Diversity, inclusion and teamworking

Question 1

What is Equality Act 2010?

Answer 1

• The Equality Act 2010 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom with primary purpose to legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society that formed the basis of anti-discrimination law in Great Britain.
• It replaced previous anti-discrimination laws with a single Act, making the law easier to understand and strengthening protection in some situations. It sets out the different ways in which it’s unlawful to treat someone.
• Before the Act came into force there were several pieces of legislation to cover discrimination, including:
o Sex Discrimination Act 1975
o Race Relations Act 1976
o Disability Discrimination Act 1995

Question 2

What is Equality?

Answer 2

the right of different groups of people to have a similar social position and receive the same treatment.

Question 3

What is diversity?

Answer 3

the fact of many different types of things or people being included in something; a range of different things or people

Question 4

What is inclusion?

Answer 4

is an organisational effort and practices in which different groups or individuals having different backgrounds are culturally and socially accepted and welcomed, and equally treated

Question 5

What is unconscious Bias?

Answer 5

Bias is a prejudice in favour of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another usually in a way that’s considered to be unfair. Biases may be held by an individual, group, or institution and can have negative or positive consequences.
There are types of biases
• Conscious bias (also known as explicit bias) and
• Unconscious bias (also known as implicit bias)
It is important to note that biases, conscious or unconscious, are not limited to ethnicity and race. Though racial bias and discrimination are well documented, biases may exist toward any social group. One’s age, gender, gender identity physical abilities, religion, sexual orientation, weight, and many other characteristics are subject to bias.
Unconscious biases are social stereotypes about certain groups of people that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness. Everyone holds unconscious beliefs about various social and identity groups, and these biases stem from one’s tendency to organize social worlds by categorizing.
Unconscious bias is far more prevalent than conscious prejudice and often incompatible with one’s conscious values. Certain scenarios can activate unconscious attitudes and beliefs. For example, biases may be more prevalent when multi-tasking or working under time pressure.

Question 6

Steps to Eliminate Unconscious Bias

Answer 6

1. Learn what unconscious biases are. - The first step of limiting the impact unconscious biases have on your organization is making sure everyone is aware that they exist.
2. Assess which biases are most likely to affect you. - Take tests to figure out which of your individual perceptions are most likely to be governed by unconscious biases. Armed with that information, you can take proactive steps to address them on a personal basis.
3. Figure out where biases are likely to affect your company - Biases tend to affect who gets hired, who gets promoted, who gets raises and who gets what kind of work, among other things. By knowing where bias is most likely to creep in, you can take steps to ensure that biases are considered when important decisions are made in those areas.
4. Modernize your approach to hiring. - In order to make sure that unconscious biases don’t adversely impact your hiring decisions, you may need to make some big changes. F
5. Let data inform your decisions - If your company’s upper management echelons are only staffed by white men, unconscious biases are determining which employees are promoted. Make it a priority to diversify your management team so that more voices and backgrounds are represented.
6. Bring diversity into your hiring decisions. -If your goal is to hire a diverse staff, make sure that there’s diversity among the group of people tasked with hiring new employees. Otherwise, you may continue hiring the same kinds of homogenous workers — despite your best intentions.
7. Encourage team members to speak up about biases. -The more people involved in a decision — and the more transparent the decision-making process is — the less likely an organization will be to be affected by unconscious biases. Create a culture that encourages open dialogue. That way, when employees realize a decision might have been influenced by unconscious biases, they won’t be afraid to speak up and set the record straight.
8. Hold employees accountable. - Actions speak louder than words. While you shouldn’t necessarily punish someone for making a decision influenced by unconscious biases, you should keep track of whether such decisions are being made.
9. Set diversity and inclusion goals. - From more innovation to more talented employees to higher retention rates, there are a number of reasons why companies should focus on creating diverse workplaces. Set diversity and inclusion goals to make sure that your diversity program is more than just lip service and you actually make progress toward building a diverse team.

Question 7

What are the key methods of reaction when dealing with discrimination and unacceptable behaviours?

Answer 7

• if this happened to you stop the conversation and raised the issue with your line manager or HR manager – Mace Speak up policy
• complain to you
• make a claim in the Employment Tribunal.
• do not encourage unacceptable behaviour, stop conversation and leave the room if needed.