Diversity News Blog

Jobs for disabled workers up 70%

2007-07-20T11:28:00.000+01:00

There has been a 70 per cent increase in the number of disabled workers recruited into mainstream jobs during the first three months of the year, representing a record high and indicative of changing attitudes towards disabled works in the UK.

The increase shows that more disabled workers are finding work alongside able-bodied colleagues, suggesting that employers may be doing more to accommodate disabled workers and exploit the talent that is available.

Bob Warner of Remploy, the company that published the statistics, asserted that positive change is being put into effect in the area of disability in the workplace."

These new figures show that investing in preparing and training disabled people for mainstream employment works," he said.

Mr Warner continued to state that on the whole, disabled workers prefer to work in a mainstream environment where they can make the most of their skills and assets."

Disabled people tell us that they would prefer to work in open employment with non-disabled colleagues and employers are now more aware of the skills and abilities disabled people bring to their business," he explained.

Visit the Remploy website

CRE launches 'Mixedness and Mixing: New Perspectives on Mixed-Race Britons'

2007-07-18T11:20:00.000+01:00

The CRE has today launched a website, 'Mixedness and Mixing: New Perspectives on Mixed-Race Britons'.

On the site, the CRE will be running an eConference from 4-6 September 2007 and is calling for written submissions from the public, academics and third sector organisations.

The website will mark the first in a series of events aimed at taking a closer look at issues relating to mixed-race and mixed families. Over half of mixed-race people are under 16 years of age, with 79% being born in the UK. This is the fastest growing, youngest and most diverse ethnic group in Britain today.

Kay Hampton, Chair of the CRE, said: "Britain is changing and our understanding of ethnicity must develop accordingly. This on-line event provides a valuable opportunity to explore the current issues faced by one of the least understood groups in the UK, mixed-race Britons."

It is through the personal accounts of individuals today that we learn to how to shape the future of racial equality tomorrow.

Submissions may cover anything from research summaries and case studies to personal accounts and fiction. To take part, please submit 1,000 words by 13 August on the subject of mixed-race or mixed families in Britain.

Visit the website

Employers plan positive diversity recruitment

2007-07-10T11:26:00.000+01:00

Employers in Britain are planning to more aggressively recruit gay, disabled, female and Asian workers in 2007 and 2008, a new poll reveals.

More than 215 hiring managers and 500 workers were surveyed for job site CareerBuilder.co.uk by Harris Interactive and 21 per cent said that they planned to enhance their recruitment process for women, 16 per cent for disabled workers, 13 per cent for Asian workers and gay/lesbian workers (eight per cent).

A quarter of employers polled (26 per cent) said that they planned to increase their staff numbers by more in the last six months of 2007 than the first, with nearly 49 per cent of bosses hiring more workers in the first half of the year.

Entitled 2007 UK Job Forecast, the study predicts that job growth in Britain will remain stable until the end of this year and employers will "remain committed to expanding the demographics of their staffs".

Dave Smith, Managing Director of CareerBuilder.co.uk. "UK employers will continue to struggle with a shrinking skilled labour force as Baby Boomers move closer to retirement and the smaller generations of replacement workers falls under quota."

The UK workforce can also expect to see employers become more creative in their recruitment and retention efforts, evident in higher salaries, increased training and more flexible work cultures."

A raft of new legislation protecting workers from age, racial, religious, gender and other forms of discrimination in Britain has highlighted the importance of workplace diversity in Britain.

This story was first published by Adfero

'Ginger' taunts about red hair could be next big form of workplace discrimination

2007-07-04T11:18:00.000+01:00

A tribunal decision has prompted new fears that 'gingerism' could be the next big form of workplace discrimination.

Last week, a waitress was awarded £17,618 compensation for unfair dismissal over taunts about her red hair.

Sarah Primmer suffered a series of lewd and embarrassing comments and was eventually sacked from her job.

Personnel Today research earlier this year revealed 81% of readers thought it was acceptable to tease people about ginger hair.

A culture of 'lookism' is now emerging in the workplace, with gingers often the butt of office jokes, the survey said.

This story was first published on Personnel Today

BBC executives praised for ditching £350,000 bonuses after failing to meet diversity targets

2007-07-02T11:15:00.000+01:00

Diversity experts have applauded the decision by BBC executives to forgo their bonuses collectively worth £350,000, after the broadcaster failed to meet its diversity targets.

The corporation set itself stringent targets in 2004 of increasing the percentage of black and minority ethnic staff to 12.5% and 7% at senior management level, to be met by 31 December 2007.

It said that while progress had been made, it would not meet some specific commitments on workforce numbers.

