Marshall ACM News | Online Diversity Training & E-Learning Consultancy

Warnings for universities making redundancies to protect over equality legal cases

Media Alert - 14 August 2009

 

With as many as 6000 UK universtiy jobs being cut*, a leading equality and diversity training expert offers counsel to meet legal compliance over redundancies. Equality impact assessments (EIAs) are in the media spotlight because of mass potential redundancies, says David Marshall, of Marshall ACM, which works with public and private sector organisations on equality and diversity issues.

He explains, "Completing EIAs, more often than not, is simply a case of project managing a university's equality initiatives so reports are easily created and published to satisfy legal obligations. I see many universities going to extensive lengths to carry out EIAs, not just for compliance reasons but for best practice. It is in reach of the others too."

Public sector organisations are required by law to carry out race, disability and gender EIAs, which analyse the potential or actual effects of a policy on different groups of people.

Marshall advises:

• Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) are a legal obligation, but don't forget their underlying purpose is to create processes and a culture that put equality and fairness at the heart of activities.
• EIAs should be kept on the agenda permanently, not be seen as one off activities.
• In terms of redundancy, many organisations will have impact assessed their overarching policy to ensure that the principles and process are fair and non-discriminatory, but it is essential to impact assess the actual proposals in a particular situation when job cuts become a reality. This needs to happen early in the process so that the impact on different groups of staff are understood, and decisions are taken with due regard to any equality implications.
• EIAs should be a routine part of new policy development, not just existing and core policies. Reflect, too, on the scope of the term 'policy' – it extends to plans, proposals, projects and decisions.
• Impact assessment needs to make sense to staff within any particular organisation, otherwise there will be no commitment, and so the approach should reflect core values and objectives, such as inclusion and service improvement.
• A simple online EIA database offers a framework to deliver legally required transparency and reporting, and can be customised to a particular organisation.

*According to the University and College Union, 43 institutions have indicated jobs are at risk, while a minimum of 21 have not produced adequate impact assessments. Information gained from http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/aug/04/university-job-cuts-equality-gender.

Marshall ACM delivers a managed e-learning service to over 220 organisations across the public and private sector in the UK and Republic of Ireland. It can be contacted via its website www.marshallacm.co.uk, by calling +44 (0)845 123 3909 or emailing contactus@marshallacm.co.uk.

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For press information, contact: Kay Phelps, The PR Department for Marshall ACM, T: + 44 1932 789524; M: + 44 7710 043244; or kay.phelps@theprdepartment.net

About Marshall ACM

Set up in 2002 by David Marshall, formerly Head of Research at Penna Consulting, Marshall ACM has 220 public and private sector organisations using its online training making it an established leader in e-diversity training. It focuses on quality, speed and innovation and demonstrates value to clients over a sustained period of time. It is based in Southwark, in the heart of London, working all over the UK and increasingly internationally. www.marshallacm.co.uk