inclusion – Page 2 – The Equality Blog

Supporting staff who observe Ramadan during the Covid-19 crisis

Religion and Belief is a protected characteristic of the Equality Act 2010, which means that festivals like Ramadan, as well as Easter, Yom Kippur, Vaisakhi and Diwali, and the other religious days and periods, give us an opportunity not just to support those who observe them, but also to learn and understand more about the people we work with and increase our understanding of the communities and patients we serve.

Fasting, in one form or another, has always been important and often necessary part of religious life, discipline and experience in every faith. Many of the key fasting considerations transfer to all primary faiths and practices including Christianity and the sacrifices of ‘Lent’ Judaism and fasting during Yom Kippur and Tish’ah B’av.

Ramadan 2020

This year, the month of Ramadan will begin on the evening of Thursday 23 April and end on the evening of Saturday 23 May 2020.

Ramadan involves a daily period of fasting for Muslims starting at sunrise and finishing at sunset over the month. This means abstaining from food, drink (including water) and smoking. While fasting is an important part of Ramadan, it is also a time of self-reflection and self-evaluation for Muslims.

This year will be very different for staff who are Muslim and observe fasting during Ramadan, as traditionally communal activities and prayer are observed and encouraged. Due to the current Covid-19 crisis, access to prayer facilities, quiet rooms and multi faith rooms internally and externally have been largely suspended. These restrictions may have a negative impact on staff wellbeing during an already difficult period. Line managers should encourage staff to talk to their chaplaincy team for support.

Accommodating religious belief and practices during Ramadan is about being responsive to employee’s needs. It does not necessarily mean extra time off; it is about offering flexibility around existing holiday entitlement, working patterns or break periods. Unlike previous years, this may prove more challenging if resources are reduced due to staff absence from self-isolation and illness.

Similarly, staff should also be aware of the health issues related to fasting, so that they are able to make more informed choices, minimise complications and maximise the benefit of their fast as well as operational effectiveness. Those who are ill with COVID-19 won’t be able to take part in daily fasting, as fasting is not compulsory or advisable for anyone who is ill or has a medical condition.

Frequently asked questions on Ramadan

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic lunar year and is the month of fasting. Fasting is a duty upon all adults and healthy Muslims. In the UK this year Ramadan will start on 23^rd April 2020. This means that no water or food is to be consumed from sunrise to sunset this totals to almost twenty hours per day without food or drink. People that are ill, those that are travelling long distance, pregnant and breast feeding women may be exempt.

One of the main benefits of Ramadan is an increased awareness of God. It is an opportunity for self-purification and reflection and a renewed focus on spirituality; and for compassion for those in need of the necessities of life. Muslims also appreciate the feeling of togetherness shared by family and friends throughout the month. Perhaps the greatest practical benefit is the yearly lesson in self- restraint and discipline that can carry forward to other aspects of a Muslim’s life such as work and education.

Working and Ramadan

Working has a great importance and value in Islam. The importance of lawful earnings is emphasised by numerous instructions of God in the Quran to earn a living through lawful means.

The Prophet Mohammed taught Muslims that one needs to be balanced and harmonised between their worship and work. Muslims have to remain constant in acts of worship, and also to work hard to earn a living and support their families. Prophet Mohammed made it clear that being in a position to purchase day to day provisions from one’s own work is actually a commendable act of worship.

Ramadan should not be used as an excuse for not working to one’s usual level of commitment and productivity and it is important to remember one’s obligations to employers.

I manage and/or work with staff that are fasting, what do I need to know?

Fasting in the summer months is combined with disturbances in normal sleep pattern that can leave individuals feeling more tired than normal particularly mid-afternoon and towards the end of the day. Also, towards the latter part of the day some individuals that are fasting might feel a little light headed.

If you have Muslim staff in your department or ward, it may be worth approaching them and allowing them to discuss their needs and the impact this may have on their working patterns.

If it is operationally feasible an agreement to requests for slight adjustments to shift patterns during Ramadan will be appreciated. For example, many Muslims like to be with their families for the end of the fast therefore may need some flexibility with shift arrangements to enable them to spend this time with their families. To be able to finish early they may prefer to start earlier and/or have a shorter lunch break.