Sally Humpage, employee relations and diversity adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, said the BBC directors had taken a "positive step" that other organisations could learn from.

"This bold step sends out a message to the rest of the company that everyone is responsible," she said. "Organisations need to set out objectives on diversity and then measure performance around those objectives. The BBC has taken a strong lead where others can follow."

Atul Shah, chief executive of consultancy Diverse Ethics, and an adviser to the BBC, said the executives' action was laudable.

"Commercial business leaders rarely sacrifice bonuses under any circumstances and their remuneration is much higher than that of the BBC executive directors," he said.

But Luke Crawley, assistant general secretary at broadcast union Bectu, said the BBC should go further.

He said: "This is a positive and strong message it is sending out, but it would do no harm for this action to cascade further down the management board."

Mark Thompson, director-general of the BBC, who set up a diversity leadership council at the corporation in 2005, is still set to receive a bonus as determined by the remuneration committee of the BBC Trust.

This story was first published by Personnel Today

Gay students get death threats

2007-06-29T16:24:00.000+01:00

More than 150,000 students in the UK have been bullied at secondary school because they are gay, a new survey found.

Over two thirds of lesbian and gay pupils have been victimised by homophobic bullying, with abuse ranging from verbal abuse to violence to death threats at the hands of students and staff alike. Of those, 92 per cent (143,000) have experienced verbal bullying, 41 per cent (64,000) physical bullying and 17 per cent (26,000) death threats.

The study also discovered that that half of teachers did not intervene when students used homophobic language, using derogatory labels like "dyke", "queer" or "rug muncher".

Catherine, 13, from a single sex independent school (South East) explained that “ teachers join in on the joke’.

Ben Summerskill, Stonewall chief executive, said "These deeply disturbing figures should serve as a wake-up call to everyone working in education.”

"This is a damning legacy of Section 28, which deterred schools from tackling anti-gay bullying for so long. This remains one of the few sorts of bullying about which too many schools still take no action. It blights the lives not just of gay children but of thousands of pupils perceived to be lesbian or gay too."

The Stonewall survey polled 1,145 young people and found that 7/10 of those who have experienced homophobic bullying said it has adversely affected their school work. Half of those bullied say they have missed school as a result.

Ali, 17, from a secondary school in London said, “On three occasions I’ve been assaulted and had to go to hospital to be examined and get the police involved”.

‘People call me ‘gay’ everyday, sometimes people kick me and push me, they shut me out of games during school gym and they steal my belongings, “ said James, 17, from a secondary school in the South West.

Stonewall’s survey is the largest poll of young gay people ever conducted in the UK.

This story was first published on Gay.com

Survey reveals workers take colleagues less seriously if they have an accent

2007-06-29T11:12:00.000+01:00

It’s not what you say but how you say it that may cause judgement from your work colleagues, research has found.

A poll by hearing campaign Heal the World found that 15% of 4,000 respondents would take a work colleague less seriously if they had an accent, while 11% said an accent would influence whether or not they did business with them.

One-quarter of respondents said the Brummie accent was the most annoying, with a Scottish accent perceived as the most aggressive.
People who spoke the Queen’s English were thought to be the most intelligent, while seven in 10 respondents said it carried the most authority.

The Scouse accent was found to be the most untrustworthy according to one in three respondents, followed by Cockney, which received 22% of the votes.

Dr Glenn Wilson, a psychologist at Kings College, London, said: “Accents can play a huge role in our initial attitude towards others. This explains why some people are more likely to adapt their accent to avoid being stereotyped and to encourage a particular impression.”

“There are essentially two components to an accent – location and strength. The location of someone’s accent encourages particular stereotypes and we presume people with stronger accents are less intelligent and are educated to a lesser degree,” Wilson added.

This story was first published by Personnel Today

TUC lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender annual conference

2007-06-28T16:20:00.000+01:00

Several hundred lesbian and gay workers are gathering in central London over the next two days to debate a series of key equality issues at the annual TUC Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender conference.

Delegates attending the event at the TUC's Congress House HQ will hear speeches from TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber, Commission for Equality and Human Rights Chair Trevor Phillips and MP Angela Eagle.

Motions to be discussed by delegates include the portrayal of lesbian and gay people in the media, the monitoring of sexuality in the workplace and the potential conflict between religious belief and sexual orientation.

Addressing the conference today (Thursday), TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'Sometimes it's easy to forget just how far we've come in the past decade. Ten years ago, gay rights were seen as a minority pursuit - now they're part of the political mainstream. Ten years ago, the debate was about Section 28 - now we celebrate civil partnerships. And ten years ago, discrimination against the gay community in the provision of goods and services was quite legal - now, at long last, it has been outlawed.

