Equality and Diversity: Policies and Practices in the Workplace

This essay explores the critical importance of equality and diversity in the workplace. It emphasizes the need for fair treatment, equal opportunities, and non-discrimination based on factors like gender, religion, culture, and ethnicity. The essay discusses the Equality Act 2010 and its role in protecting employees. It highlights the benefits of diversity, such as broader talent pools and innovative ideas, and provides examples like BAE Systems, which has successfully promoted gender diversity. The author expresses a commitment to implementing similar policies, ensuring equal pay, merit-based recruitment, and a harassment-free environment in their own future company, promoting a culture of respect and inclusion. The essay also references key academic sources to support its arguments.

Running head: EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY
Equality and Diversity
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

2EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY
One of the most important things that the workplaces must promote is proper equality and
diversity. There are employees coming from many different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
There must be no discrimination against people based on their gender, religion, culture, language
or other such beliefs. Apart from this, the job recruitments must be done based on the abilities
and the merits of the individuals and not on their religion. In order to grow rapidly, the business
firms have to diversify the face of the business. This diversity can be incorporated by including
all types of employees. If the existing workforce is aging then the new employees are to be hired
from the minority sections and from women (Sharma 2016).
In the recent past that is in the year 2011, there was a large scale unemployment based on
the racial background of people. The black African women and the Caribbean men were denied
proper chances of employment. The menial jobs are also filled up by only the minorities like the
Pakistani, Bangladeshi and other such people. So, there were many new acts that were passed the
Equality Act 2010. This act was passed mainly to ensure that there is no unlawful discrimination
of the between the employees (Thompson 2016). All the employees must be given equal rights
and equal opportunities. This act also provides protection to the employees who fall under any of
the specified protected characteristics like age, sexual orientation, religion and belief, pregnancy
and maternity and many other such aspects (Greene and Kirton 2015). Diversity is also equally
important. A business has to incorporate proper diversity if it has to prosper. New employees
will bring innovative and diverse business ideas for the proper growth of the business (Lgbt-
health inequalities.scot.nhs.uk 2018).

3EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY
There are many benefits of the diversity policy like
 If the job vacancies are open to everyone then employees from all the classes will be able
to apply and not just a selected handful of people.
 The employees will know that there is no favoritism and they have been employed based
totally on their merit.
 Employee retention will not be a major problem. The employee turnover cost will be less
as the resignations will decrease. Employees will like to work in a happy peaceful and
cultural place.
One good example that has been very inspirational is the BAE Systems. They have
always focused on the recruiting of the women. Right from the year 1999, they have developed a
website that gives all the employees a detailed description of the equality and diversity laws.
There are equal right and laws incorporated for the managers as well. All the employees working
in any of the hierarchical levels have to follow the same rules. The benefits were the recruitment
of a major percentage of women as the workforce. About 22% women employees were hired in
2000. Two women engineers from this company backed the 1st and 2nd position in the young
women engineer of the year competition (Lgbt-health inequalities.scot.nhs.uk 2018).
.
I have been inspired by the above example and I will be enforcing the same in my own
company as well. I will enforce the equality and diversity law that will be equal for all. None of
the employees will be bullying each other. None of the supervisors can give
promotion/demotions or any other benefits to any of the employees based on any personal biases

4EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY
or prejudices. There will be equal pay for both men and women. All the employees will be
recruited based on their merit only.

5EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY
References
Greene, A.M. and Kirton, G., 2015. The dynamics of managing diversity: A critical approach.
Routledge.
Lgbt-healthinequalities.scot.nhs.uk. 2018. [online] Available at: http://www.lgbt-
healthinequalities.scot.nhs.uk/documents/7%20Good_Practice/2%20Business%20Case/
Business_case_for_E&D03.pdf [Accessed 13 Apr. 2018].
Sharma, A., 2016. Managing diversity and equality in the workplace. Cogent Business &
Management, 3(1), p.1212682.
Thompson, N., 2016. Anti-discriminatory practice: Equality, diversity and social justice.
Palgrave Macmillan.