Equality & Diversity – Page 4

International Non-Binary People’s Day Celebrates Gender Non-Conforming People

I want to share an article here by Alexander Kacala – writing for Newsweek – in which he highlights ‘International Non-Binary People’s Day’ and the challenges faced by those who identify outside the gender binary. A recent report by Stonewall, the leading LGBT+ charity, highlights how members of the LGBT+ community are more likely to suffer poor mental health and are less likely to seek help from healthcare professionals. For example, the report highlights how half of LGBT people (52 per cent) experienced depression in the last year and that one in seven LGBT people (14 per cent) avoid seeking healthcare for fear of discrimination from staff. As such, good equality practice is essential in the workplace to ensure that people can be true to themselves and bring their authentic self in to the workplace without fear of discrimination.

International Non-Binary People’s Day is observed each year on July 14. Non-binary, also known as genderqueer, is a spectrum of gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine‍ —‌ identities that are outside the gender binary.

Non-binary people may identify as having two or more genders, having no gender, moving between genders or having a fluctuating gender identity, or being third gender or other-gendered, a category that includes those who do not place a name to their gender.

Non-binary activist Jacob Tobia spoke to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) about the significance of non-binary visibility and pride.

(Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for GLAAD)

“I think that having days where you get to talk about your community and honor the experiences of everybody that’s part of the community is wonderful,” Tobia told HRC’s online magazine Equality.

Tobias said of their coming out: “By the time I used the term non-binary, gender non-conforming or genderqueer to describe myself, it was like an afterthought. I was expressing my gender in a way that was gender non-conforming, I was learning about my gender and started wearing lipstick and putting on makeup… then figuring out what the label meant for it way after that.”

Last year, a study showed that more teenagers are identifying themselves with non-traditional gender labels such as transgender or gender-fluid.

Published in the journal Pediatrics, the research found that almost 3 percent of teens surveyed did not identify with traditional gender labels such as “boy” or “girl.” That number is higher than the researchers expected. A UCLA study from 2017 estimated that 0.7 percent of teens identified as transgender.

Lead researcher Nic Rider of the University of Minnesota said the main purpose of the study was to examine health differences between gender-nonconforming teens and teens who are cisgender, a person whose gender identity aligns with the sex assigned to them at birth.

The study supports prior research suggesting “that previous estimates of the size of the transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) population have been underestimated by orders of magnitude,” wrote Daniel Shumer, a specialist in trans medicine at the University of Michigan, in an accompanying article.

The study also found that TGNC youth reported “reported significantly poorer health” — including mental health — than cisgender teenagers. TGNC teens also were less likely to get preventive health checkups and more likely to visit their school nurse, the study showed.

Many people took to social media to share photos of themselves to celebrate International Non-Binary People’s Day.

Employers should work harder to engage LGBT+ allies, say experts

I wanted to share a recent article by Emily Burt, from People Management, who attended the Stonewall Workplace Conference, 26 April 2019, in which she discusses the need to engage LGBT+ allies in the workplace. The article is both thought-provoking and relevant during Pride Month, particularity if you work in HR or are engaged in improving workplace equality and diversity. What is made abundantly clear by the conference speakers is the need for further support to improve LGBT+ inclusion in the work place and often people are not looking in the right place.

Stonewall conference urges better communication, with 35 per cent of LGBT staff having hidden their sexuality at work

Organisations must work to encourage, support and empower their LGBT+ members of staff and recognise the business case for inclusive cultures in order to drive genuinely diverse workplaces, experts have told delegates at the 2019 Stonewall Workplace Conference.

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Hafsa Qureshi (pictured), recruitment specialist at the Ministry of Justice and Stonewall’s bisexual role model of the year, said engaging people who do not identify as LGBT with the challenges faced by the community was an important part of creating inclusivity at work.

Speaking to People Management, Qureshi said: “One of the biggest hurdles is reaching people who don’t identify as LGBT to be allies. Too often, people assume that because someone is not from a visible protected characteristic, they don’t have any issues at work.”

Qureshi added that it was imperative for LGBT allies to promote inclusive cultures at every level of a business.

“Having worked with smaller and larger organisations, the ones that struggle with diversity and inclusion often do so because they fail to communicate it beyond management level,” she warned.

“The culture stops before reaching the employees who have face-to-face interactions with customers or clients.”