It is very considerate to avoid holding events involving food such as get-togethers which may include food and drink during Ramadan. If it is unavoidable please do not be offended if Muslim staff members are unable to participate in such events. If any training day or a key meeting is unavoidable, any special arrangements for Muslim staff that are fasting will always be greatly appreciated.

It is not necessary for individuals that are not fasting to abstain from eating or drinking in the presence of Muslims that are fasting. However, during the month of Ramadan it would not be appropriate to require a Muslim staff member who is fasting to join you in taking a working lunch for example, or to offer food or drinks

To fast along with Muslim colleagues, even for part of the day, is a good way of enhancing understanding, and can be used as a wonderful way of fundraising for a charitable cause during the month of Ramadan. Ramadan is the month of generosity, giving charity and benevolence.

Many Muslims will endeavour to practice their faith more during Ramadan than they might for the remainder of the year. As a consequence of this more Muslim staff might wish to offer prayers during the day. This will normally be around 1:00 pm and 6:00pm in the summer months for a few minutes each for which the staff member(s) will require a small private area or access to Trust’s chaplaincy facilities for prayer and quiet contemplation.

How do I express best wishes to colleagues and patients?

The appropriate way to express best wishes to a Muslim colleague or Patient for Ramadan is to say: “Ramadan Mubarak”

What happens when Ramadan ends?

The end of Ramadan is marked by the festival of Eid-Ul-Fitr for which some Muslim staff members will wish to take leave from work. The actual day that Eid falls on will depend on when the new moon is sighted. For this reason it might not be possible for the staff member to be very specific about the day he/she would like to be away from work and therefore some flexibility may be necessary.

There are different schools of thought who may celebrate Eid on different days depending on which school of thought they follow. This year Eid may fall on 23^rd May or 24^th May depending on the sighting of the moon, therefore Eid can be celebrated on either days.

Please try to accommodate any requests for annual leave during this time.

The appropriate way to express best wishes to a Muslim colleague or Patients for Eid is to say:

“Eid Mubarak”

February is LGBT+ History Month

February is LGBT History Month! This annual month-long observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, as well as the history of the gay rights and related civil rights movements provides role models, builds community, and represents a civil rights statement about the contributions of the LGBT community.

LGBT History Month sets out to:

· Increase the visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (“LGBT+”) people, their history, lives and their experiences in the curriculum and culture of educational and other institutions, and the wider community;

· Raise awareness and advance education on matters affecting the LGBT+ community;

· Work to make educational and other institutions safe spaces for all LGBT+ communities; and

· Promote the welfare of LGBT+ people, by ensuring that the education system recognises and enables LGBT+ people to achieve their full potential, so they contribute fully to society and lead fulfilled lives, thus benefiting society as a whole.

Why do we use the rainbow as a symbol of LGBT equality?

“Rainbow flags tend to be used as a sign of a new era, of hope, or of social change”. Rainbow flags have been used in many places over the centuries: in the German Peasants’ War in the 16th century, as a symbol of the Cooperative movement; as a symbol of peace, especially in Italy; to represent the Tawantin Suyu, or Inca territory, mainly in Peru and Bolivia; by some Druze communities in the Middle east; by the Jewish Autonomous Oblast; to represent the International Order of Rainbow for Girls since the early 1920s; and as a symbol of gay pride and LGBT social movements since the 1970s.

Today, the flag is flown as a sign of inclusion and welcome. When flown outside businesses, or placed in shop windows, it tells LGBT people they can relax, and feel safe to do what others’ take for granted: to hold hands or kiss their partners, to rent a hotel room together, to book a table for Valentines day, to demonstrate their love without hate. As an image, it reminds us of not only the diversity of sexual orientation but also of the diversity of human characteristics as a whole.

The Colour of Characteristics

Characteristics help shape identity. The flag’s 6 colours represent different aspects of LGBT communities, but the rainbow is also a symbolic representation of the variety of human expression, in all its hues and shades. Characteristics might be thought of as primary colours of our psyche which when mixed together form the different shades of our identities. Our experiences throughout life, especially during childhood, affect the saturation and brightness of those identities.

Building Inclusive Workplaces

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) explain that true inclusion is created by embedding inclusive practices and values into the organisation’s way of doing things. Whilst inclusion can’t be the sole responsibility of the people profession, people professionals nonetheless have a key role to play. They can support employees, line managers and senior leaders to build inclusive behaviours and values, ensure policies and practices are inclusive, and challenge organisational values and behaviours that don’t actively promote inclusion. Importantly, any action should be guided by organisational data and carefully evaluated – further research needs to test the most effective ways to build inclusion.