'But as we celebrate that progress, we cannot afford to relax our guard. This is not the time for us to take of eye of the ball. Despite all the legal gains - despite our largely liberal, tolerant society - the ugly scar of homophobia continues to blight the lives of so many people in your community. The young student bullied at college, the lesbian taunted about her sexuality, the gay couple hounded from their home.

'However welcome they may be, changes on the statute book count for little unless they are matched by a corresponding change in attitudes. Think about our workplaces. We know from our own research that four in ten LGBT workers have faced abuse at work because of their sexuality.

'And let's not forget the challenges faced by LGBT people worldwide. From the casual murder of gay men in Jamaica to state-sponsored persecution in Iran, from the alarming rise in homophobia in Russia to the death squads of Iraq, members of your community are under attack as never before. None of us can afford to turn a blind eye - an injury to one is an injury to all. But where there is discrimination, unions will seek to remove it. Where there is inequality, we will tackle it. And where there is injustice, we will wage war on it.'

Wimbledon pays women equally - but will Gordon Brown?

2007-06-26T16:17:00.000+01:00

The Fawcett Society today issued a challenge to the new prime minister to be the first to ensure that women and men in the UK are equally rewarded for their work.

Although equal pay legislation has been in force for more than 30 years, there's still a pay gap women working full-time still earn on average 17% less per hour than men working full-time, and women working part-time earn 38% less.

Dr Katherine Rake said: “Women tennis players are finally enjoying equal pay at Wimbledon – it’s time for Gordon Brown to give all women a sporting chance and finally end the pay gap. The ball’s in his court.”

Practical steps to end the pay gapAs the leading campaign for equality between women and men, Fawcett has set out the practical measures that Government could take to end the pay gap. These include:

Safeguards: Compulsory pay audits for all organisations
Bold ambitions: The Government to set dates for finally closing the pay gap
Tackle long hours: Full sign-up to the EU’s Working Time Directive and other steps to tackle our long hours working culture, which limits the ability of women with caring responsibilities to compete on an equal basis with men.
Include men: Government and employers to encourage men - not just women - to engage with work-life balance issues.
New rights: a right to work flexibly for all employees, unless there is a strong business case against it

Research by Capital Consulting and Cranfield School of Management reveals UK companies are failing to develop top people

2007-06-26T16:15:00.000+01:00

Training and development experts have championed the importance of talent management after a new report found more than half of UK businesses are failing to develop their top people.

Research by recruitment outsourcing provider Capital Consulting and Cranfield School of Management, found that only 49% of UK businesses had implemented talent development programmes.

Having questioned 608 HR directors, the research pointed to a lack of financial investment and insufficient senior management support as the main obstacles to talent development.

It found that while six in 10 respondents said talent management was essential to increasing profit, only four in 10 strategically managed their star talent. One in five did not link the strategy to their business plan, while only 15% measured the return on investment.

Victoria Winkler, training, learning and development adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, told Personnel Today she was not surprised by the findings. However, she believed that skills awareness was growing, and was not only on the agenda of HR departments, but also chief executives and finance directors.

"HR teams need to put a talent management structure in place to get the most out of their employees," she said. "It can have a major impact on the bottom line and retaining staff."

Jeremy Tipper, group managing director of Capital Consulting, said: "Creating an effective talent management framework has the potential to make HR directors organisational heroes because of the ever-growing impact it will have on business performance."

Dr Emma Parry, research fellow at Cranfield School of Management, said the report should serve as a wake-up call to employers. "The disconnect between what senior managers are saying and what they are doing is very worrying," she said.

Suppliers with poor diversity records will fail in public sector procurement battle

2007-06-25T11:09:00.000+01:00

Government proposals to increase equality in the multi-billion pound public sector procurement process will see suppliers with poor diversity records shoved to the bottom of the pile, according to legal experts.

The Discrimination Law Review, published earlier this month, stressed that in carrying out procurement, public authorities must have regard to the need to eliminate discrimination and promote equality.

With public sector procurement in the UK worth more than £125bn a year, public authorities represent a major customer base.

Earlier this year, Personnel Today exclusively revealed that technology giant Microsoft ditched a supplier with a poor attitude towards diversity. The company's HR director Dave Gartenberg said: "In one case, we changed provider because they were cavalier towards the topic. They were supplying a perfectly good service, but we stopped using them."

Sandra Wallace, head of equality and diversity at law firm DLA Piper, said: "Companies with a strong equality and diversity record will have an immediate advantage when bidding for contracts.