More than 1,000 people attended the opening session of the conference, with the theme ‘Equal At Work’, where CEO Ruth Hunt delivered her final keynote ahead of departing from her role at the charity later this year.

“We sometimes forget that it wasn’t that long ago that being LGBT meant you could be fired from work or denied service because of who you are,” she said, adding: “While it’s important to celebrate how far we’ve come, we cannot be complacent.”

A 2018 survey from the charity found almost one in five LGBT staff (18 per cent) were the target of negative comments or conduct from work colleagues because of their sexuality. More than a third (35 per cent) had hidden or disguised the fact they were LGBT at work for fear of discrimination.

The community has also faced a series of rows on an international scale over the last 12 months, including President Trump’s policy to prohibit some transgender people from serving in the US military, and schools in Birmingham dropping classes that include discussion of LGBT relationships following protests from parents.

In a speech to conference delegates, Penny Mordaunt, Minister for Women and Equalities, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to LGBT-inclusive workplaces, stating: “Organisations cannot afford to exclude talented people, or to limit their potential.”

She said the Government and Equalities office (GEO) would continue to provide targeted interventions seeking to improve the experiences of LGBT people at work and announced that the GEO would coordinate a series of events to gather employer views, and share expertise and experiences this coming autumn.

Mordaunt acknowledged the GEO was asking HR departments to commit to a number of significant initiatives – including gender pay reporting and the Race at Work charter – which were “not remotely joined up or coordinated”.

But she added: “In order to build the businesses of tomorrow, we need workforces that are able to authentically be themselves.”

Speaking to delegates, Qureshi concluded: “Sometimes, all it takes is one person to step forward in order to make a workplace culture feel more accepting.

“I encourage you all to use your voices and platforms to raise awareness for your LGBTQ community. Your voice is more important than you know – and you may say something that a person like me has waited their whole life to hear.”

The Gender Pay Gap

Equality & Diversity initiatives are designed to redress the balance where decades of inequality have led to high levels of disparity in the workplace. Gender Pay Gap reporting is no different and the Equality Act 2010 makes it a statutory duty for organisations with more than 250 employees to report on their gender pay gap, which looks to redress the long standing percentage difference between average hourly earnings for men and women. Currently, the national average mean gender pay gap is 17.9%, which indicates – on average – woman in the UK earn 17.9% less than men. In fact, the Guardian (April 2019) reported that a quarter of companies and public sector bodies have a pay gap of more than 20% in favour of men. However, according to the Financial Times (23 April 2019), Government policymakers hoped the transparency would shame large employers into taking swift action to narrow the difference between what they pay men and women.

What is the Gender Pay Gap?

The gender pay gap shows the difference between the average (mean or median) earnings of men and women. This is expressed as a percentage of men’s earnings e.g. women earn 15% less than men. Used to its full potential, gender pay gap reporting is a valuable tool for assessing levels of equality in the workplace, female and male participation, and how effectively talent is being maximised.

What is the difference between the gender pay gap and equal pay?

It’s worth noting that a gender pay gap isn’t the same as unequal pay. Equal pay – where men and women doing the same job should be paid the same – has been a legal requirement for nearly fifty years. Under the Equal Pay Act 1970, and more recently, the Equality Act 2010, it is unlawful to pay people unequally because they are a man or a woman. This applies to all employers, no matter how small. As such, a company might have a gender pay gap if a majority of men are in top jobs, despite paying male and female employees the same amount for similar roles.

The gender pay gap shows the differences in the average pay between men and women. If a workplace has a particularly high gender pay gap, this can indicate there may be a number of issues to deal with, and the individual calculations may help to identify what those issues are. In some cases, the gender pay gap may include unlawful inequality in pay but this is not necessarily the case.

What is the Median pay gap?

The median pay gap is the difference in pay between the middle-ranking woman and the middle-ranking man.

If you place all the men and women working at a company into two lines in order of salary, the median pay gap will be the difference in salary between the woman in the middle of her line and the man in the middle of his.

What is the Mean pay gap?

The mean pay gap is the difference between a company’s total wage spend-per-woman and its total spend-per-man.

The number is calculated by taking the total wage bill for each and dividing it by the number of men and women employed by the organisation.

Why is there a Gender Pay Gap?

According to the BBC, there’s no one reason behind the gender pay gap – it’s a complex issue.

