News
August 2011
Caste discrimination – 18 August 2011
A couple who worked for a Coventry solicitors are reported to be the first to make a claim of caste discrimination in an Employment Tribunal.Although the Equality Act contains a provision which would allow caste to be added to the list of characteristics protected under law the Government has as yet not taken this step and the tribunal may have to consider the case on the grounds of religion or race. ...More Information
Has the EHRC changed its mind on “reasonable accommodation”? – 5 August 2011
Last month the EHRC announced that it was seeking permission from the ECtHR to intervene in the four cases about the right of Christians to manifest their beliefs, as we reported here. Now it seems it may be having second thoughts. ...More Information
Employers Forums on Age and Belief to relaunch as the Employers Network For Equality & Inclusion in October – 5 August 2011
First not-for-profit UK-wide organisation to cover all nine diversity and inclusion strandsTwo diversity and inclusion specialists recruited to drive forward the next phase of growth The Employers Forums on Age and Belief (EFA and EFB) today announced that they are relaunching as the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion (enei) in October 2011. The new organisation will be the first of its kind in the UK. ...More Information
July 2011
EHRC seeks permission to intervene in the European Court of Human Rights and proposes “reasonable accommodation” for religion in the workplace – 14 July 2011
EHRC seeks permission to intervene in the European Court of Human Rights and proposes “reasonable accommodation” for religion in the workplaceThe Equality and Human Rights Commission announced this week that it was seeking permission to intervene in the cases brought in the European Court of Human Rights by four Christians whose claims of discrimination had failed in the domestic tribunals and courts. The Commission’s decision was seen by the Daily Mail and others as a major change in its position and by Christian groups, including Christian Concern, as support for the claimants concerned. ...More Information
June 2011
What does diversity mean at Abercombie & Fitch? – 30 June 2011
The US fashion retailer Abercrombie and Fitch is in trouble again over its “look policy”.In 2009 it was ordered by an Employment Tribunal to pay compensation of £9,000 to a young British woman, who was not allowed to wear a cardigan to conceal the join between her upper arm and a prosthetic limb. Now, claims have been filed in the USA by Muslim women who say the company refused them permission to wear the hijab. ...More Information
Trevor Phillips comments on religion are criticised – 22 June 2011
Comments made by the Chairman of the EHRC in an interview in the Telegraph over the weekend have been criticised on all sides: by the British Humanist Association, which described his remarks as “sectarian and divisive”, and by the Evangelical Alliance, which told him to “wise up to Christianity”.
What upset the BHA was that Phillips said the Commission would support believers who suffer discrimination because of their faith, and conceded there was a perception it had not done so in the past."That is slap bang in the middle of our anti-discriminatory work," he said. ...More Information
Christians seek hearings in the European Court of Human Rights – 6 June 2011
The European Court of Human Rights has ordered the Government to make a formal statement on whether the rights of Christians to manifest their religion have been infringed by decisions in the British courts, according to The Telegraph.The newspaper reported yesterday that Nadia Eweida, Lillian Ladele, Gary McFarlane and Shirley Chaplin, whose cases have featured heavily in the media in recent years, have now made application to the Strasbourg court.Eweida and Chaplin’s cases concerned the wearing of a cross at work in defiance of their employers’ uniform policies, whilst Ladele and McFarlane sought to excuse themselves from duties which they declared to be at odds with their beliefs. ...More Information
New Chief Executive for the EHRC – 2 June 2011
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has today announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive.On 2 June the Commission announced the appointment of Mark Hammond as chief executive. He joins the Commission after an extensive career in local and central government. ...More Information
May 2011
Employment law review – 13 May 2011
