In the UK people are lucky to be protected from being discriminated against based on nine protected characteristics by the Equality Act 2010. These characteristics are:
- Age
- Disability
- Gender reassignment
- Marriage and civil partnership
- Pregnancy and maternity
- Race
- Religion or belief
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
We all have one or more of these characteristics, so this law applies to everyone. However, if a workplace limits its EDI strategy and policy to only these nine characteristics, people with other characteristics that can also face challenges, exclusion and discrimination, could feel left out and unprotected.
Going Beyond Labels
The Equality Act is the legal minimum that a workplace should take into consideration when they put their policies and procedures in place. But for a workplace to be entirely inclusive and safe for its people, they need to think beyond the protected characteristics and try to understand their people’s uniqueness and listen to their people’s needs and ideas. A person is not just made up of protected characteristics, labels, and identities; one is not just a woman, Christian, or black. There is much more that each individual brings with them in the workplace, which can be beneficial but can also carry challenges and needs.
For example, if a person that did not go to the university works at a place where everyone else has a university degree, how would that person feel and how the other people might behave towards them? If a person has caring responsibilities for an elderly member of their family, does this person receive the same treatment as those who care for their children, such as flexible hours?
If a person comes from another country, does this person understand and adapt to the workplace’s culture and do the colleagues understand and respect the person’s culture? There are a lot of characteristics that are significant parts of a person’s life and identity and that can play a huge role in their inclusion and well-being, including religion, nationality, socioeconomic background/status, learning and thinking styles, political views, hobbies and interests, talents and skills.
It is also worth noting that The Equalities Act 2010 is based on UK Employment Law, and so if you are part of a business that has people based outwith the UK, you need to consider how you create knowledge sharing that helps to guide and sustain fair treatment of all across teams in different locations.
Protection for Everyone
Equality Act has been evolving and more characteristics were and will be added to the protected list, but in the meantime, workplaces should keep reminding themselves that everyone should be protected and feel safe while they are doing their job. No one particular group or characteristic is more entitled to EDI than another, and organisations need to act accordingly.