The Fawcett Society, a group which campaigns for equality, says caring responsibilities can play a big part. Women often care for young children or elderly relatives. This means women are more likely to work in part-time roles, which are often lower paid or have fewer opportunities for progression. Another important factor is a divided labour market. Women are still more likely to work in lower-paid and lower-skilled jobs. Women currently make up 62% of those earning less than the living wage, according to the Living Wage Foundation. Discrimination is another cause of the gender pay gap. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (ECHR) has previously found that one in nine new mothers were either dismissed, made redundant or treated so poorly they felt they had to leave their job. This can create a gap in experience, leading to lower wages when women return to work.

Men also tend to take up the majority of the most senior roles at a company, which are the highest paid.

Who has to publish Gender Pay Gap data?

As stated earlier, it is a legal requirement for all employers (with 250 or more employees) to publish their gender pay report within one year of the ‘snapshot’ date: this year’s date being 31st March 2019. However, whilst all employers must comply with the reporting regulations – for employers whose headcount varies they must comply with the reporting regulations for any year where they had a headcount of 250 or more employees on the ‘snapshot’ date.

What information needs to be published?

The following information must be reported by organisations:

Their mean gender pay gap
Their median gender pay gap
Their mean bonus gender pay gap
Their median bonus gender pay gap
Their proportion of males receiving a bonus payment
Their proportion of females receiving a bonus payment
Their proportion of males and females in each quartile pay band
A written statement, authorised by an appropriate senior person, which confirms the accuracy of their calculations. However, this requirement only applies to employers subject to the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017.

Can companies be punished for a wide gender pay gap?

According to Lorna Jones, Business Reporter, BBC News, companies can’t be punished for a wide gender pay gap. But they might be punished for failing to publish their data, or for publishing inaccurate or misleading figures.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for ensuring employers publish their pay gap figures. The EHRC set out plans for its enforcement policy in December. The EHRC says it will approach employers informally at first, but businesses could ultimately face “unlimited fines and convictions”.

As the EHRC is still consulting on these plans, it remains to be seen whether they can or will punish companies in this way. At the moment, there is no enforcement mechanism in the regulations on publishing pay gap data. The UK government says it will also publish sector-specific league tables, highlighting companies failing to address pay differences between men and women.

What can organisations do to reduce the Gender Pay Gap?

According to Dharishini David, Economics Correspondent with the BBC, gender pay gap reporting may not be enough: the government may need to get tougher. Ask gender pay specialists how to solve the problem and they’ll tell you there are many initiatives that companies can take – tackling unconscious bias, offering more flexible working and encouraging shared parental leave.

However, the issue doesn’t end at the office door. The experts say society needs to change.

For example, schools could encourage girls to take more STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering and maths. There should be more flexible, affordable childcare options. And men could take on more of the household chores.

However, societal change takes time, sometimes a generation, and currently we can report on the organisations gender pay gaps and look for short term internal solutions but overall society needs to change its attitude to gender, specifically in relation to employment, if we are to have pay equality across gender.

LGBT Inclusion Tips for the Workplace – Stonewall

I have recently been working with Stonewall, the leading lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights charity in the United Kingdom, in order for my organisation to partner with their Diversity Champions Programme.

As I looked further into setting up my own staff networks for protected characteristics I came across the following ten tips to help build an LGBT inclusive culture in an organisation via Stonewalls website and wanted to share it.

People perform better when they can be themselves, and if you’re looking to make sure that lesbian, gay, bi and trans (LGBT) people are fully included in your workplace, Stonewall have got some tips to help.

Ensure that your policies are fully inclusive of LGBT people

This includes pensions, family and leave policies, health insurance and relocation allowances. You should make sure your policies explicitly mention LGBT people.

Get people involved across your organisation

This could include setting up a network group specifically for LGBT employees; they’ll help you know where you’re doing well and which areas may need a new approach.

Reward those involved in your LGBT network group

Embed their involvement in their appraisals; make being part of the network a desirable thing to be.

Decide upon a clear strategy and tactics

Whether you want to increase the number of staff who are open about being LGBT, or revise your policies to make them fully inclusive, it’s crucial to know where you want to be and how you’re going to get there.

Engage staff members who don’t identify as LGBT

Allies, as we call them, are a crucial element of ensuring inclusion for all. They can help spread the message that diversity is celebrated by your organisation.

Ensure senior support

Making certain your senior leaders actively communicate their support for LGBT inclusion sends a positive message of acceptance for all across your organisation.