Explore the areas where you can take action to build inclusion.

Involve all employees in inclusion

All employees need to understand their role in building inclusive workplaces. This involves employers setting clear standards of behaviour for inclusion, treating all colleagues with dignity and respect, and empowering employees to challenge exclusionary behaviour.

What you can do:

Make inclusion relevant to people at all levels of the business; what does inclusion mean in their job role and what they can do to be more inclusive?
Work with employee resource groups to highlight employees’ roles in inclusion, promoting alliance.

Develop line manager capability

Managers are key in inclusion. The relationship they have with employees, and how they carry out people management practices and policies, will impact employees’ opportunities and experiences of work.

Treating all employees with respect, supporting their development and ensuring they’ve a say in the workplace is core for any manager. Managers need to ensure there’s a level playing field for their team, and support employee’s individual needs. However, bias can play a role in the opportunities that individuals are given at work – given our preferences for people ‘like us’.

What you can do:

Examine progression and hiring data to ensure that there’s a level playing field and address any bias.
Embed inclusion in line manager training and development – for example, raise awareness of issues relating to inclusion and empower managers to carry out people management practices effectively.

Build senior commitment to inclusion

Many senior leaders are line managers themselves; they set the tone for the behaviour that’s expected in the business. And, with a drive towards increasing diversity on boards, attention must also be paid to how inclusive the boardroom is. People professionals should work with senior leaders to embed inclusion into the organisation’s way of doing things, highlighting the importance of their advocacy and buy in.

Senior leaders need to:

actively champion and sponsor inclusion activities
develop self-awareness and understand their own biases
role-model inclusive behaviour in their own people management, and in their own leadership team.

Evaluate policies and practices

A two-step approach is needed to put in place people management practices and policies to support inclusion:

Consider the formal and informal mechanisms that can be improved to enhance inclusion for all employees. For example, ensure that there are clear mechanisms for feedback that allow employees to feel like they have a ‘say’ in the organisation.

Create specific policies and practices that support particular groups or individual needs. For example, make sure there are clear policies in place to support individual needs; these need to be implemented by managers and backed up by a supportive workplace environment.

Consider how you can:

embed inclusion into wider people management practices
communicate the policies in place that support inclusion
use organisational data to review policies and practices.

Examine organisational culture, climate and values

Creating an inclusive climate and culture requires fair policies and practices, recognising and valuing difference, and including all employees in decision-making processes. Senior commitment in the form of real advocacy and buy-in is important in creating a truly inclusive organisation. In some cases, organisations might need to evaluate their own norms and values.

What you can do:

Work with employees throughout the business to understand current norms and values; is ‘difference’ seen as positive or negative, and do employees understand their role in inclusion?
Evaluate people practices through an inclusion ‘lens’ – do practices and policies align with inclusion?
Ensure that senior leaders support inclusion, and, importantly, role-model inclusive behaviour and value difference, rather than distrust it.

For further guidance on building inclusive workplaces check out this CIPD report on Building Inclusive Workplaces (Sept 2019)

Transgender Day of Remembrance

On November 20th it was Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) an annual observance that honours the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honour the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester’s death, and began an important tradition that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.

This year, there have been 331 known killings of trans people worldwide that Stonewall and other LGBTQ+ communities and organisations around the world will remember. Sadly, these numbers include the murder of Amy Griffiths, a 51 year old trans woman, in Droitwitch, Worcestershire, in January of this year
Every life taken has its own devastating circumstances but it is possible to observe that the vast majority of those killed are trans women and transfeminine people of colour. The Trans Murder Monitoring Project noted that, of those whose professions were known, 61% of murdered trans people this year worked as sex workers.

In Europe, the majority of murdered trans women were migrant trans women. Many murders of trans people occur in circumstances including poverty, racism, anti-immigrant and anti-sex worker sentiment and misogyny, which deprive some trans communities of resources and protection and make certain kinds of trans person especially vulnerable to male violence.

Sadly, some trans people – particularly women – are most at risk of fatal violence from cis male intimate partners, such as boyfriends. The stigma, family rejection, limited employment opportunities and social isolation experienced by many trans people can leave them particularly vulnerable to abuse in relationships.

