employment – Page 2 – The Equality Blog

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.

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.

Political Correctness? A Tick-Box Exercise? What is Equality and Diversity?

When leading Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in an organisation it is not unusual to face challenges and barriers to achieving your targets from a common misconception as to what equality and diversity is all about. First and foremost, equality, diversity and inclusion is about people and not a ‘tick box’ exercise to satisfy government/employer statistics or legislation.

Perhaps the most common misconception reported by equality and diversity trainers is that EDI is often said – behind closed doors of course – to be ‘just political correctness’ or sometimes ‘political correctness gone mad’. Political correctness can be defined as ‘the avoidance of forms of expression or action that are perceived to exclude, marginalize, or insult groups of people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against’. It is often the term ‘forms of expression’ from definitions such as this which some interpret to mean jokes or work place banter. However, where someone is offended by your words it is not open to your interpretation it is open to theirs, as such if your opinion, jokes or workplace banter offends people then it is time keep such options, jokes or work place banter out of the workplace. To those who question whether equality and diversity is merely ‘political correctness gone mad’ I would ask the question whether it is acceptable for woman to be paid less than men for the same job, for part time staff or shift workers to have less opportunities in training, for the LGBTQ+ community to face harassment at work or for those from a minority to be excluded from jobs because of a different place of birth? Sometimes, EDI needs to focus the minds of those not affected to understand how a lack of EDI impacts those who are affected and demonstrate how they can help bring fairness to their workplace.

However, even when supported, EDI can still be viewed by some in the workplace as ‘box to tick’ exercise or just another thing on a long list of other things that they are required to do by government. This fundamental lack of understanding as to the need for EDI practices often leads to a misunderstanding of intended actions and their outcomes which in its self often leads to a compartmentalised, tick-box approach. Nevertheless, what we are talking about here is implementing good EDI practice across an organisation rather enforcing a legal obligation on the workforce. It is this perception of enforced legislation that increases the risk of compartmentalisation and a tick-box approach. As such, it is this false perception of equality, diversity and inclusion that needs removing and this is where effective communication, workforce training and raising the profile of EDI can have a positive impact on its acceptance.

Hence, improving the understanding of EDI becomes about the message and vision set out by senior leaders. Essentially, EDI is about people and it focuses on treating all people fairly and ensuring there is equality of opportunity across the workforce. Naturally, isn’t this something we should all get on-board with? Unquestionably, fairness and equality of opportunity should be a priority for every organisation. As a result, the message needs to be very clear that EDI impacts on us all whether we be employees, employers, customers or other stakeholders including the communities we serve. For these reasons, we can see why good EDI practices must be embedded in all that we do.

Leading Equality, Diversity & Inclusion – A Practical Guide for Managers

I am delighted to announce that my book ‘Leading Equality, Diversity & Inclusion – A Practical Guide for Managers’ is now available on Amazon.co.uk as an ebook download for Kindle. The origins of this book come directly from this very blog and I will be sharing aspects of the book over the coming weeks. However, in the mean time, if you are involved with workplace EDI then please take a look at the book, it has a range of proven strategies that will hep build an inclusive culture in your workplace.

The books blurb goes something like this. ‘It’s easy to get lost in the rhetoric of equality and diversity, launching initiatives, giving training and explaining your vision. However, in truth, success is about what impact these initiatives, training and vision actually have. Have your actions made the workplace better for people? Getting traction for your initiatives is vital so that you can measure the success of equality actions. This ‘how to guide’ will help managers and those with responsibility for equality, diversity and inclusion make an impact in their workplace. Firstly, it explores the Equality Act 2010 before examining how you can effectively embed good practice in the workplace through a range of strategies that will help you to build an inclusive workplace.’

The Equality Act 2010 – The Protected Characteristics

Through the ‘Protected Characteristics’ the Equality Act 2010 ensures that it is unlawful to discriminate against someone because of any of these characteristics which are defined by the University of Sheffield as:

Age – The Act protects people of all ages. However, different treatment because of age is not unlawful direct or indirect discrimination if you can justify it (for example if you can demonstrate that it is a proportionate means of meeting a legitimate aim). Age is the only protected characteristic that allows employers to justify direct discrimination.
Disability – The Act has made it easier for a person to show that they are disabled and protected from disability discrimination. Under the Act, a person is disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, which would include things like using a telephone, reading a book or using public transport.
Gender reassignment – The Act provides protection for transsexual people. A transsexual person is someone who proposes to, starts or has completed a process to change his or her gender. The Act no longer requires a person to be under medical supervision to be protected– so a woman who decides to live as a man but does not undergo any medical procedures would be covered.
Marriage and civil partnership – The Act protects employees who are married or in a civil partnership against discrimination. Single people are not protected.
Pregnancy and maternity – A woman is protected against discrimination on the grounds of pregnancy and maternity during the period of her pregnancy and any statutory maternity leave to which she is entitled. During this period, pregnancy and maternity discrimination cannot be treated as sex discrimination. You must not take into account an employee´s period of absence due to pregnancy-related illness when making a decision about her employment.
Race – For the purposes of the Act `race´ includes colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins.
Religion or belief – In the Equality Act, religion includes any religion. It also includes no religion, in other words employees or jobseekers are protected if they do not follow a certain religion or have no religion at all. Additionally, a religion must have a clear structure and belief system.
Sex – Both men and women are protected under the Act.
Sexual orientation – The Act protects bisexual, gay, heterosexual and lesbian people.

The Equality Act 2010 – An Introduction

The Equality Act 2010 came into force on 1^st October 2010 and was introduced to bring together a complex set of overlapping legislation into one simplified and harmonious Act. This new Act brought together previous legislation including the Equal Pay Act 1970, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Race Relations Act 1976, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and additional delegated legislation which prevented discrimination in employment on the basis of religion, belief, sexual orientation and age.

