Equality and Diversity

• Explain the value of equality and diversity
• Recognise bias, stereotyping, prejudice and unfair discrimination as barriers
• List the nine protected characteristics
• Describe direct, indirect, associative and perceptive discrimination, harassment and victimisation
• Describe what employers and employees must do to promote equality
• Identify what a good equality and diversity policy should contain

Everything from the presentation, set out so you can read it at your own pace and come back to it later.

For most people, treating others equally and appreciating differences is the basis of being a good citizen and community member. For public, private and voluntary organisations it is essential to success, and many make sure their workforce reflects the different customers they serve. Understanding the difference between equality and diversity is the starting point for your role at work.

Bias often operates without us realising. Some orchestras began holding blind auditions, with musicians playing behind a screen so the jury could not tell their sex, and many more women were hired as a result. The jury had not necessarily been aware of any gender bias, yet they had applied different standards. The same applies to us all in everyday life, including when hiring. By being aware of bias, we can change what motivates our decisions.

We may feel we treat everyone fairly and value their differences, but it is worth asking whether you have ever been guilty of any of the following. Each of these can prevent equality from being realised, and each can happen without any ill intent.

Some stereotypes may not seem negative, but all stereotypes are damaging. So-called positive stereotypes can put undue pressure on people who do not have the traits they are supposed to have. They can also set high expectations for certain people, which can cause feelings of alienation. Avoid assuming anything about a person based on the group you think they belong to.

The Equality Act 2010 came into effect in October 2010. It consolidated and streamlined a large amount of existing legislation, much of it developed more than 40 years earlier, and reformed discrimination law into a single Act. It also strengthened the law to support progress on equality. The Act lists protected characteristics, which are the grounds on which it is unlawful to discriminate against people.

These nine characteristics are very important whenever issues of discrimination arise. It is unlawful to discriminate against someone on these grounds. Note that religion or belief also covers lack of religion or belief.

• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Marriage and civil partnership
• Pregnancy or maternity
• Race
• Religion or belief (or lack of religion or belief)
• Sex
• Sexual orientation

The main types of discrimination are direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation. Direct discrimination includes perceptive and associative discrimination. Being able to tell them apart helps you recognise unacceptable behaviour and policies in your workplace.

Indirect discrimination can be easy to overlook because the rule looks neutral. An example would be giving all female staff uniforms with short skirts, which would discriminate against women whose religion or beliefs require modest dress. Like direct discrimination, it is unlawful whether it is intentional or not, unless it can be justified.

Victimisation, in this context, is where an employee is treated badly because they have made or supported a complaint or raised a grievance, or because they are suspected of doing so. An employee is not protected if they have maliciously made or supported an untrue complaint. Harassment is defined in law as shown below.

Organisations can take positive action to target goods, services and facilities at particular groups that they believe are under-represented or disadvantaged among their customers. This means researching customer needs and then promoting or designing services for that group. It is the organisation's own choice. Separately, public sector organisations such as local authorities, hospitals, educational settings and the police have a legal duty to promote equality.

It makes good sense for every organisation to have an equality and diversity policy. If an organisation had to defend itself at an employment tribunal, it would need to show it takes equality and diversity seriously, and without a written policy that evidence would be hard to produce. A policy also shows employees, job applicants, customers and suppliers that the organisation respects people's rights and values their differences.

• Value the contribution all employees make
• Create a culture where discrimination, harassment, bullying and victimisation are totally unacceptable
• Comply with all employment and equality legislation
• Deal with problems quickly, thoroughly and confidentially
• Treat all employees fairly and with dignity and respect regardless of employment status
• Give equal opportunities, and select people on aptitude and ability in recruitment, training and development

A policy is only useful if it is put into practice. It should describe what the organisation does in each area, for example operating a whistle-blowing policy or a confidential phone line to deal with problems. All staff must know about it and be trained on it, and understand that a breach is misconduct that could lead to disciplinary action.

Everyone at work shares responsibility for equality. Your behaviour affects colleagues and customers whether or not you intend it to, so think about how your words and actions may land. If you see something inappropriate, speak up straight away rather than assuming someone else will.