Why equal opportunities policies are important

Our experienced employment law and HR advisors can help you navigate through this difficult subject. With expert advice, you can be sure you are making the right decisions. Our experts provide free help, support, and advice tailored to your requirements. Call us for free today on Working for a Global manufacturer provided Hannah with the opportunity to work in America and across Europe supporting HR functions and the wider business.

Call us today on or fill in your details below to speak to an expert. What does equal opportunity mean? What is diversity and inclusion? In simple terms: diversity is the mix and inclusion is getting the mix to work well together. Diversity Diversity is about recognising the difference between disparate groups of people.

The importance of equal opportunity in the workplace An equal and inclusive workplace culture allows all people to thrive at work, regardless of their background, identity, or circumstance. Advantages of equal employment opportunities Having a diverse workforce means that the organisation can offer a wide range of ideas, skills, resources, and energies, giving the business a competitive edge.

This means every individual should have equal chances when: You are assigning job posts pre-employment. You are deciding who will give training to while employed with the organisation.

You are deciding who to give promotions to while employed with the organisation. An equal chance to have their employment terminated equally and fairly.

Adversely affect employment opportunities. Result in failure to recognise skills-based abilities, potential and experience. Equal opportunity examples in the workplace There are obvious benefits to making a commitment to equal opportunities in the workplace. What you need to know. An equal opportunities employer is one who: makes genuine efforts to comply with the spirit and letter of the equality laws promotes a good and harmonious working environment in which employees will be treated with dignity and respect, and who does not discriminate unlawfully against or harass any person on the grounds of: - Sex - Pregnancy or maternity - Gender reassignment - Married or civil partnership status - Religious or similar philosophical belief - Political opinion - Racial group - Sexual orientation - Disability - Age.

What are the benefits of being an equal opportunities employer? Equal opportunities in the workplace is not only good practice, it also makes sound business sense. An equal opportunities policy will help all those who work for you to develop their full potential, utilizing their talents and resources and maximising the efficiency of your organisation. Being an equal opportunities employer also helps to attract the best talent available when recruiting staff. To become an equal opportunities employer you should commit yourself to the above principles and show your commitment by developing and implementing an Equal Opportunities Policy.

This is a policy designed to ensure that an organisation complies with its equality obligations under anti-discrimination law. It benefits staff and potential employees and helps achieve dignity at work, contributing to providing the best possible services to clients. A Joint Declaration of Protection JDP is a document in which the employer, senior managers, and employee representatives can sign up to stating that they are all committed to promoting equality of opportunity, preventing discrimination and harassment and to promoting a good and harmonious working environment.

This can be achieved by letting your employees and their trade union s contribute to the development of your equal opportunities policy. The JDP can be displayed on staff notice boards, intranets and in other prominent places within the workplace.

The Commission has drafted a model Joint Declaration of Protection word doc. You may use this when drafting your own declaration and are free to make appropriate amendments to suit your own particular needs.

An Equality Plan provides employers with a practical and manageable framework for coordinating all aspects of equality work undertaken within their organisation. Equal Opportunities Policy. Demonstrates your commitment — Putting in the time to create a legitimate policy shows that you are aware of issues relating to discrimination, harassment and victimisation and that you are willing to take measures to make sure it does not happen within your organisation. Reduces incidences of workplace conflict— Knowing that their employer stands firm on fairness in the workplace can be very effective at curbing incidences of conflict in the workplace, particularly in instances where the conflict arises due to lack of understanding of fair employment practices.

Boosts morale and increases worker retention — Unfair treatment and conflicts can taint the workplace in the absence of a written equal opportunities policy. Protects you from potential legal action — Companies that do not have an equal opportunities policy in place run a higher risk of getting embroiled in legal disputes filed by disgruntled workers alleging discriminatory treatment in hiring or employment practices. Makes it easier to get funding — All companies are required to comply with the Equalities Act All the forms of discrimination covered by the Equality Act should be mentioned in the policy.

Make it clear that all employees are expected to respect and act in accordance with the policy and that any bullying or harassment in the workplace would be totally unacceptable and subject to action. Emphasise that equality of opportunity exists for all job applicants, prospective employees and current workers.

This means that you cannot discriminate against a person based on any of these particular traits. Take a look at the list of protected characteristics below and consider which of them apply to you and your colleagues:. Try this: test your knowledge of equality and diversity law with our quick quiz. People should expect their workplace to be diverse and offer equal opportunities for everyone. But why is it so important that you include diversity in the core plan for your business?

Diversity helps you to develop. Diversity is changing the face of businesses. In the UK, the working population is aging and there is a rapidly increasing amount of women and ethnic minorities entering the workforce. It aims to help you promote a fairer, more tolerant and more diverse working environment.

Diversity helps you to reach more customers. Does your workforce reflect your customers and clients? Does the workforce match up with the demographic that you serve? Workplace diversity means that your staff members can relate to every one of your customers.

If you have a range of people with a range of opinions then it makes it much easier to target a wider range of clients.