"Just as the Microsoft case highlighted, the Green Paper confirms that companies that fail to recognise the importance of good diversity practice are placing themselves at a competitive disadvantage."

Critics have argued that firms with poor diversity performance should be excluded from bidding for contracts altogether. But Wallace said the government was unlikely to go that far.
"There is a debate as to whether a simple breach of discrimination law should disqualify a company from tendering for public contracts," she said. "What is more likely to emerge is practical guidance on how to factor equality into the procurement process."

The CBI said employers recognised procurement could be a "highly effective tool" for encouraging equality, as long as contracts focused on results, and not on "box-ticking".

This story was first published by Personnel Today

Suppliers with poor diversity records will fail in public sector procurement battle

2007-06-22T16:12:00.000+01:00

Government proposals to increase equality in the multi-billion pound public sector procurement process will see suppliers with poor diversity records shoved to the bottom of the pile, according to legal experts.

The Discrimination Law Review, published earlier this month, stressed that in carrying out procurement, public authorities must have regard to the need to eliminate discrimination and promote equality.

With public sector procurement in the UK worth more than £125bn a year, public authorities represent a major customer base.

Earlier this year, Personnel Today exclusively revealed that technology giant Microsoft ditched a supplier with a poor attitude towards diversity. The company's HR director Dave Gartenberg said: "In one case, we changed provider because they were cavalier towards the topic. They were supplying a perfectly good service, but we stopped using them."

Sandra Wallace, head of equality and diversity at law firm DLA Piper, said: "Companies with a strong equality and diversity record will have an immediate advantage when bidding for contracts.

"Just as the Microsoft case highlighted, the Green Paper confirms that companies that fail to recognise the importance of good diversity practice are placing themselves at a competitive disadvantage."

Critics have argued that firms with poor diversity performance should be excluded from bidding for contracts altogether. But Wallace said the government was unlikely to go that far.

"There is a debate as to whether a simple breach of discrimination law should disqualify a company from tendering for public contracts," she said. "What is more likely to emerge is practical guidance on how to factor equality into the procurement process."

The CBI said employers recognised procurement could be a "highly effective tool" for encouraging equality, as long as contracts focused on results, and not on "box-ticking".

Story first published in Personnel Today

Remploy HR director hits back at claims she should resign over her handling of the factory closure announcements

2007-06-19T16:10:00.000+01:00

Remploy's HR director has hit back at union jibes that she should resign over the way her team handled the announcement of factory closures.

Last week the GMB union, which represents the majority of workers at Remploy, accused the HR team of mismanaging the announcement by using DVDs and failing to answer questions.

About 2,500 mainly disabled staff will be affected when 32 manufacturing sites are closed and 11 are merged with others. But Anne Jessopp, executive director of HR at Remploy, said the union's reaction was "very disappointing".

"We would rather the union wasn't making these kinds of comments, but it's our job to get on with things," she said.

Jessopp rejected the GMB's accusations of mismanagement by the HR team.

"We communicated with employees using [sign language] DVDs, on-site signers, face-to-face, and with leaflets and letters," she told Personnel Today. "Then we took staff into smaller groups and answered any questions they had."

She said professional counsellors were on hand to provide support, as well as senior managers, and a staff helpline had been set up.

Jessopp guaranteed there would be no compulsory redundancies among disabled staff, who would have the option to work for local employers on their existing terms and conditions.

Last week the GMB voted for industrial action at Remploy's factories. Jessopp described the decision as "premature", and said it would have a detrimental effect on the organisation's customers. A meeting between management and the union consortium is scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday).

Former Remploy HR director hits out

The decision to close factories has been criticised by Remploy's former HR director Ray Fletcher. In a letter to the Guardian last week, Fletcher said the closure would "narrow the options" open to disabled people who want to enter the workplace.

Fletcher is now HR director at the Unite 'super-union' - which also represents Remploy workers - so perhaps should declare a vested interest.

This story was first published in Personnel Today

Government calls on employers to hire more disabled people and help aid their social inclusion

2007-06-11T16:06:00.001+01:00

The government has called on employers to hire more disabled people and help aid their social inclusion.

Employers can play a key role in ensuring that disabled people are able to play a full part in society through employment by preventing ill-health and injury, and providing appropriate support in the workplace.

Department for Work and Pensions minister Lord McKenzie said today: “Increasing the number of disabled people in mainstream employment has the potential to tear down the last barriers to social inclusion for disabled people.

“Just as important as getting disabled people into work is keeping people in work and preventing them from falling out of work in the first place.”

McKenzie said he wanted to see employers develop supportive cultures that allow staff with health problems and impairments to work, making the necessary adjustments to help them do so.

