Recent improvements to workplace equality and diversity practice have helped make UK employers more inclusive but we are still some way off seeing good practice embedded in all sectors. That said, nationally, we are certainly moving in the right direction and with continued support of organisations like the National Centre for Diversity, Stonewall, Diversity UK and Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion, there is no reason why this can’t continue.
In recent years, new job roles such as Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Coordinator, EDI Lead or Head of EDI started to appear at the larger employers as they addressed the need for an equality and diversity specialist in their organisation. Clearly, these employers are starting to see the value in having strong equality and diversity leadership in their organisations, especially in light of the poor press high profile failures in EDI receive throughout news and social media reporting.
The need for organisational leaders to take ownership of EDI is still very much in demand because inequality and unfairness in the workplace has not disappeared and as the examples below demonstrate, provided by the Trade Union Congress (TUC), we still have some way to go for true workplace equality.
- Black workers have fewer training opportunities than white workers and black women get an even worse deal.
- Older Workers may have been in the job for longer but this may only mean that the longer you are in a job the less training you will receive.
- Manual workers and/or workers with few qualifications are mainly overlooked for training as those who have a lot of education and training tend to benefit from any training on offer.
- Part-time workers and temporary workers are often left behind when training is on offer as employers place a greater value on permanent or full-time workers at the cost of temporary or part-time workers. Women make up the majority of part-time workers.
- Workers for whom English is a second language may find that the only jobs open to them are manual / low skilled jobs. Whilst some will have qualifications, these may have been achieved in another country and employers will often overlook them. A lack of spoken English is often a barrier to moving on.
- Shift workers are least likely to participate in learning in colleges because of working patterns, or to be offered training by their employer. They may need to be encouraged when learning is promoted and shift times taken into account when onsite learning takes place.
- Discrimination often plays a role when access to job and training opportunities are based on negative stereotypes and perceptions of what people can and can’t do.
JD
The Equality Blog 