help:
• shift employer culture
• influence training provision
• implement relevant recommendations from Leitch
• utilise existing funding sources and seek new opportunities
• To carry out a research project into the equality and diversity skills issues identified in SSAs and solutions proposed
• To develop a web resource for the Skills for Business network with a good practice guide featuring case studies and practical ‘how to’ tools.

We are now nearing completion of that work and consultants have been appointed to:

• Develop a model strategy and toolkit for employers to use
• Produce and outline “equality and diversity promotion and support” strategy for SSCs to develop the SSC infrastructure support for equality and diversity
• Design a web site to deliver the above in an accessible format for a wide range of employers and stakeholders

A consultancy partnership, TLWorks and Rock Solid Research is preparing this work and Mike Hender of Hender Associates is constructing the website.

A draft outline strategy (employers) is now available for your information and/or comment.

If you would like to know more about equality and diversity and the cross sector project work, follow these links:

• www.sfbn-equality-diversity.org.uk/Background.html

If you have a suggestion about what you would find helpful on such a website or if you would like to share examples of good practice please forward your comments to:

• Teresa Lavery, of TLWorks at tlworks@yahoo.com

or the cross sector project leaders

• Bansari.Somani@skillsactive.com or simon.leckie@skillsforjustice.com