Equal Opportunities and Diversity

Good employers seek to ensure that their culture, work, policies, employment practices and service provision reflect the needs of the diverse community at large and promote equality of opportunity and diversity. They seek to involve all employees, clients, suppliers, partner organisations, customers, and anyone else involved with the organisation, in ensuring that 'policy' actually turns into 'practice'.

Equality and Diversity (E&D) has a real place in every workplace and can add significant benefits to the organisation and everyone involved in it, or with it.  Implementing E&D policies and practices can be about good practice and employment legislation compliance, and for the larger public bodies there are also 'targets' (not quotas!) to achieve.

Your policy should be to provide equal opportunities in all areas of the recruitment process, during employment and termination of employment. This will include Advertising, Recruitment & Selection, Communication, Reward, Promotions & Transfers, Performance Management, Training & Development, Grievance and Discipline, and all other areas of the Organisation, and to apply them equally to all employees whether they are full or part time.

There are a number of areas of employment legislation that currently cover Equality and Diversity, including:

• Age Discrimination
  
• Disability Discrimination
  
• Flexible Working and Part-Time Working
  
• Race Discrimination
  
• Religion (or Belief) Discrimination
  
• Sex Discrimination (Gender)
  
• Sexual Orientation Discrimination

Related Topics

Employee Handbooks - EO Statement

Employment Law

Employee Relations

Recruitment