Equality and Diversity in the work place: We all recognise the importance, but do we really need training in Equality and Diversity?

Equality and Diversity in the work place: We all recognise the importance, but do we really need training in Equality and Diversity?

The answer from me is yes, we do need training. The reason is that we all come from different backgrounds, have different sets of values and many of us only mix with people who are like us. The employer has a responsibility for staff and customers and therefore needs to ensure that staff have up to date training and skills. Skills are not just linked to the job in hand but include people skills, diversity management, managing own behaviour and prejudices.

In my work, I often come across people in organisations who are aware of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) but do not have an understanding or any experience. Sometime people witness inequalities but don't recognise them as such; they are unable to identify discriminatory behaviour or language that is unacceptable, sometime telling me that this is just banter – it is what is used in their circles and has been for years!

Would we expect people who join our workforce to be skilled in their area of work? If the answer is yes, then we should also expect that they have not just awareness, but an understanding of the impact of good equality practice on business. They should also be aware of the significant cost to businesses of poor equality practice. Training should not be about the “do’s” and “don’ts”; it should be about the business, moral and legal case (notice legal came last!) for promoting, fostering and advancing equality and diversity.

Demographics play a significant part in all of this. In the next 5-10 years we will see a significant shift in demographics in the UK population (we are already seeing this) where women and black and minority ethnic people will be the majority workforce. Older people will also have a stake in the workforce.  Training our staff about EDI is crucial. Training them simply about legislation and laws won’t do. We need to ensure that everyone understands the business benefits, the moral responsibilities and the legal responsibilities employers hold for ensuring that staff and customers are safeguarded from discrimination based on any of the protected characteristics (as well as know their rights).

If we have to ask this question it may be that we need to personally reflect on where we stand on this issue and consider how we can embrace EDI agendas because we know it makes good business sense.

Relecting on 9/11

As the  the 10th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, I am reminded of the day I last celebrated my birthday on 9/11. The events of that day were rolled out on TV and in the media in such a way that I no longer celebrate my birthday on 9/11. What is there to celebrate? I now celebrate it on my mother's birthday which is 9/15 
I have snapshots in my mind of a day to look forward to, racing home from work to celebrate my birthday with the family and friend only to learn of the horror of 9/11  listening to the radio and then witnessing the fallout on national TV.
This was a day where I felt terror and dispair and my heart and blessings went out to the families who had lost their loved ones. These past and present snapshots remind me it is essential that  educators in school and colleges take into account that while our mental snapshots of 9/11 are our own, for some of our students these snapshots have been handed down to them in an album created by others.
Yet despite the fact that these snapshots were not taken by our students, we must realise they are affecting the conclusions students draw about 9/11. We must encourage our students to develop multiple perspectives about 9/11 and draw their own conclusions.

Threats to the Equality Act 2010

In April 2011 the Government launched the Red Tape Challenge, a website which invites members of the public to comment on statutory rules and regulations. In the first two months the Government asked simply whether the Equality Act 2010 (primary legislation of 239 pages) should be scrapped or retained. Of the nearly 6000 responses 96% said do not scrap the Act.

Then the Secretary of State for Equalities announced that the Government did not intend to repeal the Act. This approach, especially when taken with the proposed changes to the role of the EHRC (consultation on the reform of the EHRC closed on 15/6/11) suggests that the Government are considering a significant watering down of both the Equality Act 2006 (which sets out the EHRC’s duties, powers and remit) and the Equality Act 2010. Should this happen, rights to race equality will be significantly reduced.

The Runnymede Trust is concerned about the increasingly frequent classification of discrimination protection as unimportant and a ‘burden on business’, rather than as a basic right. If the Government believes that the obligation to treat people in a non-discriminatory way can be trumped by the demands of business to maximize profits, then it undermines the foundation of our democracy and risks its legitimacy to govern.

The Runnymede Trust Recommendations:

·         The Government should ensure that any person who considers they have suffered discrimination, harassment, victimization or other conduct prohibited under the Equality Act 2010 is able to receive free and `timely skilled advice on their rights and assistance in seeking legal redress.

·         The Government should adopt appropriate provisions to prohibit multiple discrimination and retain the important protection of employees against harassment by a third party.

·         The Government should provide more effective leadership on equality in the private sector, by at minimum not referring to rights to equality and non-discrimination as ‘burdens on business’ and ‘unnecessary red tape’.

Diversity issues in the learning environment

Diversity issues in the learning environment may arise because of differences between learners.

