Facts and Figures > Equality Legislation

Equality Legislation News

Equality in the workplace – cost or investment?

Concerns have been expressed by the media about the cost of the Public Sector Duties and the impact these will have on how the public sector functions. The problem, if there is one, lies in the implementation not in the legislation. Equality legislation is not dictatorial, it does not lay out a definite route to follow nor does it provide solutions, it simply sets out the characteristics of those people who have been subject to discrimination in the past, explains the different forms of discrimination and requires businesses not to discriminate in specific areas.

The cost is determined by how you approach the requirement and by the certainty of the outcome. It is also about how you can show that equality is embedded in the organisation and not just a statement in a policy paper or on a website.

It's hard for businesses to know they have captured all operational areas: that process and practices have been aligned against a common framework, previous activity in the area is taken into account, a choice of providers is available, and access to any specialist solutions they may need is available - and that is where the The United Kingdom Council for Access and Equality (UKCAE) Pathway can help.

The UKCAE Pathway provides that common framework. It doesn't ask you to throw away everything that you have done before; it doesn't stop you from working with other reputable equality providers.

It simply provides you with the assurance that all the risks have been identified and solutions found where necessary.

It guides you in building up the knowledge and skills of your workforce.

It measures your performance in terms of return on investment and the audit process shows that equality is embedded in the organisation, not just sentiment.