Speak to your staff

Consulting employees – both LGBT and non-LGBT – about what inclusion looks like in your organisation will help ensure your strategy is appropriate and that all staff share your vision.

Understand your staff

Getting to know the make-up of your staff through techniques such as monitoring will help ensure you effectively cater to any needs they may have.

Celebrate your successes

Making sure your organisation is LGBT-inclusive is an ongoing journey, so it’s important to celebrate your successes, whatever size they may be, along the way. Every step is a step towards acceptance without exception for LGBT people.

Become a Stonewall Diversity Champion

Diversity Champions is Britain’s leading programme for ensuring that your workplace is truly inclusive.

Flexible Working for New Dads

The role of the working mum is well-established; however in recent years we have seen the rise of the working dad. Increasingly, dads are making more requests for flexible working arrangements than ever before. In fact, a recent study by daddilife.com, produced in association with Deloitte, found that nearly two thirds (63%) of dads have requested a change in working pattern since becoming a father.

According to the study, modern day fathers are more involved in parenting than ever before. In fact, the study claims 87% of the dads surveyed are either mostly or fully involved in day to day parenting duties. So much so that dads are increasingly putting fatherhood ahead of their careers, or at least accepting the need for a better balance between work and home life after the birth of a child.

Requests for flexible working patterns might include asking to spend a day or two working from home every week. Perhaps so they’re present for the nursery run, or for half an hour of play and interaction at lunchtime. Likewise, the need for flexible working could be for compressed or reduced hours, so new dads can spend more time with their children during those crucial early years. Whatever it is, new dads are asking for more flexible working in record numbers. This is because, more than ever, they value time spent with their young families.

The study suggests that millennial dads are prepared to take drastic action to make sure they achieve a lifestyle that is good for work and good for their families. The research found that a third of dads had already changed jobs since becoming a father. In addition to that a further third were actively looking to change jobs. That’s an interesting finding as far as employers are concerned. It shows that offering flexible working for parents (both mums and dads) is likely to help them retain their top talent.

The study also suggests that, at the moment, too many organisations are letting good workers drift into the arms of other organisations. Specifically, the ones who are more sympathetic to the need for better flexibility at work.

The worry is that not all employers are getting the message. For instance, the Deloitte research reveals that, while 14% of dads have requested to work from home on one or two days a week, less than one in five (19%) have had the request granted. Similarly, 40% of the dads interviewed have requested a change in working hours but nearly half of them (44%) have been turned down.

Dads are increasingly reporting that the greatest life satisfaction comes from being an involved and present parent. Too often though, they bump up against a workplace environment that is sadly out of touch with that sentiment.

Nearly half (45%) of working fathers regularly experience tension from their employer when trying to balance work and family life, while 37% regularly experience tension from colleagues, and 45% with their partners.

Society may be gradually more accepting of the fundamental role that fathers play in creating happy, well-adjusted children, but many workplaces are lagging behind. As a result, dads are suffering because of that, and organisations are too. Unhappy workers are never at their most productive. As we’ve seen, businesses who fail to offer better work/life balance for parents risk losing top talent to more enlightened competitors.

Thanks to Hugh Wilson at daddilife.com for his excellent insight and commentary on the Millennial Dad at Work Report, which I have summarised here, to check out Hugh’s full article, click here. Hopefully reports such as this will lead to greater understanding and increased flexibility for working dads.

You can also check out the full published report by daddilife.com, in association with Deloitte, by clicking here.

Improving Mental Health at Work

We know that work can have a positive impact on our health and well-being. In fact, it’s not a leap of faith to recognise that healthy and well-motivated employees can have an equally positive impact on the productivity and effectiveness of a business.

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week 2019, I wanted to examine health and well being in the workplace. As an equality and diversity advisor I often get requests for information or training regarding mental health and it’s often a subject managers are unsure of or avoid. It’s worth noting that the Mental Health at Work Report (Business in the Community, 2017) found that only 24% of managers had received any form of mental health training. Appallingly, the report also highlighted that 15% of employees who disclosed a mental health condition faced disciplinary procedures, demotion or dismissal.

In the public sector, adverts for jobs often highlight how an organisation has employee health and well-being at the heart of its organisational culture when, in truth, like most organisations they are actually on a journey to improving the health and well-being of staff, rather than being the finished article.

