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Skans School of Accountancy: Equal Opportunities

The document discusses equal opportunity policies that many organizations have adopted to promote fairness and prohibit discrimination based on characteristics like gender, age, race, disability, and marital status. It explains the definitions and requirements of policies addressing direct and indirect discrimination, victimization, equal pay, and disability rights. The document also discusses how managing diversity builds upon equal opportunity by creating an environment where all employee contributions benefit the business and society.

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64 views3 pages

Skans School of Accountancy: Equal Opportunities

The document discusses equal opportunity policies that many organizations have adopted to promote fairness and prohibit discrimination based on characteristics like gender, age, race, disability, and marital status. It explains the definitions and requirements of policies addressing direct and indirect discrimination, victimization, equal pay, and disability rights. The document also discusses how managing diversity builds upon equal opportunity by creating an environment where all employee contributions benefit the business and society.

Uploaded by

shahab
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SKANS SCHOOL OF ACCOUNTANCY

Equal opportunities

Organisations and businesses are made up of many individuals working together to


achieve organisational success. These individuals bring different attitudes, perceptions
and learning experiences to the workplace, as well as ethnic, gender and personality
differences.

These can be a source for developing creativity within an organisation. However they
can also be the cause of problems. Over the past 30 years or so employment has
changed beyond all recognition. This change has led to a fundamental re-thinking of the
way employees are managed. Managers have had to recognise the need (or in many
countries the legal requirement) to develop and enforce company policies aimed at
reducing and eliminating discrimination. In addition, the increasing globalisation of
business has meant that managers must be aware of cultural and race issues.

Equal opportunities is a universally used and understood term which describes the idea
that everyone in an organisation should have an equal chance to apply and be selected
for posts, to be trained or promoted and to have employment terminated fairly.
Employers can discriminate only on the basis of ability, experience or potential. All
employment decisions are based solely on an individual’s ability to do a particular job.
No consideration should be taken of a person’s sex, age, racial origin, disability or
marital status.

In addition, many organisations have adopted a sex discrimination policy that requires
gender equality in all areas of employment including the selection process, opportunities
for training, promotion, benefit provision, facilities and dismissal. Such a policy deems it
wrong to make any form of discrimination within employment matters because of marital
status or sex and covers three main categories of sex discrimination: direct
discrimination, indirect discrimination and victimisation.

Direct discrimination involves treating a person less favourably than others on sexual,
racial or marital grounds. For example, a dismissal from employment upon marriage.
One act of discrimination is sufficient and must be directed against an individual.
Indirect discrimination describes a term or condition applicable to both sexes, but where
one sex has a considerably lesser ability to comply with it than the other. For example, a
condition that a candidate must be of a particular height. Finally, victimisation is
discrimination against an individual who has brought proceedings or given evidence in
another case involving discrimination or disciplinary matters.

A race relations policy adopts the same approach as the sex discrimination policy.
However, this policy looks at racial grounds and racial groups, phrases which refer to
colour, race, nationality or other ethnic or national origins. The same three categories of
direct and indirect discrimination and victimisation can be applied.

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SKANS SCHOOL OF ACCOUNTANCY
An equal pay policy requires that both women and men receive identical pay in respect
of what is described as ‘like work’, ‘work that is rated as equivalent’ or ‘equal value’.

‘Like work’ defines work of a broadly similar role where differences are not of a practical
nature. ‘Work equivalent’ is where work has been evaluated and graded to be
equivalent to other work in relation to effort, skill and decision-making. Work of ‘equal
value’ is that of a woman’s to that of a man’s in the same organisation.

As well as issues affecting gender and race discrimination issues, employers are paying
more attention to the rights of the disabled in the workplace. Many organisations have
therefore adopted a disability discrimination policy.

A disabled person is defined as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that
has substantial and long-term (more than 12 months) adverse effect on his or her ability
to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Severe disfigurement is included, as are
progressive conditions such as HIV, even though the current effects may not be
substantial.

Factors affecting ability include mobility, manual dexterity, physical coordination, lack of
ability to lift or speak, hear, see, remember, concentrate, learn or understand, or to
perceive the risk of physical danger. In addition, the employer has the duty to make
reasonable adjustments to the physical features of the workplace where they constitute
a hazard to the disabled person.

The disability discrimination policy must also make it clear that it is wrong to
discriminate against disabled people in the interviewing and selection process, for
promotion, transfer or training and dismissal.

In some cases, managers can be confused between the ideas and requirements of
equal opportunities and the more up-to-date idea of managing diversity. In many ways
laying down policies and procedures to ensure that discrimination is eliminated from the
workplace is admirable, desirable and indeed good for business.

The new generation of managers regard the quality of their employees as the
distinguishing feature of a successful organisation. People are the single sustainable
source of competitive advantage – high performance through the development of
people is essential if organisations are to remain viable and competitive.

The promotion of equal opportunities makes good business sense. Equal opportunities
are promoted as a key component of good management as well as being a legal
requirement. It is also socially desirable and morally right.

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SKANS SCHOOL OF ACCOUNTANCY
Managing diversity on the other hand expands the horizons beyond equality issues and
builds on recognised approaches to equal opportunities. It adds new impetus to the
development of equal opportunities and creates an environment in which enhanced
contributions from all employees works to the advantage of the business, employees
themselves and society generally.

It offers an opportunity for organisations to develop a workforce to meet business goals


and to improve approaches to customer care. Managing diversity is about having the
right person for the job regardless of sex, race or religion.

Essentially the management of diversity is a quality assurance approach. It helps


identify hidden organisational barriers, which make it more difficult for people who are
perceived as being different from the majority of their colleagues to succeed and
develop careers.

It also helps to effect cultural change and to create an environment in which people from
all backgrounds can work together harmoniously. The management of diversity combats
prejudice, stereotyping, harassment and undignified behaviour.

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