“Mostly these adjustments will be neither as difficult nor as expensive as people think. But clearly we have an important job ahead to engage, educate and support employers,” he said.

This story was first published in Personnel Today

Investing in disabled people’s skills could boost the economy by £35 billion

2007-06-11T16:06:00.000+01:00

Improving the skills of disabled people to world class levels by 2020 would boost the economy by £35 billion over 30 years, equivalent to 18 months growth, and help tackle child poverty, argues SMF Chief Economist Stephen Evans in a new report, Disability, Skills and Work: Raising our ambitions, published by the Social Market Foundation in association with the Disability Rights Commission.

The report argues that, as well as the benefits from raising the skills rate of disabled people to world class levels, improving the employment rate of disabled people to the UK average through skills improvements would give a boost to the economy of some £13 billion, equivalent to six months economic growth.

To achieve this prize Disability, Skills and Work recommends:
• A national commitment to reducing the relative skills gap between disabled people and the national average
• Employers be required to take greater responsibility, aided by improved support, but backed by tough new legal duties if progress falls short
• Out of work disabled people be given much greater opportunity to improve their skills as a route back to work

These proposals would not only result in increased productivity and employment, but also help tackle poverty, in particular child poverty.

Children from deprived backgrounds often risk becoming trapped in a cycle of disadvantage. Given one in three children living in poverty in Britain has a disabled parent, the report contends that transforming the employment prospects of disabled people by investing in their skills must be a central part of the Governments efforts to end child poverty by 2020.

Commenting, author of the report, Stephen Evans said:

“The size of the challenge is daunting. But the scale of the prize is huge and the cost of inaction is mounting by the day through wasted talent. The past decade has shown how empowering disabled people and supporting employers can work. The next decade needs to see a step change in this approach and a dramatic boost to the skills of disabled people.”

Agnes Fletcher, Director of Policy and Communications at the Disability Rights Commission, said:

“Despite rising levels of employment for disabled people over recent years, too many are still without jobs and living in poverty as a result. Supplying disabled people with the skills they need is the missing link between ending child poverty, boosting the economy and getting more people off benefits and back into work. As this report shows, investing in disabled people’s skills is a win/win situation for Government, creating massive dividends for the economy and delivering greater equality at the same time.”

International Day Against Homophobia

2007-05-17T08:13:00.000+01:00

Today is the International Day against homophobia.

The openly gay Liberal Democrat MP Steven Williams will be welcoming organisers of International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) events and their supporters at a meeting in the House of Commons.

The MP for Bristol West, who has already tabled a House of Commons Early Day Motion in support of IDAHO, will speak, along with Jason Pollock, executive director of Pride London who will explain the links with Riga Pride.

Other speakers include Maeve McGoldrick of the British Youth Council who will talk about threat to LGBT rights in Poland, and Joseph Healy of the Green Party who will talk about campaigns in Eastern Europe.

It is expected that several MPs will attend the meeting, indeed there is a rumour that a very prominent MP may look in, although Derek Lennard, IDAHO-UK organiser explained that in the event of this happening, he would presume it was Rory Bremner the impressionist.

Certainly the UK government has shown great interest in IDAHO this year. The joint statement of support by Ian McCartney and Meg Munn issued in April has boosted the IDAHO campaign worldwide with Louis-Georges Tin, IDAHO’s founder stating to IDAHO organisers that “it will bring hope and light in the world for all who support human rights”.

Support has also been strong from other political parties.

“There is much to celebrate this year on IDAHO,” said Eleanor Laing, Tory Shadow Minister for Women and Equality.

Eleanor Laing, Tory Shadow Minister for Women and Equality said “There is much to celebrate this year on IDAHO.

The passing of the Equality Act with its provisions to stop discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation is a vast step forward. Regardless of party political persuasion, attitudes are changing and I have every confidence that we are progressing towards a day when homophobia will be a thing of the past”.
The Liberal Democrat spokesperson for women and equality, Lorely Burt, said that homophobia and transphobia “ruined the lives of gay, bisexual and transgender people in the UK and around the world”.

“These prejudices can ruin a teenager’s education, lead to grotesque bullying at work, and are the source of discriminatory Government policies worldwide which ignore the problems LGBT people face or make these problems worse. It is imperative that these prejudices are urgently and proactively tackled, therefore the Liberal Democrats warmly and fully support the International Day Against Homophobia, she said.

Caroline Lucas, the Green Party MEP called for the United Nations to address the situation.