First and foremost it is important to understand that managing health, work and well-being is the responsibility of both the employer and the employee. To better understand the interaction between health, well-being and work it is important for organisations to recognise:

the relationships between line managers and employees
the importance of getting employees involved
job design, flexible working and the use of occupational health

The connection between health and work

Health and safety in the workplace has been with us for many years, most public sector organisations have a health and safety manager, or at least someone who is responsible for health and safety in the organisation. However, the growing awareness of work-life balance has also made us aware of the relationship between our mental and physical well-being and the job we do. As such, for many people, the connection between health and work is often restricted to concerns with physical hazards in the workplace. Employers are legally obligated to protect staff in their organisation by looking after their physical health and safety and whilst traditional health issues – such as noise, dust and chemical hazards – are vitally important… staffs mental well-being is an emerging priority.

Is work good for your health?

Absolutely, studies show that work is generally good for your health and most of us enjoy having a meaningful job of work. Additionally, as a financial reward, it gives many of us a feeling of self-esteem, companionship and status. The Macleod Review, published in July 2009, regarding employee engagement, highlighted how this ‘feel good’ factor is strongly influenced by:

leaders who help employees see where they fit into the bigger organisational picture
effective line managers who respect, develop and reward their staff
consultation that values the voice of employees and listens to their views and concerns
relationships based on trust and shared values.

However, although we know that the benefits of work can greatly outweigh some of the disadvantages; it is also clear that work can be bad for your health. According to Government figures, two million people suffer an illness they believe has been caused or made worse by their work (‘Choosing Health’ White Paper). This can take the form of stress, anxiety, back pain, depression and increased risk of coronary heart disease.

However, there are a number of misunderstandings with work related illness that continue to persist. For example, it’s often said that people in high status jobs are more at risk of heart disease due to stress. However, research by the Cabinet Office dispels this myth. The Whitehall II study, published in 2004, examined public sector workers and found that men in the lowest employment grades were more likely to die prematurely than men in the highest grades. In contrast, higher rates of absence, as well as illness, were associated with low levels of work demands.

Furthermore, according to research by the Confederation of British Industry, non-work related mental ill health is the most significant cause of long-term absence in the UK – and musculoskeletal problems are the second most significant cause.

How to recognise an unhealthy workplace

Often, an unhealthy workplace is quite easy to recognise and will likely share a number of the following traits:

poor management
a bullying culture
poor customer service
high levels of absence
reduced productivity
unreasonably high work demands

You may have experienced these kinds of workplaces – either as an employee or a customer. Sickness absence is often rife and habitually out of control and there is usually very little commitment to the organisation. Where there is an over reliance on expensive agency staff due to high levels of staff sickness or absence can be an indicator that a workplace is unhealthy. That said, in such situations, leaders will often point to a significant period of change, such as a major organisational restructure, as the reason and claiming things will get better in due course. In such situations you need a strong leader to rebuild a culture of health and well-being across the organisation.

What makes a healthy workplace?

Simply put, a healthy workplace is based upon good relationships. On the other hand, promoting a healthy and productive workplace is not just about being nice to each other, although this obviously helps. Positive employment relations are built upon:

effective policies for managing people issues such as communication, absence, grievances and occupational health
high levels of trust between employees and managers. Trust is often nurtured by involving employees in decision-making and developing an open style of communication.

Ultimately, where staff feel healthy and motivated they will certainly:

go that extra mile
give good customer service
take fewer ‘sickies’
provide commitment and creativity.

How can you tell how healthy your workplace is?

There are many stories out there where employers share the great practices that go on in their workplace to enhance employee’s health and well-being. However, in truth, if you want to see how an organisation values staff health and well-being you need to see what practices happen when the organisation is under pressure, whether that be financial pressure or as in the case with the public sector when it is under external inspection. Only then, during such challenging times, can the true value of supporting staffs health and well-being be seen.

Acas, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, believe that there are six indicators of a healthy workplace, these are:

line managers are confident and trained in people skills
employees feel valued and involved in the organisation
managers use appropriate health services (eg occupational health where practicable) to tackle absence and help people to get back to work
managers promote an attendance culture by conducting return to work discussions
jobs are flexible and well-designed
managers know how to manage common health problems such as mental health and musculoskeletal disorders.

Ramadan Mubarak – How to Support Employees Observing Ramadan

In 2019, Ramadan began on Sunday 5th May and will end on 4th June in the UK, and those observing the holy month will be fasting and taking part in religious practices for 30 days.