Hard on the heels of its consultation on reform of Employment Tribunals and its plans to increase the qualifying period for unfair dismissal claims, the Government has announced that further areas of employment law "red tape" will be considered for review this year. In a speech at the Institute for Economic Affairs on Wednesday the Employment Minister, Ed Davey, signalled that the Government now intends to consider reforming the current rules on collective redundancy consultation periods, the TUPE Regulations and the unlimited compensation which may be awarded by employment tribunals in discrimination cases, saying: “The areas we are reviewing are priorities for employers. We want to make it easier for businesses to take on staff and grow. ...More Information
Guidance on the Public Sector Equality Duty – 6 May 2011
With a hiatus before the Regulations setting out the light-touch specific duties take effect, public authorities have a hard task in establishing what they need to do to comply with the new duty. The Government Equalities Office has issued revised “quick start” guidance setting out the essentials of what is required – which can be downloaded here – but it’s pretty thin on practical content. The guidance which was issued by the EHRC in January (accessible here) is much more comprehensive, but it needs to be rewritten in many areas because of the Government’s u-turn on the specific duties. ...More Information
April 2011
Display of cross leads to disciplinary action – 18 April 2011
In a fresh twist on the familiar theme of whether Christians have the right to display a cross, an employee allegedly faces disciplinary action for having a palm cross on show in his company van.Aptly timed to coincide with Palm Sunday, another account of Christianity being 'marginalised' by equality legislation received widespread media coverage yesterday.According to the Daily Mail, an electrician working for Wakefield and District Housing is facing disciplinary action for refusing to comply with a policy which bans the display of personal effects in company vehicles. ...More Information
Is the Equality Act red tape? – 11 April 2011
Last week the Government launched Red Tape Challenge - an initiative to encourage members of the public, businesses and community organisations to comment on whether the burden of current regulations is excessive.David Cameron launched the Challenge by saying:"We need to tackle regulation with vigour, both to free businesses to compete and create jobs, and give people greater freedom and personal responsibility."Of course we need proper standards, for example in areas like fire safety and food safety. ...More Information
Former Cabinet Minister James Purnell Calls For Business To Lead The Way In Changing Attitudes To Equality – 1 April 2011
Progression without Prejudice event hosted by Employers Forum on Age to explore discrimination in the workplace due to unconscious biasCompanies must do what they can to attract people from different backgrounds with different abilitiesBusinesses play a major role when it comes to eliminating prejudice in the workplace, James Purnell, former Labour Secretary of State for the Department of Work and Pensions, told the audience at the Employers Forum on Age and Belief (EFA & EFB) annual conference, earlier today (Wednesday 30 March). When business is united on something, it is hard for the government to override it; attitudes are often first to change and government in turn responds, he stated. ...More Information
Civil partnerships on religious premises – 1 April 2011
At a late stage in debate on the Equality Bill an amendment was introduced by Lord Alli which permitted the registration of Civil Patnerships on religious premises.This became section 202 of the Equality Act 2010, which provides that Civil Partnerships can take place on religious premises, provided that the faith group concerned wishes to host them. On 17 February 2011, as part of its commitment to protecting and promoting LGB rights, the Government announced its intention to implement section 202. ...More Information
March 2011
One in Six UK Employees Discriminated Against Because Of Favouritism in the Workplace – 31 March 2011
A new study from the Employers Forum on Age (EFA) revealed that one in six (16%) workers feel they have been discriminated against when applying for a job or promotion at some point in their career because of favouritism in the workplace.The findings from the research back up a little-known theory that there is a tendency for people to recruit workers who bear similarities to themselves or to others in their company and this is done, for the most part, unconsciously. In total, over a third (35%) of respondents felt they have been discriminated against when trying to move company or applying for a more senior position in the same company. ...More Information
