Now we all know that the Employment and Equality Act implementation is rather liked being cluster-bombed. First the speech by a Minister, followed by the inundation with helpful advice, usually produced by two or three interested parties, and usually in 1kg….10kg….and 100kg versions, depending if you like reading and lots of scenarios and finally the short deadline date. This traditionally is followed by lots of comment by trade associations and other interested parties, usually gloom but then there is nothing like panic to concentrate the mind!
When all this hits your desk you usually have two reactions from any company, total disinterest or total confusion.
Given that we have been doing this for as long as I have been alive…..and longer ….I can hear you now finding that difficult to believe, but you would hope that any government, regulator or other public body would have sussed out that perhaps this is not the most effective way of engaging people. A bit more advanced warning is good; certainly of we have to read the guidance and figure out what to do. As businesses, and as people trying to manage the HR issues, we do have other things on our mind than just legislation.
Issuing legislative timelines is a good idea; it gets you ready for what is coming up and lets you plan. The problem is central departments don’t tend to do that, it all a big secret and even if they do, they are not holistic; they just cover their little bit. Now there are certain organisations that do produce them and put them on their public sites – such as www.ukcae.com – they may not cover everything you want to know, but they do help.
Hopefully, central government will get the hint soon.
Jock Chalmers, Pathway Manager, UKCAE
Jock Chalmers has a public sector background spanning some 30 years with over 10 years experience of setting up and managing non-departmental public bodies. Jock has also worked closely with outsourcing and property management and development sectors. Jock is passionate about inclusion and has developed the approach that bottom-up learning, together with management focus and leadership can deliver equality in the workplace.
Jock's expertise lies in understanding management processes, change management programmes and business process re-alignment.
As the Pathway Manager of UK Council for Access and Equality (“UKCAE”), Jock has led the team that has successfully formulated the UKCAE Pathway which helps any organisation embed inclusion into the workplace. The straightforward and practical approach of the UKCAE Pathway provides many benefits to the public, providers and politicians looking for useful and practical ways to support equality. It is because of these benefits that Jock is proud to be the Pathway Manager and will be delighted to hear from you about how UKCAE can help achieve demonstrable success in this important area.
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