Working Muslims will be fasting from sunrise to sunset every day, which could be around 17 hours of not eating or drinking every day for 30 days.

Although fasting is usually the primary association with Ramadan, the month involves a lot more exertion than refraining from food and water. Eating your first meal at sunset, extra prayers, late nights and a heightened emphasis on patience and virtue are all part of experiencing the holy month.

Best practice for Ramadan at work

Establish when Ramadan is approaching and who this could affect at work. Muslims will not mind if asked about the upcoming month and without having to be direct, one should be able to know whether or not they will be fasting.
Ensure all staff that work with Muslim colleagues are aware of what fasting entails and how this could impact someone. Fasting 17 hours a day is not easy and colleagues need to appreciate how this can translate into behaviour and working practices.
If shift work is the norm, look at any changes that can be made to offer those fasting the opportunity to swap shifts or change their working hours in a way that suits all parties.
For those in 9-5 roles, consider flexitime options for start and finish times. See if allowances can be made for people to work lunch hours and breaks in return for an earlier finish.
Asking a Muslim to attend a lunch meeting demands a lot of them. Many may politely agree, as will many decline. Be understanding of those that do not feel comfortable sitting and watching people eat and drink.
If welcoming someone into your office for a meeting who you believe could be fasting, simply ask on arrival if they want a drink. If they decline you can be pretty sure they are fasting and there is no need for you to keep offering them a tea and biscuits.
If you bring food and drink out onto the office floor, do not allow it to be placed right next to the desk of someone fasting. If you normally eat your lunch at your desk, try and show some discretion. However, the vast majority of Muslims won’t mind as its part and parcel of Ramadan in the UK.
Make special allowances for Muslims to take a break at sunset to break their fast if they happen to still be on shift. This needs to be ample time to break their fast, pray and then eat properly.
If you have a canteen, try and arrange for some meals to be saved for people fasting so they are not left choice less at the end of their day.
Avoid booking in meetings for the afternoon. If high concentration levels are needed from people, don’t expect this after lunchtime. Use the morning when people are still relatively fresh.
Do not expect people to commit to evening functions. The evenings are dedicated to eating, prayers and gatherings within the family and wider community.
You may find some staff booking of up to 2 weeks towards the end of Ramadan. There is a practice whereby men spend the last 10 days living in the mosque to help intensify their acts of worship. Be accommodating in allowing this period off ensuring it does not clash with company guidelines.
Be prepared for people to take between 1-5 days holiday at the end of Ramadan to celebrate Eid. This has the emotional equivalent to Christmas and is the one time of the year whole families and neighbourhoods get together to share presents and good food.
If fasting team members are working remotely, work out time differences and how their daily routine will impact you in terms of meetings, deadlines, SLAs, etc.
Try and use Ramadan as a platform for greater understanding and improving team dynamics. Why not throw an iftar one evening and allow people to share a part of their lives with colleagues?

For further guidance on best practice when supporting Muslim staff during Ramadan take a look at the original article below from HR Zone.

https://www.hrzone.com/perform/people/ramadan-at-work-hr-best-practice

Equality, Diversity & Human Rights Week 2019, 13-17 May

From 13-17 May 2019 the NHS will be celebrating the eighth Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Week #EQW2019. Co-ordinated by NHS Employers, #EQW2019 is a national platform for organisations to highlight their work to create a fairer, more inclusive NHS for patients and staff.

This week of activity aims to raise awareness of equality, diversity and human rights issues in the NHS and celebrate best practice. As the largest employer in Europe, with over 1.3 million staff, the NHS has a responsibility to remain at the forefront of the inclusion and fairness agenda for patients and staff.

Diverse, inclusive, together

The theme is diverse, inclusive, together and has been chosen to reflect the move across the health and social care sector towards even greater collaboration and integration – as reflected in the publication of the recent NHS Long term Plan. At the heart of the plan is changing culture, with a commitment towards ensuring respect, equality and diversity within the NHS.

Working together makes the NHS stronger, we meet standards, enable change and collectively invest in the creation of a diverse and inclusive NHS workforce to deliver a more inclusive service and improved patient care.

To celebrate the event, my organisation has a range of interactive and informative events across the week. Throughout #EQW2019, we will have a daily equality and diversity bulletin, each examining a different aspect of equality and diversity; furthermore we have a video webinar on the importance of diversity in the workplace as well as an interactive Q&A session with the Trusts own Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead.