In many cases, violence against trans people is also driven by toxic ideals of masculinity founded on homophobia and biphobia. On Trans Day of Remembrance, many of us, whether cis or trans, can reflect on how we can work together to end gender-based violence, harassment and discrimination in all their forms.

Creating Dyslexia Friendly Workplaces

It is estimated that 15% of the population have dyslexia and/or other specific learning differences (SpLD), therefore it’s highly probable that there will be neurodiversity within any workplace. Organisations must commit to being a dyslexia-friendly organisation by supporting staff with dyslexia and/or other specific learning differences (SpLD) by applying reasonable adjustments to their workplace.

Dyslexia is a hidden disability and is therefore a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 which the Trust is under the Public Sector Equality Duty to uphold. As such, where a diagnosis of dyslexia is made then the Trust must make reasonable adjustments to staffs working environment or working conditions to reduce h the impact of the SpLD. For example, if a member of staff has difficulties working with a computer for long periods then a reasonable adjustment might be to ensure that they avoid continuous all day computer work.

Being dyslexia-friendly makes good business sense and embedding this ethos within the Trust benefits everyone; it enables our staff to fulfil their potential and also supports our dyslexic service users and other stakeholders.

Dyslexia is a neurological difference and can have a significant impact during education, in the workplace and in everyday life. As each person is unique, so is everyone’s experience of dyslexia. It can range from mild to severe, and it can co-occur with other learning differences. It usually runs in families and is a life-long condition.

It is important to remember that there are positives to thinking differently. Many dyslexic people show strengths in areas such as reasoning and in visual and creative fields.

Neurodiversity can be a significant asset to an organisation, bringing a diﬀerent dimension to problem-solving or creativity in the way that an organisation operates and delivers its products and/or services.

Alongside meeting legal requirements there are many benefits to raising the awareness of dyslexia in the workplace and creating a dyslexia friendly work environment. It helps to establish an inclusive culture for all employees and ensures that individuals can use their strengths, such as atypical problem-solving and creativity. It means that organisations are striving to support staff, to get the best from them and the best for the organisation.

Creating a dyslexia friendly workplace doesn’t have to involve expensive changes. It often just takes some thought, and small changes can make a dramatic difference.

Things to consider:

Staff awareness of dyslexia, and the challenges and strengths it presents.
A flexible and supportive approach.
Introduction of assistive technology.
Changing communication methods i.e. printing company-wide information on different coloured paper, or in a larger font, or making it available as an audio file.

A dyslexia friendly workplace can reduce stress, increase morale and motivation. This is turn can have an impact on reducing staff turnover and sickness leave.

How can I support my dyslexic employees?

As well as meeting your obligations under the Equality Act 2010, supporting your employees makes good business sense. Effective changes don’t have to be expensive or time-consuming, often small organisational changes can help to get the very best from your employee.

It’s worth keeping in mind that any changes you make to your way of working can benefit all employees, not just those with dyslexia, and may also benefit your dyslexic customers and clients.

Examples of Reasonable Adjustments

The British Dyslexia Association provides the following examples of reasonable adjustments for commonly reported difficulties:

Reading

Give verbal as well as written instructions
Highlight important points in documents
Use voicemail rather than written memos
Supply screen-reading software or a Reading Pen
Print resources on coloured paper, and change background colour of computer screens and presentations

Reading and writing

Allow plenty of time to read and complete a task
Discuss the material with the employee, giving summaries and/or key points
Present information in other formats e.g. audio or video, drawings, diagrams and flowcharts
Offer/use mind-mapping software
Offer/use digital recorders
Offer/use speech to text software
Ask someone else to take the Minutes of meetings

Spelling and grammar

Spell checker on all computers
Offer assistive text software on all applications, where possible

Computer work

Change background colour of screen to suit individual preference
Supply anti-glare screen filter
Allow frequent breaks, at least every hour
Alternate computer work with other tasks where possible
Avoid continuous all day computer work

Verbal communication

Give instructions one at a time, slowly and clearly without distractions
Write down important information or encourage the employee to take notes
Write a memo outlining a plan of action
Provide a digital recorder to record presentations/training
Check understanding

Concentration

Make sure there is a quiet space available away from distractions such as doors, busy phones, loud machinery
Allocate a private workspace if possible
Allow an employee to work from home occasionally, if possible
Use a “do not disturb” sign when tasks require intense concentration
If interrupting, allow the person to pause and write down what they are doing to refer to when resuming work

Appointments and deadlines

Remind the person of important deadlines and review priorities regularly
Encourage the employee to use the daily calendar and alarm features on his/her computer or work phone.