“It is time the UN condemned such injustice and set a signal to the governments of the world that the persecution of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people is a violation of fundamental human rights”.
The main point of this evening’s meeting is for campaigners to take stock of the highly successful national campaign which IDAHO-UK has become, with more than 80 events covering all of the country, and with support still growing, UK coordinator Derek Lennard said.

“Organisers of events in London, Surrey and Brighton will describe their IDAH0 events and why they organised them. One of the latest developments in the campaign was the news that the Queer Action Network special poster to celebrate IDAHO has been distributed to 2,500 schools and youth projects.

IDAHO-UK website

Communication style defines difference between how men and women work

2007-04-27T18:29:00.000+01:00

The commissioner for Public Appointments has highlighted the contrast in leadership and communication styles between men and women.

Speaking at the annual dinner of City Women’s Network Janet Gaymer said: “Men often prosper in hierarchical organisations, women in smaller groups.” Launched in 1978, City Women’s Network is a member group for senior business and professional women.

Gaymer called on women’s networks to put talent retention, the gender pay gap and a new contract at work at the top of their agendas. “Women have seen so many improvements. But there is plenty more to do. It is time to take networking to a new level,” she concluded.

Lesbian and gay trends in the City

2007-04-26T18:27:00.000+01:00

On the day the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) regulations come into force new research indicates how far the City has moved to overcome its traditional image as an inhospitable environment for gay and lesbian employees.

London is the unrivalled gay and lesbian capital of Europe and also the continent’s leading financial centre. The government estimates that 6% of the UK population is lesbian or gay. London’s population is nearer 10%, thanks to thriving gay scene.

Research carried out by financial services recruiter Joslin Rowe, surveyed 3,676 candidates for City roles and collated information on sexuality for diversity monitoring purposes over the last two years.

Two years ago, 5.9% of respondents anonymously identified themselves as gay or lesbian, but this had risen to 8.2% in the last twelve months as legislative changes and a diversity drive in the financial services industry encouraged more applicants.

These figures indicate that out of the 900,000 people working in banking, finance, and insurance in London, 73,800 are gay or lesbian.

Tara Ricks, Managing Director of Joslin Rowe Associates said: ‘Traditionally the City was perceived as white, heterosexual and male – which put off many gay and lesbian applicants."

"As a result, the proportion of gay and lesbian workers was far below the national average ten years ago - but it was extremely rare for firms to monitor their own performance in this area so it is difficult to benchmark quite how bad the situation was. Times have changed and diversity is now at the centre of recruitment and human resources policy."

"The City knows it must attract the best talent from all walks of life. Many firms now actively target gay undergraduates, for example, something that was not the case five or ten years ago. The trend has now seen City firms grow the proportion of their staff who are gay – up to 8.2% of the workforce and overtaking the current national average of 5.9%."

‘All the major investment banks now have gay networking groups and large sponsorship deals at gay events across the City . Across the industry, organisations such as Out in the City, the Interbank Gay and Lesbian Network and City Pink (which targets women only) provide opportunities for gay and lesbian employees to meet and mix. None of this existed five years ago. What’s more, investment banks now come top of Stonewall’s Corporate Equality Index as the best place to work for homosexual employees. Indeed, nine of the Top 25 organisations in the country are City firms .’

Although the City has narrowed the gap in the last four years, it still has some way to go.

There are 16,000 fewer gay or lesbian employees in the industry compared to the mix in London’s general population.

Furthermore, the extent to which people are ‘out’ in their firms is far smaller than the number who privately acknowledge that they are homosexual.

Arguably, City workers are more likely to keep their own counsel than those in other industries like the media with a traditionally more open attitude. This is particularly so for women. In Joslin Rowe’s research, women in the City were far less likely to identify themselves (even anonymously) than men as homosexual.

Tara Ricks said: ‘The City has made huge strides in recent years, but is still a challenging and competitive place to work. The reluctance of women to come out as lesbians possibly reflects the fact that women already feel they have to fight hard to maintain equality with men.’

‘Of course there is no reason why people should disclose their sexuality at work - it is irrelevant to their ability to do the job. In an ideal world we wouldn’t be counting anyone. But these are not exercises designed to label people. They have been created as positive tools to measure and encourage progress - rather than relying on mere compliance to drive change.’

This story was first published by Gay.com

Police chiefs have to prove all-white is not all right for applicants

2007-04-25T18:24:00.000+01:00

Police chiefs have admitted they face a massive task convincing officers of the merits of plans to push job applications from white males to the bottom of the pile.

The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) has called for a change in the law so that "priority could be given to minority ethnic and female applicants".
Liz Owsley, national co-ordinator for the British Association for Woman in Policing, said she hoped the government would take steps as soon as the autumn.

