Equal Opportunities&Diversity

Equal opportunities & diversity news and update

Learning4business produces this completely free monthly update on equal opportunity and diversity news for distribution to selected clients. The update is not intended to be comprehensive, as that would clearly involve a very long and unwieldy communication. Instead, it aims to identify the most relevant items, providing you with the option to investigate further if needed.

We hope you find the news and update both interesting and effective in helping you to keep abreast of what is happening in the world of equal opportunity and diversity.

General News

Diversity Toolkit for IT Recruiters

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation and government service Jobcentre Plus are encouraging IT recruitment firms to tackle discrimination by considering a wider range of potential employees. To enable them to do this the firms are being offered a "diversity toolkit" to assess whether their policies are compliant with diversity best practice, and will generate an action plan if they are not.

The Confederation points out that those companies with a diverse workforce can gain a competitive edge by attracting the best people from untapped pools of talent, whilst diverse workforces improve efficiency, reduce costs and staff turnover, and enhance reputation and brand.

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation plans to invite IT recruitment agencies to sign a pledge committing to developing best practice in workforce diversity.

Employers Reject Core Jobless

Recent research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development reveals that more than 60% of employers deliberately exclude 'core jobless' groups, such as people with a criminal record or those who are homeless.Employers responding to a survey from the CIPD cited a lack of trust and reliability and bad experiences in employing people from these groups. More than half of the 755 respondents said nothing would persuade them to recruit from this sector.However, the CIPD points out that a quarter of the UK's working age population have a previous criminal conviction. This equates to more than seven million people, making it impractical for employers to ignore these groups.

John Philpott, CIPD Chief Economist, said:

"The government will have to reinvigorate its welfare-to-work agenda by making greater efforts to both improve the employability of the core jobless groups and by addressing negative employer attitudes."

Race Update

New Met Recruitment Campaign Targets Ethnic Groups

The Metropolitan Police Service is to launch a fresh campaign in an attempt to reach Home Office recruitment targets. The targets require 7.7% of the 150,000 officers in England and Wales to be from black, minority or ethnic backgrounds by 2009. The Metropolitan Police target is 25.9%, to reflect the make-up of the population in its area. Earlier this year, Martin Tiplady, Director of HR at Scotland Yard, said that the Met had not "got a hope in hell of getting to 25%". The figure currently stands at 7.1%.

The 'Can You Be?' campaign will use advertisements in the ethnic and London press asking potential recruits, 'Can you be true to your beliefs?' The advertisements will show that dress code, leave arrangements, flexible hours and catering within the police service are designed to accommodate all religious beliefs. The Met is also running a 'Faith Recruitment Fair' in London on 7th September, timed to correspond with the new campaign.

Religion Update

No news this month.

Age Update

Facts and Misconceptions about Age

The Age Partnership Group and the Department for Work and Pensions have produced a report Facts and misconceptions about age, health status and employability, which dispels commonly held perceptions about the older worker relating to capability, cognitive capacity, physical strength, endurance and accident proneness. It also provides information and guidance on age diversity and employment practices.

Gender & Orientation Update

Met Still Failing Women Recruits

The Deputy Chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority claims that the Met are failing to recruit enough women.

Cindy Butts told the Women's Forum of the Metropolitan Police Service Black Police Association that despite concerted efforts, the Met was still far from representative of Londons communities. She went on to say:

We are faced with a new dilemma - the 'sticky floor syndrome. Women who have the talent, skills, experience, qualifications and the all-round ability to succeed and move up the promotion ladder, don't have the confidence to do so."

Equality Representatives to Close Gender Pay gap

Recommendations from the Government's Women and Work Commission will require employers to appoint 'equality representatives' to ensure female staff are paid the same as men, and are given similar promotion prospects.Under the recommendations, the representatives would be able to request information about employee salaries from companies and would be empowered to investigate how people are chosen for the best jobs. The recommendations will only apply to firms with more than 50 staff.

The commission's report will point out that since 1945 the proportion of women in employment has increased. Between 1971 and 2004, the female employment rate rose from 42% to 70%, but "persistent differences" remain between the experiences of men and women in the workplace despite the Equal Pay Act 1970. The gender pay gap has closed steadily since then, but the rate of change has slowed in recent years.