Learners may belong to diverse genders, races, ages, sexual orientations, disabilities, religions and political beliefs.

However, the success of any organisation depends on how these diverse learners work together to achieve a common goal so leaders should foster a respectful and understanding culture in the learning community.

There can be many issues in the learning environment which can be best dealt with through training and seminars

Diversity Calendar

A diversity calendar can be incredibly useful to an organisation as it provides information about the annual cultural celebrations of people from different ethnic and cultural groups.
It enables those who oversee workplace training sessions to keep track of events and festivities of diverse groups and plan a schedule accordingly.
Another benefit is to show respect to people from different cultures by raising awareness about days which are important to them.

Building equality into the curriculum

A curriculum which addresses issues of citizenship, equality, and diversity and includes all learners as equal participants is a vital part of improving the quality of teaching and learning  in  education.

When considering diversity and inclusion in education it is often tempting to consider the areas that are covered by legislation, such as: 'race'; disability; sexual orientation; religion or belief; age and gender identity. However, learners have multiple identities and all learners have aspects of their personal lives that will impact upon the classroom context (such as having to act as a carer for a relative or partner, or having to work extra hours to earn additional money).

An inclusive curriculum not only addresses groups of learners who are covered by legislation, but also allows flexibility to accommodate issues that can potentially be faced by a much larger group of learners. One of the main ways that citizenship, equality, and diversity can be embedded in the curriculum is through incorporating these issues into the content of the course.

This is easier for some subjects than others, but there is scope in all subjects to make the curriculum content more reflective of diversity and more thoughtful about issues of citizenship. However, it is important to avoid being tokenistic.Equality,Diversity and Inclusion should be embedded into the mainstream curriculum, rather than being singled-out as separate from the main curriculum.

The Importance of Equality and Diversity Training

Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) training is an important commodity of the business world. No matter what kind of business you are in, this is an agenda for change and improvement. Businesses need to see the agenda as an improvement agenda as opposed to Political Correctness gone mad. Businesses should be running with the idea of PC – but when we say PC, we mean Professional Competence and confidence and practicing commonsense.

Too often, managers and staff avoid exploring this agenda and when there is an issue of inequality or discrimination they shy away from it by being reactive and looking all the time for quick fixes. We all know that quick fixes and knee jerk reactions rarely work on complex equality and diversity problems.

There is a need for organisations to review their structures, policies and procedure to ensure that they impact on all areas of the business and that staff have not only awareness, but an understanding about equality, diversity and inclusion.

If we are going to change the culture of an organisation, it is crucial that every effort is made to raise staff awareness, knowledge and understanding about what an equality organisation looks like and how staff are expected to behave in terms of professionalism. The agenda is not about being politically correct, but about demonstrating professional competence, confidence and common sense - PC with a difference.

Cultural change involves a sustained effort and a prolonged commitment by all concerned. While delivering EDI training to organisations, I have often heard from a minority of staff vitriolic comments, offensive language and some totally inappropriate views where staff don’t see the issues from other people’s point of view.

What is revealing about this is that most of the time staff précis their comments with, “ I am not racist, homophobic, sexist, but....”.  Comments are often harsh and shocking and I believe revealing about issues the organsiations are not addressing.

This tells me that in some organisations, when it comes to issues of race or any of the protected characteristics, the first time there is an open debate about equality and diversity is in the training session. It is sad that staff feel unable to explore issues of EDI as part of their day to day practice. This is surely an agenda for staff meetings and team discussions. If EDI is not on the agenda, how do we progress the issues?  If staff feel unable to discuss issues of race, sexuality, age etc., the issues are driven underground and you will find staff attending training rolling their eyes, tutting and firmly folding their arms when these issues are raised rather than openly discussing and exploring the issues from different viewpoints.

How can the culture of an organisation be changed if there is not the opportunity for people to share their experiences of inequality, or if the organisation fails to offer real and worthwhile opportunities to challenge myths, stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination and misconceptions?

Training should provide opportunities for staff and senior managers to debate issues and policies/procedures; these polices together offering opportunities for solutions as well as identifying problems

Businesses need to explore with staff their views, needs and issues. They need to consider the future, what will the work force look like in five years time, who will our customers be, etc.

This is an important question because in 2010, only 20 per cent of the UK's full-time workforce comprised white, non-disabled men under 45. Over the coming years, the workforce is set to become even more diverse, reflecting trends towards an ageing population, greater ethnic diversity and more women taking up positions in paid work.

How will you manage?