She said the official response to the Trevor Phillips-chaired Equalities Review later this year should welcome 'affirmative action' - but conceded that many officers were against it.

"I hope the government is open to some sort of discussion along these lines," she told Personnel Today. "It would be a blow if it was not.

"Acpo is hoping to educate people within the force, because there is a defensiveness there which comes from not understanding what [affirmative action] is all about," she said.

The Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, slammed the proposal, saying it went beyond positive action.

Chairwoman Jan Berry said: "These new proposals could be counter-productive. All officers, including black and female officers, want to be recognised for their skills and abilities rather than receiving preferential treatment."

The Police Service is under pressure to meet a Home Office target of 7% of officers coming from non-white backgrounds by 2009.

This story was first published in Personnel Today

Commission for Equality and Human Rights recruits key posts, including HR director

2007-04-24T18:22:00.000+01:00

The Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) is ramping up its recruitment ahead of the body’s official start date in October this year.

The commission will enforce legislation on age, disability, gender, race, religion and sexual orientation, combining the current work of the commissions for racial equality commissions for racial equality, disability and equal opportunities.

The organisation is setting up a senior management team to work under new chief executive Nicola Brewer.

CEHR is advertising for an HR director and other senior positions, including directors of finance, communications, law and strategy.

According to the advert, the HR director’s initial focus will be more operational. But candidates will need to have the ability to take “a more strategic view” of HR issues and shift to a more strategic focus once line management responsibilities are established.

Chairman of the CEHR Trevor Phillips has repeatedly called for a change in the law to allow employers to take “special measures” in favouring ethnic minority job applicants.

In a speech last year he said: “We have to consider whether, when there is a clear public need, we must allow our institutions - even if temporarily - to take special measures with the aim of integrating their workforces faster than would otherwise be the case.”

This story was first published in Personnel Today

More work needed to deliver age diversity in workplace

2007-04-23T18:09:00.000+01:00

Six months on from the introduction of age discrimination legislation, UK employers and workers must work harder to build a truly age diverse workplace and to combat age discrimination according to Manpower.

Manpower believes this is of increasing importance as an ageing workforce, a shrinking labour market and growing talent shortage impact the UK’s ability to compete.

The call for action comes as Manpower releases findings from research of over 1,800 employers that shows that despite being more aware of the need to develop an age diverse workforce, few employers are taking proactive steps to ensure they have the formal processes in place to deliver this: only 24% of employers have developed strategies to retain older workers and only 13% have a strategy to attract such workers.

The research reveals that larger employers are significantly more likely to have developed strategies than smaller organisations: 49% of large employers have developed a retention strategy compared to 19% of micro-sized firms and 29% of small companies.

Manpower research also reveals a disparity between the mindset of employers and workers: 52% of employers increasingly expect their workforce to work beyond the age of 65 whilst just 35% of workers believe they will need to supplement their pension.

Mark Cahill, managing director of Manpower UK, says: “The world of work is changing - increased competition, the need to adapt to new technology, a shortage of skills – and employers and workers must recognise these changes and adapt. Older workers provide a valuable skills resource and one which enlightened employers are embracing. To make the most of an age diverse workforce, employers must ensure they have the right processes in place to encourage and support workers at both ends of the age spectrum – providing specialised training and flexible working opportunities, for example.”

Manpower research conducted at the end of 2006 shows that the introduction of the Government’s Employment Equality (Age) Regulations has had a positive impact on employee awareness with 36% of employers believing this has helped raise awareness of age discrimination in their workplace. Large employers (68%) are the most likely to report an increase in awareness with Utilities companies (48%) demonstrating the most impact on their business. Employers in the South West (48%) noted the greatest change whilst those in the East Midlands the least (24%).

Some employers may not have a formal policy promoting age diversity because they do not yet recognise the extent of the need to make the changes needed to attract older workers and to encourage them to work for longer. Or it may be that they feel this balance will right itself without specific intervention.

Mark Cahill continues: “Some attitudes towards age and diversity have changed, but it is clear there still needs to be increased understanding and awareness of the issues around age diversity from employers and workers alike. These attitudes will not change overnight. But with communication, training and a commitment from all involved, we can effect a serious and lasting change.”

Today’s survey announcement coincides with the publication of a new Manpower White Paper, “The New Agenda for an Older Workforce”. The White Paper explores the increasing reality of the global ageing workforce, resulting gaps in workforce supply, and the demand that this is creating.

It proposes strategies that companies can adopt to circumvent these talent challenges; recommendations on how employers can help older workers extend their careers should they choose to do so; and suggestions for the role that governments can play to help solve the older workers conundrum.