Tips for organisation of property

Ensure that work areas are organised, neat and tidy
Keep items where they can be clearly seen for example shelves and bulletin boards
Ensure the team returns important items to the same place each time
Colour code items, if appropriate
Ensure work areas are well lit

Organising workflow

Prioritise important tasks
Create a daily, dated “To Do” list
Use and share diaries
Write a layout for regular tasks with appropriate prompts for example for meetings or taking notes
Build planning time into each day

Supporting directional difficulties

Always try to use the same route
Show the route and visible landmarks
Give time to practise going from one place to another
Supply detailed maps
Supply GPS car navigation system

D&I Training – Know Your Audience

I am not a fan of the word training, especially as a diversity and inclusion trainer. Too often, when staff hear that they need to undertake compulsory diversity and inclusion training eyes roll, shoulders shrug and attitudes drop. It’s not rocket science to know that we mustn’t regurgitate the same old, tired equality training; instead we should be training for what staff actually need. However, that’s much easier said than done; clearly organisations will need to survey staff to find out what would actually benefit them in their day to day jobs rather than impose generic training content. In larger organisations, especially the public sector, staff surveys are common practice but good practice is to ask staff to self-identify a matrix of development needs where specifics can be recognised and acted upon.

For instance, the LGBT+ community are statically more likely to suffer from mental health difficulties – and those from the Trans community even more so. As such, would front line, clinical, mental health staff in the health care sector benefit from – for example – an awareness of the use of ‘pronouns’ for the LGBT+ community or the importance of not ‘dead naming’ Trans patients. They might benefit from this training but, on the other hand, if they are already aware, they might not need this. Fundamentally then the key thing to effective equality training, where staff are receptive, even evangelical, is not to repeat content, not to provide unnecessary content but to take the time to ask staff what would actually benefit them.

As a diversity and inclusion specialist, I am more interested in what support managers and staff actually want rather than simply putting on training for the sake of it. That support I also write down and publish in this blog on the diversity and inclusion challenges faced in the UK workforce. Though, in a ‘practice what you preach’ moment, I examined which of my diversity and inclusion articles were being read (and which were not) whilst exploring what people who search for diversity and inclusion information online actually wanted.

theequalityblog.co.uk has had over 1000 referrals from Google, Bing and other search engines, with the most popular search terms being ‘equality in faith schools’ and ‘equality protected characteristics’. By itself, it gives a strong indication as to the actual concerns (and the needs) of workforce staff have regarding equality. Specifically, in this case, a need for information on how faith schools can demonstrate equality whilst being selective in their recruitment and how the protected characteristics, as defined by the Equality Act 2010, impact on staff and what managers need to know to support staff with protected characteristics. Interestingly, the most visited article on the website is Ramadan Mubarak – How to Support Employees Observing Ramadan, which again highlights the support needs of workforce managers in supporting staff who observe Ramadan. Subsequently, in the knowledge of what my audience are actually seeking I can tailor diversity and inclusion articles accordingly. In this way the information is relevant and what people actually need to help them in their day to day operations.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion – A Glossary of Terms

Thanks to Jan Lawrence at In-Equilibrium for this concise explanation of the main terms used when discussing Equality, Diversity & Inclusion:

Equality – Fair treatment of individuals or groups, ensuring they are treated equally and no less favourably in areas including those of age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender re assignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity.
Direct Discrimination – Treating a person less favourably than another is being treated, or would be treated, because of their protected characteristic(s). Direct discrimination also includes:
Associative Discrimination – when an individual is discriminated against because of their connection with someone who has a protected characteristic(s).
Perceptive Discrimination – being discriminated against because it is believed an individual possesses a protected characteristic(s). It applies regardless of whether the individual possesses the protected characteristic(s) or not.
Diversity – Acknowledging, valuing and respecting people’s psychological, physical and social differences in order that their full potential and contribution can be realised.
Inclusion – A sense or feeling that an individual or group are welcome, respected, supported and valued in order that their unique needs, working and learning styles are met. An inclusive environment will embrace differences and offer respect both verbally and in actions to ensure that everyone can fully participate.
Indirect Discrimination – Happens when an organisation’s conditions, policies or practices which, on the face of it appear neutral, have an impact that particularly disadvantages those who share a protected characteristic(s); unless whoever applied it can provide ‘objective justification.’
Harassment – The Equality Act 2010 defines harassment as, “unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic, which has the purpose or effect of violating an individual’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for that individual.” Harassment applies to all the protected characteristics except, Marriage and Civil Partnership and Pregnancy and Maternity. Employees can complain of behaviour that they find offensive even if it is not directed at them and they do not possess the relevant protected characteristic themselves.
Positive Action – Is distinct from unlawful positive discrimination (which involves the practice of favouring an individual who belongs to a group which suffer discrimination). Positive action is lawful when an employer takes steps to counteract the disadvantages it believes people who shared a protected characteristic face. Any decisions taken following positive action must then be made on merit (unless section 159 of the Equality Act 2010 applies).
Protected Characteristics – The Equality Act 2010 specifies 9 features which, for the advancement of equality and opportunity, are afforded protection from discrimination, harassment, and victimisation. In alphabetical order they are: Age, Disability, Gender, Gender Reassignment, Marriage and Civil Partnership, Pregnancy and Maternity, Race, Religion or Belief, Sexual Orientation.
Reasonable Adjustments – The duty to make reasonable adjustments is covered in the Equality Act 2010 to ensure positive steps are taken to remove the barriers those with disabilities face so they are not substantially disadvantaged. The 3 main areas organisations and establishments need to consider are:
- To change provisions, criterions or practices which may provide a barrier unless it is unreasonable to do so
- To change a physical feature of a business or premises which may make access or use difficult for those with disabilities
- To provide auxiliary aids or services, which may include additional services, in order to help a person with a disability to either access or do something
Stereotype – A widely held, positive or negative, image or idea which an individual believes about the characteristics of a certain group.
Victimisation – Occurs when an individual is singled out for unfair treatment or discrimination as a result of making a complaint/grievance, threatening to make a complaint/grievance or supporting a complaint/grievance made by a third party.

Equality Impact Assessment

It is vitally important that all workplace policies and procedures that impact upon staff have been through a robust Equality Impact Assessment or EIA. Such an assessment is an internal audit process which is specifically designed to measure whether a policy, project or scheme is at risk of discriminating against any disadvantaged or vulnerable people.

Under the Equality Act 2010 it is illegal to discriminate against an employee because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. As such, without effective review, a new policy or procedure may unintentionally discriminate against a group of employees because they share a protected characteristic.

For example, a new policy may be published which states that hats or head gear cannot be worn at work under any circumstances. However, such a policy would discriminate against Sikh men, for whom the wearing of the turban is mandatory.

In this situation, a robust Equality Impact Assessment would have been able to identify that such a policy would discriminate against staff from certain religions. This type of discrimination is referred to as indirect discrimination and, generally speaking, occurs when an organisational policy or procedure is put in place which applies to everyone and is not discriminatory in itself but it may put those with a certain protected characteristic at a disadvantage.

The purpose of the EIA process is to prevent discrimination and where the assessment identifies a risk of discrimination action can be taken to make the necessary changes to ensure discrimination does not happen. In this way, the EIA is a useful tool to help improve or promote equality in an organisation to help remove barriers and improve participation for underrepresented groups.

In most situations, organisations don’t set out to purposefully discriminate against any of their stakeholders but sometimes a lack of awareness, especially where a policy, process or scheme may disadvantage one group over another, the EIA can help to identify and make changes to ensure everyone is included and not disadvantaged.

Here is an example from ACAS, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, where they highlight how equality impact assessment can make a positive impact to the workforce. ‘One local authority found a recipe for success over its meals on wheels service. The authority was concerned that the food it was serving up wasn’t to everybody’s taste. So it used an equality impact assessment to find out why. The authority discovered that in certain ethnic communities, only a few people were tucking in. So the authority decided to change the menu to ensure that these diners had a range of different types of meals more likely to appeal to choose from. Soon there were many more ‘happy eaters’ among these communities, while ‘white British’ users were also delighted at the improved choice and quality of the food. In this way the authority not only improved its service but saved money as well.’