Maternity & Paternity Update

HR Professionals Failing to Utilise the Benefits of Parental Leave

Research from Croner HR consultancy has concluded that only 11% of HR departments actively encourage parents to take the parental Leave to which they are entitled. Furthermore, the study found that around 23% of HR professionals are not fully aware of the parental leave rules*, whilst 33% of HR departments believed that allowing working parents time off could have a detrimental effect on their business

Richard Smith, HR expert at Croner, said:

"Enabling staff to manage their career and family responsibilities can ultimately encourage them to feel more committed to the company, which can help improve retention. Lower absence is also likely, as parental leave allows employees to take time off needed to cope with family emergencies and commitments. An organisation which actively promotes parental leave is also attractive to potential employees."

*Parents who have completed one year's continuous service with their current employer are entitled to 13 weeks of unpaid parental leave for each child and 18 weeks for each child entitled to a disability living allowance.

Learning4business course Parents in Employment aims to enable learners to understand and apply the legislation surrounding parents rights call us for more details

BT Tops for Return from Maternity Leave

99% of women working for telecoms giant BT return to work at the company after maternity leave, more than twice the national average figure of 47%.

The company directly attributes this success to its best practice policy on home working and its flexible approach to work. It offers its female employees the opportunity to take up to a year paid maternity leave and a range of flexible working arrangements following the birth of their child. This allows mothers to meet the demands of their job while spending as much time as possible with their child. Fathers can also take two weeks' paid and two weeks unpaid paternity leave as well as having the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of working flexibly.

Caroline Waters, Director of BT People & Policy, said:

"The return to work rate is outstanding for a company of our size. Supporting the parents in your workforce is not difficult, disruptive or expensive; it is just plain business sense."

Disability Update

DEC Calls for Tougher Action

The Disability Employment Coalition is calling for tougher penalties for organisations that discriminate against disabled people in work or seeking work.

A statement from the DEC said:

"The DEC seeks to remove all negative distinctions regarding disabled people in the world of work and to achieve the full inclusion of disabled people. The DEC will achieve this by supporting both a carrot-and-stick approach encouraging change by persuasion, but seeking penalties against people and organisations that discriminate against disabled people either in work or seeking to work."

Ray Fletcher, DEC Chairman, said:

"There is growing concern that people are still being discriminated against because of their disability. Compensation is often not enough - we want people reinstated at work if they are discriminated against."

The DEC was formed in the mid-1990s to raise awareness of employment issues affecting disabled people, is made up of several disability charities, including Mencap, Scope, Remploy and the TUC.

Public Sector Must Take Lead on Disability

Speaking at a London conference, Anne McGuire Minister for Disabled People has said that the public sector must give serious thought, rather than just tick boxes, to meeting its new responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 2005. The new law, which becomes effective this December, will require all public bodies in the UK to integrate disabled people in their policy-making from the outset. They will also be expected to promote 'equality of opportunity' for disabled people.

Ms. McGuire said:

''While there has been progress towards equality for disabled people, the pace of change has been slow. The challenges are still enormous. Wherever you look, you will find that disabled people are worse off. 'Everyone - from the very top to the shop floor - needs to ask difficult questions of themselves and our businesses. Why do disabled people get paid less than non-disabled people, and why are they more likely to have no qualifications? Why are people with learning difficulties more likely to die young from physical illnesses which have nothing to do with their impairment?"

Minister Announces Disability Unit

Work and Pensions Secretary David Blunkett has announced a new Office for Disability Issues to tackle disability discrimination. The unit will be responsible for driving action and delivery across government and linking with the work of the Disability Rights Commission in ensuring equality across society.

Mr. Blunkett said:

Rather than people fitting into services, services need to fit to individuals. Every person with a disability should have the power to choose the support and services they need from a wide range of possibilities that exist within a given community. This programme will be co-ordinated by an Office for Disability Issues which will be established later this year.

Landmark Disability Discrimination Claim

A tribunal case being brought against Sainsbury's for unfair dismissal could set a precedent for 'disability-related' discrimination claims.

Louise Tarbuck, who is claiming 1.8m in damages, was a principal business analyst at the companys head office when she was dismissed, allegedly unfairly, in February 2004 because of illness. Ms. Tarbuck suffers from ulcerative colitis, associated arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Ms. Tarbuck alleges that a previous compromise agreement, under which the company was to set out how it would enable her to return to work, was breached by Sainsburys. She claims that when she returned to work she was required to operate as a "low profile" analyst. She also claims that John Adshead, the then board director for HR and IT, "told me I had to resign, as 'people like you' [he confirmed he meant disabled people] don't fit in with the swish new offices". She also alleged that on her return to work her desk had been moved near to network computer equipment. Sainsbury's denies the allegations. The case could broaden the definition of disability discrimination to include "disability-related" issues.