Public bodies slammed over disability equality

2007-04-20T20:53:00.000+01:00

The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) has hit out at over 60 public authorities in a new report that warns that many organisations are still failing to produce a disability equality scheme.

Despite a government deadline of December 2006 for public bodies to provide a disability equality scheme covering a range of issues, including employment, many are failing to meet their responsibilities.

The DRC is warning organisations across the public sector, including health trusts, universities, museums, Channel 4, fire departments and local councils, that they could face sanctions and even court action unless they address their disability equality procedures immediately.

A total of 65 organisations that have failed to meet the disability equality scheme deadline have been put on notice by the DRC after warning letters were sent out at the start of March and they failed to provide evidence of meeting the required standards.

Sir Bert Massie, DRC chairman, said: "The disability equality duty is a real opportunity to transform disabled people's experiences of the society we live in. I'm really pleased that the public sector as a whole has done a great job in responding to the requirements of the duty, with more than 96 per cent of organisations producing a scheme."

An Ipsos MORI study for the Office for Disability Issues (ODI) was carried out in December 2006 to ascertain how many disability equality schemes had been published. A total of 3.7 per cent of 1752 organisations have still failed to produce a scheme.

Free event for gays to find out their legal rights

2007-04-19T20:50:00.000+01:00

A special free event designed to inform gay, lesbian and bisexual people of their rights has been organised by award-winning solicitors Russell Jones & Walker.

Pink Law - Know Your Rights At Home, At Work & At Play is sponsored by PinkNews.co.uk.

Members of the gay community will be able to get free access to information about the range of new laws affecting their lives.

An introduction from a leading member of the gay community will be followed by a short presentation by leading legal experts.

This free special event is designed to discuss the many questions that gay people have about their rights, such as:

Are pre-nuptial agreements legally binding?
Can I adopt my partner's kids?
How will the goods and services laws work?
How can I take action against homophobic businesses?
What kind of discrimination at work will result in compensation?
How do I complain about being victimised at work without being outed?

Solicitors and partners from Russell Jones & Walker will be on hand before and after the short seminar to discuss any questions you have over an informal drink.

Pink Law - Know Your Rights At Home, At Work & At Play is totally free, but registration is required.

It will be held in the Curzon Soho Cinema, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, on Thursday 31st May.

The presentation will take place at 7pm but Russell Jones & Walker solicitors will be on hand to discuss these issues and answer questions from 6.30pm to 10pm

For more information visit PinkNews.co.uk

Police chiefs deny discussing positive discrimination but admit to talking about talks

2007-04-19T20:48:00.000+01:00

Police chiefs have denied discussing the prioritisation of black and female job applicants – insisting they had only met to discuss meeting to discuss the issue.

The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) was reported to be talking today about plans to use affirmative action to create a more representative workforce.

Acpo is said to have been handed formal proposals to give preference to black, ethnic minority and female applications for police officer posts. It is understood that these plans come from work led by Suzette Davenport, vice-chairman of the British Association for Women in Policing.

But an Acpo spokeswoman told Personnel Today: “We have only been discussing whether to put this on the agenda for a future meeting.”

The Home Office has given the police force a target of ensuring 7% of officers come from ethnic minorities by 2009. The figure currently stands at 3.7%, and radical plans are being investigated to increase diversity.

This story first appeared in Personnel Today

isability Rights Commission names and shames 65 public authorities for failing to produce disability equality scheme

2007-04-17T20:47:00.000+01:00

Channel Four Television is among 65 public bodies that have been threatened with legal action for continuing to drag their heels in producing a disability equality scheme.

The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) has named and shamed 65 public authorities that have failed to produce the document - required under the Disability Equality Duty - despite a deadline of December last year and subsequent warning letters.

Local councils, health trusts, colleges, universities, museums and fire services were among those warned by the DRC at the beginning of March. But at the end of last month, 65 bodies had still not provided any evidence that the required schemes were in place.

The duty is meant to ensure that all public bodies pay "due regard" to the promotion of equality for disabled people in every area of their work, including employment.

DRC chairman Bert Massie said: "I'm really pleased that the public sector as a whole has done a great job in responding to the requirements of the duty, with more than 96% of organisations producing a scheme. The question is why have a small minority failed to do so?

"[The DRC] will now be considering issuing compliance notices to offending organisations, which could lead to court action."

The naming and shaming exercise follows an audit carried out by the government's Office for Disability Issues to check whether disability equality schemes had been published. The DRC, which is responsible for enforcing the duty, is currently revising its list of those that do not comply.

This story first appeared in Personnel Today