This is an introduction to Equality@Work, an important area of training delivered by Equality Strategies Ltd

1. Equality and diversity at work
Working effectively
Maria Hegarty
Equality Strategies Ltd

2. A bit about me
• I set up Equality Strategies in 1999 to work with organisations
– Deliver equality and diversity audits and plans
– Deliver equality, diversity and mediation training and coaching
– Conduct equality and diversity research and networking with
national and international companies, the EU Commission and a
range of non-governmental organisations
– Provide Professional Mediation
• Offer workplace mediation, where conflict has arisen
• Provide coaching services for people in conflict in the
workplace
• Deliver managerial mediation training programmes
• Design conflict management systems in workplaces
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3. Employment Equality Legal Framework
• Employment Equality Act 1998
• Equal Status Act 2000
• Equality Acts 2004 – 2012
• Infrastructure –
– Equality Authority to promote equality and prevent
discrimination
– Equality Tribunal to mediate and hear equality
complaints
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4. Discrimination
Direct
Where a person is, has or would be treated
lessfavourably
Indirect
Where there is less favourable treatment in effect -
practice or requirement that one finds harder to
satisfy e.g. educational qualifications
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5. Legal Grounds
• Age • Membership of the TravellerCommunity
• Civil Status • Race
• Disability • Religion
• Family Status • Sexual Orientation
• Gender
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6. Equality Objectives
Equality of
autonomy
Equality
of
process
Equality of
outcome
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7. Disability defined in Employment
Equality Act as
Total or partial absence of bodily or mental facilities,
chronic disease, whether manifest or not, and learning
&personality conditions
• Obligation is to reasonably accommodate
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8. Reasonable accommodation
Remove a disadvantage rather than to confer an advantage
Allow people with disabilities to take part while
accommodating for their disability
Provide for a situation where people with
disabilities can avail of a service equally with those
who have no disabilities (ODEI - Nov 2006)
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9. Workplace strategies
• Policies, - Employment Equality, Anti-Bullying & Harassment, Anti-Racism,
Disability
• Guidelines and Codes of Practice
• Equality Reviews/Audits & Action Plan
• Equality Proofing, e.g. job requirements, service user requirements
• Positive Action
• Training, coaching, mentoring
• Equality Infrastructure – teams, committees, officers, emloyee
networks/groups
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10. Human Resource processes essential in
equality work
Example activities:
– Interview boards should be diverse - reflect differing ages, genders and
ethnicities
– All applicants should be informed of reasonable accommodation for
people with disabilities to enable them to participate equally in the
interview process
– Provide good practice guidance and training for interview boards,
including responsibilities regarding equality and diversity – sign they
understand their reponsibilities
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11. Equality Policy
• Organisation’s statement of commitment and measures to
deliver fair and transparent processes;
• Commitments include training for all - maintreamined into
training, induction etc and for managers and supervisors
with responsibility for policy implementation;
• Provide for pay arrangements to be kept under review to
ensure equal pay
• Outline clearly who is responsible for delivery of measures
and detail of compaints procedures
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12. Crucial Factors Supporting Equality in the
Workplace
Equality Authority ESRI research
 Top management support and high profile leaders who demonstrate commitment
essential
 Line managers, if unsupported, tended to be resistant to equality and diversity
initiatives as they perceived them as an extra burden on themselves as managers
We need to build awareness, help people to understand their rights
and responsibilities,
and find solutions to their situation
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13. Harassment
Where a person subjects the victim to any
unwelcome act, request or conduct
which could reasonably be regarded as
offensive, humiliating or intimidating to the
victim.
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14. Sexual Harassment
Where an employer, employee, colleague, client, customer, service provider
etc…
subjects the victim to
unwelcomeand sexually offensive, humiliating or intimidating actions
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15. Unconscious Bias and
Stereotyping
• Pre-established expectation about an individual or group
• Help us to feel we are reducing uncertainty …… about
what people or groups are likely to want, believe or do
• In-group and out-group
• Emerges from deep attitudes
• Fragments of information
• Family, media, unchallenged traditions
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16. Vicarious Liability
Anything done by a person
in the course of his or her employment shall be treated as done also
by that person’s employer,
whether or not it was done with the employer’s knowledge or
approval
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17. Positive Action
Intended to promote equality of
opportunity for disadvantaged persons
or to cater for the special needs of
persons or a category of persons who
because of their circumstances may
require facilities, arrangements, services
or assistance.
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18. www.equality.ie
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19. Information about procedures crucial
• Encourage and where possible help to develop equality policies,
equality training, action plans and help to monitor progress in
implementing equality initiatives
• Ensure harassment and discrimination complaints are dealt with
effectively
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20. Thank You and stay in touch!
o mariahegarty@equalitystrategies.ie
o Mobile: +353-87-2304820
o Linkedin: mariahegarty
o Twitter: maria_hegarty
o Skype: mariaohegarty
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