The future of the EHRC – 28 March 2011
The Government has published proposals to reform the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.The EHRC survived the “bonfire of the quangos” but it was widely expected that it would be substantially reformed by the Government.Proposals have now been published in a consultation document, which can be downloaded from the GEO website here. ...More Information
EFA & EFB Awards 2011 - Open for Entries – 16 March 2011
The EFA & EFB Awards provide a fantastic opportunity for leading employers to showcase and share innovative ways in which they have tackled prejudice and overturned outdated practices in the workplace.Open to all employers; the Awards recognise the achievements of organisations that have taken a lead in challenging age discrimination and/or religion or belief discrimination. ...More Information
A new report issued by the Institute of Business Ethics urges employers to take religious practices of staff seriously – 8 March 2011
One of the consequences of having an increasingly diverse workforce is that religion and the way it is expressed in the workplace can often generate strong emotions and opinions, as well as unfavourable headlines and legal cases for employers.In an IBE Occasional Paper issued today, Simon Webley, IBE Research Director, calls for organisations to be sensitive to employees’ beliefs and make provision for them. ...More Information
Talent Pipeline Conference - Speakers Announced – 2 March 2011
Alan Christie, Director of Policy, Equality & Human Rights Commission; Global perspective: Karen Ward, Ashridge Consulting; Innovating Education in the UK: Prof Christian Dustmann, UCL; Graduates: John Carmody, BIS; Unconscious bias: Dr Pete Jones; Opening Up Talent for Business Success: Claire McCartney & Dianah WormanProgramme & Speakers:Keynote speaker: James PurnellEHRC: Alan Christie, Director of Policy, Equality & Human Rights CommissionGlobal perspective: Karen Ward, Business Director, Ashridge ConsultingInnovating Education in the UK: Christian Dustmann, Professor of Economics, University College LondonGraduates: John Carmody, Office for Graduate Opportunities, Department for Business, Innovation & SkillsUnconscious bias: Dr Pete Jones, Shire Professional Chartered PsychologistsOpening Up Talent for Business Success: Claire McCartney, Adviser, Resourcing and Talent Planning & Dianah Worman, Diversity AdviserEmployer Experiences: Tanith Dodge, HR Director, Marks and Spencer; Alyson Sparks, HR Director for Resourcing; Dennis Gissing, Head of People Practice, BT; Richard Hamer, Education Director & Head of Early Career Programmes, BAE Systems.The event will be chaired by Mike Hawes, Director of HR, B&Q. ...More Information
February 2011
New EHRC briefing paper on religion or belief – 22 February 2011
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has recently published a briefing paper on religion or belief.The paper seeks to present within a single, short, document the best available recent statistical data in Britain on a range of issues relating to religion or belief. These include religious affiliation, religious practice and attendance, discrimination, and gender and church leadership positions. ...More Information
EFB publishes employer guides to Easter and Passover – 21 February 2011
The Employers Forum on Belief (EFB) have published employer guides to Easter and Passover.These guides are free for members. ...More Information
The Future of the EHRC – 8 February 2011
Trevor Phillips, Chair of the EHRC, gave a speech at the Policy Exchange on the future of the Commission and why equality and human rights are essential to economic recovery. You can read or listen to his speech on the EHRC website. ...More Information
January 2011
New estimates of global Muslim population – 28 January 2011
The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life has issued a new report estimating the growth in the Muslim population to 2030.The world’s Muslim population is expected to increase by about 35% in the next 20 years, rising from 1.6 billion in 2010 to 2. ...More Information
Protection against discrimination does not extend to volunteers – 28 January 2011
The Court of Appeal handed down a judgment this week which confirms that volunteers are not generally protected against discrimination.The court ruled against a woman who claimed she had been discriminated against on grounds of disability, after she was told to stop volunteering for Mid-Sussex Citizens Advice.The woman, named only as "X" by the court, originally lost an employment tribunal hearing against Citizens Advice over the matter in November 2009. ...More Information
