Improving Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace

An independent ‘Inclusion at Work’ panel, appointed by the government, issued a report on improving diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the workplace.

The panel’s recommendations are that:

• The government endorses a new framework (outlined in recommended framework for D&I success) which sets out criteria employers might apply to their D&I practice, for effectiveness and value for money.

• The government funds, and works with, a research partner to develop a digital tool similar to the Education Endowment Foundation’s ‘Teaching and Learning Toolkit’. This will allow all leaders and managers in every sector to assess the rigour, efficacy, and value for money of a range of D&I practices. It will also ‘nudge’ commercial or activist providers of interventions to evaluate and prove impact.

• The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) explains and clarifies the legal status for employers in relation to D&I practice, with particular focus on the implication of recent rulings for HR policies and staff networks.

The panel recommended that the EHRC clarify organisations’ legal duties and responsibilities relating to philosophical and religious belief, and that it commits to regularly updating guidance to ensure that employers understand how to apply the positive action provisions of the Equality Act 2010.

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