Whilst in general the Act covers employment and strengthens laws to give greater protection to employees from discrimination it does also cover some aspects of discrimination outside of employment. Most significantly, the Equality Act 2010 sets out a requirement for employers to assure equal treatment in access to employment as well as private and public services, regardless of the individuals ‘protected characteristics’, which are listed below.

Age
Disability
Gender Reassignment
Marriage and Civil Partnership
Pregnancy and Maternity
Race
Religion or Belief
Sex
Sexual orientation

These ‘protected characteristics’ represent a defining guide to safeguard employees from unfair treatment or discrimination but in the case of disability, employers and service providers are under a duty to make reasonable adjustments to their workplaces to overcome barriers experienced by disabled people.

Through the Equality Act 2010 employees are explicitly protected from discrimination and bias as well as bullying or harassment in the workplace. Consequently, employers must be mindful of how their procedures, policies and practices impact on their employees and where necessary review accordingly.

In order for an organisation to ensure it is meeting the requirements of the Act it is highly recommended, but not legally required, that an equality & diversity policy is in place, especially for larger organisations. In fact, for larger organisation, the publishing of an equality & diversity policy on the company website will demonstrate that the organisation is meeting its legal and moral obligations towards being a diverse employer. Furthermore, by having the policy in place and publically available it can contribute towards making its employees more comfortable and encourage everyone in the organisation to treat others equally.

Implementing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Good Practice

We need to empower our workforce to be able to effectively challenge equality, diversity and inclusion issues and drive transformative change in their own organisation. As such, Rohini Sharma Joshi, Trust Housing Association’s EDI manager, asks that organisations consider the following four principals:

EDI is about people

We need to think about equality in a different way. [Your workforce] is fundamentally a people business and EDI is all about people – about treating them fairly and ensuring equality of opportunity, so these should be priorities for every organisation. We need to deliver a clear message that EDI affects us all as employees, employers, our customers and the communities we serve. That is why it must be embedded in all that we do.

Cultural change needs strong leadership

Embedding EDI in any organisation requires cultural change. It requires strong leadership and buy-in from the head of the organisation and senior management to take a meaningful step forward. There are several ways to amplify this message and to develop greater understanding of EDI issues including [organisational wide EDI strategic objectives, EDI charter or an initiative similar to] the Charted Institute of Housing’s ’10 by 20’ challenge to meet 10 EDI objectives by 2020.

Engage with other organisations to share best practice

There are often valuable opportunities to learn from a variety of organisations within [any] sector, who also share a passion and commitment to achieving leadership excellence in EDI. At Trust Housing Association, we share our experience as part of our role as founding members of the National Centre for Diversity’s new ‘national patrons’ network.

Trust was the first housing association in Scotland to achieve ‘investors in diversity’ status and, more recently, ‘leaders in diversity’ accreditation. This has enabled us to participate in a wider dialogue around issues that all kinds of organisations face in creating a diverse and inclusive working environment.

There are practical things the housing sector can do to address these issues. We have developed a training programme and we regularly discuss EDI issues in team meetings and with tenants, making it clear that discriminatory behaviour is not acceptable. We also publish case studies in our newsletters that underline the message that everyone is welcome and entitled to a safe and happy life.

Make an action plan – not a wish list

A systematic approach to EDI does not show instant results but instead lays the foundations for change and develops well-informed and motivated staff who help build an inclusive organisation. If there is one thing [organisational] leaders must do to tackle EDI issues in [the next decade], it is to make sure that they are incorporated into a strategic action plan – not left languishing on a wish list.

Workplace Inequality – Why Good EDI leadership is in Demand

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.

Equality and Diversity in the Workforce

Increasingly, the term ‘Equal Opportunities’ is making way for discussions on ‘Diversity’ as this term is much broader in its scope and gets to the heart of the integration challenges the country faces.

Over the past five decades our society has become increasingly complex and diverse. The UK population is growing rapidly and subsequently becoming more diverse and with an aging population. Changes to immigration laws and better health care are contributing factors to the changing makeup of Great Britain and our subsequent workforce.

When asked, staff often perceive diversity as being a focus on ethnicity and race whereas issues of gender equality are often overlooked or misunderstood. Subsequently, diversity is actually a much broader term than a few labels and includes those other – difficult to define – human qualities that are dissimilar to our own perceptions or those of our communities but are widely prevalent in other communities. It is this fundamental difference that Diversity looks to both celebrate and accept alongside our own perceptions.

Whilst recent equality laws have helped to challenge discrimination and prejudice we still face equality gaps in the workplace, some larger than others. In response to the increasingly diverse needs of our communities the government have delegated a duty of responsibility on councils and their partners, including publicly funded bodes, such as the education and health care sectors, to be more accountable for ensuring everyone has an equal chance in life regardless of background.

To this end, in order to meet both government legislation and the diverse needs of our workforce, organisations need to ensure they build an inclusive culture where diversity is celebrated and everyone has equal opportunity. That said, this is clearly easier said than done, so here are six values that can help an organisations better promote a culture of equality and diversity.

Value Feedback – Seek regular opportunities for staff feedback to impact on organisational practices and change behaviours.
Value Experience – Create an inclusive culture by including staff in both strategic and operational planning ensuring they have equal access to opportunities to enable staff to fully participate.
Value Fairness – equality comes when staff are confident their employer’s policies, procedures and practices are fair to all and don’t discriminate.
Value Development – enable all staff to develop to their full potential though equal opportunities for training, empowerment and progression.
Value Planning – make certain that staff resources do not discriminate against any individuals, groups or reinforce negative stereotypes.
Value Collaboration – through effective training equip all staff with the skills to challenge inequality and discrimination in their workplace.