Register for our benchmarking tool until 31st January – 12 January 2011
We can help you to demonstrate the progress you are making in Diversity and highlight evidence to show where Diversity is embedded in your Business.You can register for e-quality the EFA/EFB benchmarking tool, until 31st January. ...More Information
December 2010
Muslim woman discriminated against for not wearing headscarf – 15 December 2010
An employment tribunal found in favour of Miss Khan an employee of Go Go Estate who was dismissed for not wearing a headscarf. It found that she was directly discriminated against on grounds of her non belief and also sex discrimination. ...More Information
First Beauty Store to Sell Halal Cosmestics – 13 December 2010
Britain's first store selling halal-only cosmetics has been launched. Pure Halal Beauty in Birmingham stocks products which comply with halal rules. ...More Information
Employers Forum on Belief Publishes Guide to Death & Bereavement – 7 December 2010
From time to time employers will need to respond to the death of an employee or a member of an employee's family. This is likely to be a stressful and often highly emotional time for those immediately concerned and an employer's actions in responding to the situation in a compassionate and professional manner can be of real assistance. ...More Information
Government publishes Equality Strategy – 2 December 2010
The Government has today published its equality strategy, which can be downloaded here. The strategy states five principles: creating equal opportunities for alldevolving power to peopletransparencysupporting social actionembedding equalityThere are implications for employers in both the public and private sectors, with commitments in the following areas:To implement the public sector Equality Duty, with specific duties focused on transparency and devolved accountability;To work to develop a voluntary scheme for gender pay reporting in the private sector, particularly for businesses with 150 or more employees – mandatory reporting under section 78 of the Equality Act will be postponed until the success of the voluntary approach has been assessed (this might be regarded as another Liberal Democrat climb down given their specific manifesto committments);To permit employers, from April 2011, to apply positive action in recruitment and promotion processes;To work with business to develop measures to promote more women onto the boards of public companies, and continue to work to improve the representation of women on public boards but falling short of commiting to a quota at this stage;To extend the right to request flexible working to all employees;To consult on a new system of shared flexible parental leave;To phase out the Default Retirement Age, with a response to the recent consultation by the end of 2010;To reform Access to Work so that disabled people can apply for jobs with funding already secured;To review the regime for the management and disclosure of criminal records, and to scale back the vetting and barring scheme. ...More Information
November 2010
Christmas Pay Rates – 22 November 2010
Since Christmas Day falls on a Saturday this year, Monday 27 December and Tuesday 28 December are designated as public holidays. As a consequence employees in many organizations may be wondering what pay rates will apply if they are required to work during this period, and employers need to be clear in communicating which days may qualify for "premium rate" treatment, and the reasons why. ...More Information
October 2010
Inter Faith Week - 21st to 27th November – 19 October 2010
Inter Faith Week runs from 21st to 27th November. Its aims are:to strengthen good inter faith relations at all levels; to increase awareness of the different and distinct faith communities in the UK, in particular celebrating and building on the contribution which their members make to their neighbourhoods and to wider society; and to increase understanding between people of religious and non-religious belief. ...More Information
We Are Moving! – 6 October 2010
From 27th October 2010, Employers Forum on Age and Employers Forum on Belief will be at: 32-36 Loman Street, London, SE1 0EH. A map of our new location: 32-36 Loman Street, London, SE1 0EHOur new telephone number will be: 020 7922 7790Email addresses will stay the same. ...More Information
September 2010
Muslim Employee told to wear a bonnet instead of a hijab – 16 September 2010