If a regular audit of an organisations policies, processes and practices is not undertaken then an unintended act of discrimination may remain undetected for some time, that is until someone makes a complaint or is let down by the service they receive. This is exactly how indirect discrimination happens in the workplace and an EIA can be used to identify this early so changes can be made in the best interests of all.

Generally speaking, for an EIA to be effective it must ask four key questions of what it is assessing. For example, if using an EIA to assess the impact of a new policy then we must ask: 1.) What is the intention of the policy? 2.) How is it seeking to achieve this? 3.) Who benefits (and does not benefit) from the policy and how? 4.) What are any ‘associated aims’ (or other policies) attached to the policy and how do they impact? By doing this we can assess the intention of the policy, what method it uses to enforce the policy, who actually benefits from the policy and what other influences are there that impact on this policy, which should help us to identify risks.

The Business Case for Diversity

Increasingly, the term ‘Equality’ (and what used to be referred to as 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 facing the UK workforce.

Over the past five decades our society has become increasingly complex and multicultural as population growth continues, subsequently becoming more diverse and with an aging population. Furthermore, changes to employment law coupled with an increase of the age at which an employee can retire and draw a pension means we now have increased competition in the workplace for fewer and fewer jobs.

As Vijay Eswaran, Executive Chairman, QI Group of Companies, explains: ‘In this era of globalization, diversity in the business environment is about more than gender, race and ethnicity. It now includes employees with diverse religious and political beliefs, education, socioeconomic backgrounds, sexual orientation, cultures and even disabilities. Companies are discovering that, by supporting and promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace, they are gaining benefits that go beyond the optics.’

In the UK, it’s common for staff, when surveyed in the workplace, to perceive diversity as being a focus on ethnicity and race whereas issues of religion, education or culture 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 include alongside our own perceptions.

Vijay Eswaran argues that workplace diversity leads to greater innovation. ‘The coming together of people of different ethnicities with different experiences in cities and societies is a key driver of innovation. The food that we eat every day is a result of this blending of cultures. The most successful musical genres, such as jazz, rock’n’roll or hip-hop, are the products of cultural amalgamation.’

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 – known as the Public Sector Equality Duty – 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 or start in life.

To this end, in order to meet both government legislation as well as the diverse needs of our workforce, organisations must ensure they build an inclusive culture where diversity and equality of opportunity work hand in hand. This is referred to as the business case for diversity, an organisational wide understanding of how diversity can benefit both the business aims of the organisation and the needs of the community.

Celebrate Bi Visibility Day this 23 September

It’s almost time for Bi Visibility Day, and we hope you’ll be celebrating it with us! It’s a great opportunity to tell all your bi employees, customers and service users that they are valued and celebrated, and that your organisation won’t tolerate any forms of biphobia.

Click here to read Amy, Pierrette and Stella’s stories of being bi in the workplace. These are the stories of LGBT people from across the world of work. Some speak of the change they’ve made at their workplace, some discuss the opportunities they’ve had as visible role models, and others explore the challenges they’ve faced along the way. All share the message that bringing your whole self to work is both liberating and powerful.

Bi people are often the forgotten part of the LGBT community. Their experiences are commonly assumed to be the same as lesbian and gay experiences, and their identities are frequently made invisible or dismissed as something that doesn’t exist, by people both inside and outside of this community.

They face a number of negative stereotypes, the primary ones being that they’re greedy, manipulative, incapable of monogamy and unable to make their minds up – the last of which is the same as saying who they are isn’t real.

The assumptions about bi people are also gendered. Bi women are more likely to be viewed as ‘actually straight’, their sexual orientation merely a performance to attract straight men, whereas bi men are frequently seen as going through a ‘phase’ on the way to coming out as gay.

This is why we need Bi Visibility Day. It’s an opportunity to celebrate diverse bi identities, raise the voices of bi people, and call for positive change.

Everyone has a role to play in achieving this: we need to learn about bi experiences and the unique challenges they face; we need to call out biphobia and harmful stereotypes, if safe to do so; we need to not assume sexual orientation on the basis of someone’s current partner; and we need to increase the representation of bi people whenever we can.

But first and foremost, if you want to step up as an ally to bi people, remember they exist, remember the stereotypes and assumptions they face every day, and think of one thing you can do in your daily life to help.

Thanks to Stonewall for this information.