Take a look at the informative video series from John Deffenbaugh (NHS Leadership Academy) who leads a discussion panel on the equality challenges faced by the NHS and the steps that can be undertake to overcome them, discussion 1 is shown below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dJB4Hm3zVs

Advancing Equality for Disabled Staff – Learning from the NHS

Workplace equality and diversity initiatives have grown in recent years and have focused on a range of protected characteristics identified in the Equality Act 2010. However, much of that focus has been on Race, Sexual Orientation, Gender Reassignment and Religion. Yet, disability affects almost one if five of the UK population and statistically disabled people are more likely to be unemployed or economically inactive.

Primarily, the Equality Act 2010 should focus our work on advancing equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it as well as fostering good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.

Disability is still often misunderstood, especially in the case of mental health, and getting a better understanding of the lived experiences of our disabled staff must be a priority for employers. Only by having this understanding and input from staff can we actually advance equality of opportunity for disabled staff in the work place. Furthermore, by raising awareness of disability issues we can encourage organisational wide discussion and foster good relations between people with a disability and those without.

Some facts about disabilities in the UK:

There are around 13.3 million disabled people in the UK (almost one in five of the population).
5 million disabled people are in employment, compared to 2.9 million in 2013.
In January 2016, the UK employment rate among working age disabled people was 46.5% (4.1 million), compared to 84% of non-disabled people.
Disabled adults are nearly three times as likely as non-disabled adults to have no formal qualifications, 30% and 11% respectively.
The average income of families with disabled children is £15,270, which is 23.5% below the UK mean income of £19,968. 21.8% have incomes that are less than 50% the UK mean.

NHS England launches the Workforce Disability Standard (WDES)

The NHS has recently launched the Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES) which is a set of ten specific measures (metrics) that will enable NHS organisations to compare the experiences of Disabled and non-disabled staff. This information will then be used by the relevant NHS organisation to develop a local action plan, and enable them to demonstrate progress against the indicators of disability equality.

Making a difference for disabled staff

The NHS employs close to 1.5 million people and so initiatives such as WDES are vital to better understand the experiences of their disabled staff. It will support positive change for existing employees, and enable a more inclusive environment for disabled people working in the NHS. Likewise, it will help identify good practice and compare performance regionally and by type of trust.

What can other sectors learn from the NHS Workforce Disability Equality Standard?

Large organisations need a snapshot of the experiences of their disabled staff in key areas. By providing comparative data between disabled and non-disabled staff, this information can be used to understand where key differences lie; and will provide the basis for the development of action plans, enabling organisations to track progress on a year by year basis. This provides a mirror for the organisation to hold up to itself, to see whether or not it sees a reflection of the communities that it serves.

Who Leads Equality & Diversity in an Organisation?

Hopefully, you do. In a large organisation the leadership of equality and diversity may take a number of different forms ranging from the Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion to EDI Coordinator or EDI Lead. Sometimes the role is a dedicated full or part-time role but other times it might be a secondary role of an existing manager. Frequently, with equality and diversity’s focus being on people EDI leadership often falls to the Human Resources department.

Once in post, the EDI lead needs to establish what the expectations of role will be? Are there key performance indicators? How will performance or impact be measured? What does success look like? What is the vision for equality and diversity? However, it is also worth considering that one member of staff cannot singlehandedly change the culture of an organisation. Instead, the EDI lead needs to be able to form effective teams because only through collaboration and effective project management can success be achieved. Furthermore, skills in influencing are vital because often the EDI lead will need to challenge and influence staff who he or she does not directly line manage, this is where high level skills in communication are essential.

When a clear set of goals have been agreed it is important to put together an effective action plan that can drive changes and the success of which is easy to measure. Targets set should be SMART, that is Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic and Time Bound. By using SMART targets, you have a better chance that they can be achieved because by being Specific you can focus on a and specific need which is easy to understand and not open to interpretation. Then, by making the target Measurable you know you can measure its completion or success. It may sound simple but by making the target Achievable you know that you are not asking for the impossible. When a target is Realistic it gives confidence to those who will be tasked with delivering the target that it can be done and in the timescale provided. Finally, when a target is Time-bound it gives you a clear time scale for completion and it is easy to measure whether something has (or has not) met its time scales.

The action plan below demonstrates the use of SMART targets to implement EDI actions in an organisation. RAG rating an impact column is a quick way to see where you are having the most impact and where additional support might be needed.