A Muslim woman has filed a complaint claiming that the Disneyland restaurant where she works would not allow her to wear a hijab.Imane Boudlal, 26, claimed that when she wore the hijab to work Sunday, her supervisors told her to remove it, work where customers couldn't see her, or go home. ...More Information
July 2010
Employers Tackling Discrimination Applauded at 2010 EFA & EFB Awards – 15 July 2010
"We are at an important point for equalities in Britain and we have the chance to make unlawful and unfair discrimination a thing of the past," Trevor Phillips, Chair of the Equality & Human Rights Commission, told the audience at the Employers Forum on Age (EFA) and Employers Forum on Belief (EFB) 2010 Awards yesterday (Tuesday 13 February). "When in as little as 20 years' time half the population will be over 50, discriminating against older workers is foolish. ...More Information
June 2010
Arbitrators Are Covered by Discrimination Law – 25 June 2010
Arbitrators are "employees" and protected against discrimination: being of a particular religious group not a genuine occupational requirement
The Times Legal Editor, Frances Gibb, has highlighted an interesting case, in which the Court of Appeal has ruled this week that arbitrators are covered by discrimination law because their appointment to assist in disputes constitutes a contract of employment. Writing in the Law Central column she says:"In a ruling with far-reaching implications, senior judges ruled that to object to an arbitrator on the grounds of race or religion was illegal. ...More Information
Alan Beazley from EFA/EFB Speaking at Single Equality Act Conference – 21 June 2010
The Diversity Group are holding a Single Equality Act Conference on the 14th October at the Novas Contemporary Urban Centre in Liverpool. Alan Beazley, Advice & Policy Specialist will be speaking. ...More Information
Equality Act Timetable – 18 June 2010
Suspicion has grown this week that the Government may be reconsidering the timetable for the implementation of some parts of the Equality Act, which had been widely expected to begin in stages from October 2010. News that the Government Equalities Office had removed the timetable from its website first broke in Personnel Today in an article which quotes a GEO spokeswoman as saying "An announcement on scheduling for implementation of the Equality Act will be made in due course. ...More Information
Employers have nothing to fear from faith – 15 June 2010
Rachel Krys, Campaign Director for EFB comments on faith in the workplace for The Independent. ...More Information
FIFA World Cup Guidance – 10 June 2010
No doubt many of you will be issuing guidance to managers and staff about absence management during the World Cup and there are some useful ideas to be found on the CIPD website.Our quick check shows only two major religious festivals which clash with the published match schedule (the Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev (Sikh) on June 16 clashes with Honduras - Chile, and Summer Solstice (Pagan) on June 21 clashes with Portugal - North Korea), so these shouldn't pose too many issues for UK employers! ...More Information
May 2010
In the Press... – 28 May 2010
"Employers have nothing to fear from faith" writes Kate Hilpern in The Independent, giving some useful tips on what to do to avoid or prevent some of the more common issues concerning religion or belief which arise in the workplace. Her article, which highlights some the EFB's own thinking. ...More Information
Nomura's multi-strand equality strategy – 27 May 2010
Nomura (members of the Employers Forum on Belief) has broken with sector-wide thinking on diversity and inclusion by launching a multi-stranded equality strategy.People Management article. ...More Information
Pagan Police Association gets Home Office Recognition – 13 May 2010
Endorsement would mean that a pagan officer’s request to take feast days as part of his or her annual leave must be treated in the same way as any other belief related request.The new association already has three official police chaplains and committee members in the Metropolitan, Hertfordshire and Humberside forces. As reported in The Times there is some fear that there is a growing number of these organisations within the police. ...More Information
March 2010
Nurse in crucifix battle – 29 March 2010
In a case which echoes Eweida v British Airways, Shirley Chaplin, a Christian nurse, today takes on her employer, the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust, in the Exeter Employment Tribunal, claiming religious discrimination over its refusal last year to let her "wear a crucifix on a necklace or in any other manner which could constitute a health and safety risk whilst doing a clinical facing role in the hospital".