Mike Emmott, Employee Relations Adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, said:

"Employers need to keep a close eye on legal cases following the recent changes in the law because the distinction between illness and disability, which was never easy, can require employers to do something positive, rather than simply refrain from doing something."

Flexible Working

Children Lobby for Flexible Working for Retail Workers

Children of retail workers from across the UK have lobbied the Minister for Children to extend the right to request flexible working for their parents.

The junior lobbyists and working parents told Beverley Hughes MP that a new survey carried out by retail union Usdaw revealed that more than half of the UK's 2.5 million shopworkers struggle to fit childcare around their working hours.The survey also revealed that everyday childcare problems, including school closures, family illness, sudden breakdowns in care arrangements and school start and finish times, heap yet more pressure on working parents. Usdaw General Secretary John Hannett said:

Our members tell me that childcare and working hours, particularly during school holidays, cause them real day-to-day problem. All our members are asking for is the government to help ease that pressure by extending the legal right to request flexible working to all parents of school-age children. The simple fact is that retail staff are not asking for the earth, but a little bit of common sense that will make sure they don't have to leave their jobs if they can't balance their work and parental commitments."

Report Addresses Improvement of Work-life Balance

The Department of Trade and Industry, together with the CBI and the TUC , has launched a new report on the best way to promote work-life balance in the UK workplace.

Managing Change: Practical ways to reduce long hours and reform working practices is the result of discussions between the three parties, as well as a series of master-classes in which top-performing companies shared their experiences of creating and running flexible working practices.Although there is no mention of the UK's opt-out from the EU Working Time Directive, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said the report showed a clear business case for reorganising working patterns away from over-reliance on extra hours at work. He said:

"Long hours reduce labour productivity and lower the quality of work due to the onset of fatigue. Businesses are also hampered by the ill-health associated with working excessive hours, increased labour turnover, and a constrained recruitment pool."

Gerry Sutcliffe, Minister for Employment Relations, said:

"One of the key lessons to emerge from the report is that businesses need to make sure they have the trust of their workforce and their active input when considering and introducing changes. A management style that empowers people rather than controls them will facilitate change and make it work in the longer term."

The report lists nine top tips for employers considering implementing flexible working practices:

A strong business rationale based on improving business performance and employee satisfaction is essential
Effective employee involvement will deliver appreciation of the need for change and the willingness to embrace it
Vision and leadership from senior leaders and line managers will drive the change agenda throughout the organisation
Improve employee relations - productivity will improve if employee relations are based on mutual trust and respect
Empowerment - maximising employee input is vital to driving continuous improvements in productivity at team level
Training is often a major factor in successful change initiatives. Improved business performance usually pays back any investment in new skills
Reward - using criteria which reward staff for innovation, quality and quantity, rather than for the hours they put in, reinforces the business case for implementing change
Measuring, monitoring and evaluating enables the reviewing and testing of new practices to ensure they meet the needs of the business and the staff
There is no one-size-fits-all model - changing working practices involves realigning culture and people management practices to boost business performance and enhance the quality of workers' live

Mayor Enters Debate over Flexible Working

The CBI recently raised concerns over the possible impact of extending the right to request family friendly hours to workers with other caring responsibilities. It said while such a move would placate the unions, it would cause unnecessary red tape for employers. The view was criticised by the TUC and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), which said flexible working improves employee motivation and retention levels.

Ken Livingstone has now expressed his views on the subject, commenting:

Research for the Greater London Authority has shown that if the proportion of women in part-time work in London was the same as the national average London's economic output would be 1.4 billion greater every year. That is a loss to the economy London businesses cannot afford to ignore. Family-friendly employment provides the flexible and part-time work to allow women to stay in work and is the way of the future. This is not about placating unions or anyone else; it's about the fact that what is right for employees is also right for business.

Note: The information contained within this document is intended as a summary of selected items of equal opportunity and diversity news and information. As such, it is not offered or intended as complete, exhaustive and accurate reporting of such news and information. Learning4business accepts no responsibility for the completeness of the information, and no liability for actions resulting from it.