Equality, Diversity, and Fair Treatment in Public Service Organizations

This report discusses the key concepts of equality and diversity and their significance in terms of access to employment. It analyzes major equality and diversity legislation relevant to employment and evaluates the effectiveness of policies and legislation in creating an equal, diverse, and fair public service. The report focuses on a case study of religion-based discrimination in the BBC, a public sector organization. It highlights the impact of discrimination on the hiring process and emphasizes the importance of promoting equality and diversity in the workplace. The report concludes with recommendations for improving equality, diversity, and fair treatment practices in public service organizations.

Unit 3: Equality,
Diversity and
Fair Treatment
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Analyze the key concepts associated to equality and diversity and analyze the importance of
them in terms of access to employment.................................................................................3
Identify and analyze major equality and diversity legislation that are relevant to employment
................................................................................................................................................4
Evaluate whether policies and legislation implemented have enabled an equal, diverse and fair
public service..........................................................................................................................5
Diversity and fair treatment play to diversify public service workers...................................5
Benefits of Equality, diversity and fair treatment practices at workplace..............................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10
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Introduction
In present report the selected protected characteristics include religion as the aspect of
discrimination across many public sector organisations. As per the provided brief there is an
analysis of the different aspects of discrimination based on religion that are practiced by various
public sector organisations. This aspect has to be dealt in order to minimise such instances in the
present scenario. Public sector organisations: The selected a public sector Organisation in the
present report is BBC that is world's largest and oldest broadcasting corporation. It was
established by the royal charter and is funded by government approved licence fees. BBC offers
graduate training in technology business journalism and production by their new talent schemes
(List of Public Sector & Government Employers, 2020).
Equality act: the equality act 2010 is basically protecting people from discrimination at
workplace and wider society. It is the act of parliament that was passed with the main aim of
consolidating updating and for the supplementing the numerous prior regulations. The main aim
of this act is to ensure that there are certain protected characteristics that are to be adopted in
order to prevent the discrimination against employees (Umotong, 2021).
In present scenario there has been discrimination on the two candidates based on their religion
and different rounds of interview that were conducted. So there is a need to evaluate the different
perspectives based on these two practices that are affecting their functioning.
Analyze the key concepts associated to equality and diversity and analyze the importance of
them in terms of access to employment.
Equality and diversity is the state of being equal in situations right and opportunities in an
organization. It is related to ensure individuals having equal opportunity to make the most of
their lives & talents (Tariq, 2018). It is an act that prevents organization as education, employer
and service providers from discriminating against individuals from protected characteristics.
Major legislation:
There are some of the legislations that are related to equality and diversity part of the
employment it includes four main types of discrimination that can be practised by employer.
The equality act 2010 covers and protects people from harassment discrimination and
victimization. There are basically 9 protected characteristics that include protecting employees
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from age, gender reassignment, disability, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and
maternity, race, religion, sex and last is sexual orientation (Greer and Doellgast, 2017).
As per the equality of 2010 there are four main types of religion based discrimination.
Direct discrimination: direct discrimination occurs when both the discriminator and the
individual who is being discriminated are holding the same religion or philosophical belief. It
happens when a particular person treats another person was in a similar situation because of their
belief or background.
Indirect discrimination: indirect discrimination happens when an organisation is having a
particular policy or a specific working way that applies to everyone but is putting a person a
disadvantage because of their belief or religion. As per equality act 2010 indirect belief or
religion based discrimination can be permitted by the organisation have to show that the way of
working is necessary for business operation.
Harrasment: Harassment at a workplace takes place when a person makes another person
humiliated degraded or offended because of their religion. Harassment can never be justified if
organisation or employee is showing they did everything to prevent people from harassment then
the suffering person cannot make a claim for harassment.
Victimization: it takes place when an individual is treated badly because there is a complaint
with respect to believe or religion related to discrimination as per the equality act.
Above mentioned are some of the specific types of discrimination that are based on religion. In
the present scenario there is a case of direct discrimination that took place because of the
protective characteristics that is religion based discrimination (Religion or belief discrimination,
2010).
Identify and analyze major equality and diversity legislation that are relevant to employment
There are some of the aspects of equality and diversity exists that are promoting an equal
opportunity for everyone via diversity. In UK the equality act helps in providing equal
opportunity for prevention of discrimination (Greer and Doellgast, 2017). It is a project planning
that can help in ensuring that there is a transparent fit for the purpose of consultation, policies
and effective communication plans that can help in ensuring that there is no discriminatory
practices part of organization. It is also very important for promoting positive relations amongst
employer and employee ay workplace.
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Religion based discrimination include that every employee or individual to be protected based
on the belief or religion. It is also related to protect employees from religion based
discrimination:
1. Whatever may be the religion or belief
2. Whatever is the employer’s religion or belief
3. Whether the individual is already working for the employer
4. Whether the individual is applying for a job (Religion or belief discrimination, 2010).
Stereotypes against some after religion are based on a set of structural behaviour discourse that
expresses the feeling of fear, hostility and rejection towards Muslims in some parts of the world.
This stereotype is regarded as Islamophobia that manifests itself to discrimination for workforce.
Prejudice is also some specific thoughts beliefs and attitudes that is hold about Muslims in some
of the public sector organisations as well as private sector organisations also. For instance these
prejudices are related as UK media as portal of Muslims being negative and misleading. The
prejudice is based on media reports on Muslim that is contributing to rise towards Islamophobia.
In present scenario religion based discrimination is affecting the overall process of hiring in BBC
that is one of the public sector organisations.
Evaluate whether policies and legislation implemented have enabled an equal, diverse and fair
public service
The public sector describes the public bodies like hospitals public funded service providers and
local councils to consider the policies and decisions are affecting people with differentiated
protected characteristics (Carleton and Porter, 2018).
BBC is one of the public sector organisations that are responsible for world’s largest broadcast
news organisation that is generating 120 hours of television and radio output each day. All the
policies and legislation that are part of equality act have enabled a fair public service for
individuals. In organisations like BBC, public sector employers are already expected to have in
place policies that are dealing with the duties with respect to gender race and disability. This
policy is required due regard to be given to the requirement to promote equality and specific
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obligations for ethnic monitoring and producing of written equality schemes. Equality act 2010
has replaced the present duties with unify duties that is covering all discrimination standards.
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REFERENCES
Books & Journal
Carleton, P.R. and Porter, J.D., 2018. A comparative analysis of the challenges in measuring
transit equity: definitions, interpretations, and limitations. Journal of transport
geography, 72, pp.64-75.
Greer, I. and Doellgast, V., 2017. Marketization, inequality, and institutional change: Toward a
new framework for comparative employment relations. Journal of industrial
relations, 59(2), pp.192-208.
Tariq, A., 2018. Equality on the bus: Case comment on'Paulley v FirstGroup Plc'. Fields: journal
of Huddersfield student research, 4(1), pp.131-152.
Umotong, E., 2021. The Consideration of Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity as a Higher
Function. British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
Labate, B.C. and Cavnar, C. eds., 2018. The expanding world ayahuasca diaspora:
Appropriation, integration and legislation. Routledge.
Online
Equality Act 2010: guidance, 2015 [online], Available through<
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equality-act-2010-guidance>
List of Public Sector & Government Employers, 2020 [online], Available
through<https://www.wikijob.co.uk/content/industry/public-sector/list-public-sector-
government-employers>
Religion or belief discrimination, 2010 [online], Available
through<https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/advice-and-guidance/religion-or-belief-
discrimination>
The new Equality Act and you, 2010 [online], Available
through<https://www.bbc.com/news/business-11453052>
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