The Department of Health's practical guide on religion or belief states that: "NHS organisations that have policies regarding the wearing of jewellery or other symbolic items should factor in due consideration for items that are traditional within some religions or beliefs, unless the rules are for health and safety or other justifiable reasons. Some items of jewellery can be highly symbolic in certain religions and cultures, so any rules against the wearing of these must be justifiable so as not to constitute indirect discrimination. ...More Information
KFC trial halal only restaurants – 25 March 2010
In response to local customer demographics, KFC is trialling halal meals in selected UK outlets.On its website, KFC states: "For some time, we have received requests to provide halal food in parts of the UK, and as a result of this we are running a halal trial within communities where we anticipate a strong demand for halal products" - more here. This decision hasn't been welcomed by all: Some Muslim groups are concerned that the slaughtering methods used are in not in strict conformity with their religious requirements - more here. ...More Information
Date set for Equality Bill to enter its final stage – 25 March 2010
It has been confirmed that the House of Commons will consider the Lords amendments to the Equality Bill on the 6th April. This means that the Bill should receive Royal Assent before the election and avoid the wash-up. ...More Information
Churches Quit Religion Forum – 24 March 2010
The Times reports today that the EHRC's religion and belief consultative group, which included representatives of major religious groups alongside secular groups, is in disarray as the Church of England pulls out of the group condemning it as "not fit for purpose".
The Times reports today that the EHRC's religion and belief consultative group, which included representatives of major religious groups alongside secular groups, is in disarray as the Church of England pulls out of the group condemning it as "not fit for purpose".The full article can be found here. ...More Information
EFA & EFB Awards - Enter Now! – 2 March 2010
The EFA & EFB Awards, partnered with NESTA, provide a fantastic opportunity for leading employers to showcase and share innovative ways in which they have tackled prejudice and overturned outdated practices in the workplace.
Open to all employers; the Awards recognise the achievements of organisations that have taken a lead in challenging age discrimination and/or religion or belief discrimination.
Our judges are looking for entries that are either outstanding or innovative in one specific area or demonstrate an overall approach to successfully embed best practice in the organisation.
You can enter as many categories as you want free of charge. Evidence can include results in the form of statistics, employee testimonies or other quantitative/qualitative measures.
The Awards will be presented this Summer at a high profile ceremony in Central London.
EFA Awards Best Public Sector - InnovationBest Public Sector - Overall approachBest Private Sector - InnovationBest Private Sector - Overall approachEFB Awards Best Public Sector - InnovationBest Public Sector - Overall approach Best Private Sector - InnovationBest Private Sector - Overall approachOverall Award Best Small Organisation AwardDOWNLOAD AN ENTRY FORM HERE Submit your entry by Wednesday 30 April 2010. For further information, contact: Gillian Appleby Tel: 020 7785 6540 E-mail: gillian. ...More Information
November 2009
Employers Forum On Belief Launches Practical Guidance To Coincide With Inter Faith Week – 13 November 2009
The Employers Forum on Belief (EFB) has a range of activities to coincide with Inter Faith Week, which will run from 15-21 November 2009. As well as strengthening good inter faith relations, the week aims to increase understanding between people.
The EFB will be using Inter Faith Week as an opportunity to raise the profile of the issues facing employers on religion or belief. Activities will include:Launching a Guide to Establishing and Managing Faith Networks on TuesdayHolding a roundtable discussion in Canary Wharf with specific focus on issues facing the financial services sector on TuesdayLaunching a Guide to Quiet Space on WednesdayLaunching a Guide to Christmas on ThursdayIt is important to acknowledge how many employers do mange their religiously diverse workforces and the practical solutions that many offer to accommodate those beliefs within the workplace. ...More Information
September 2009
EFA/EFB Response to Public Sector Duties Consultation – 30 September 2009
The Equality Bill sets out general public sector duties on equality which will be supplemented by a set of specific duties to be introduced in secondary legislation. The Government published proposals on the specific duties in July and you can find our response to the consultation below. ...More Information
August 2009
Employers Forum On Belief Launches An Employers Guide To Ramadan – 10 August 2009
To help employers understand the needs of staff during this period the Employers Forum on Belief (EFB) has produced a fact sheet which includes information and suggestions for changes which they can make to working conditions for those observing Ramadan.There are over 1.6 million Muslims living in the UK and many will observe Ramadan which begins next week. ...More Information