Forthcoming Employer Events

Employer Conferences
Click here to view information on any upcoming employer conferences and booking information.

Calendar of Events
Click here to view a calendar of forthcoming employer-focused events.

Employer Training Programme
For information on our current training programme, including information on registration click here.

Voluntary Sector Seminar Programme
In partnership with NICVA the Equality Commission will be delivering a series of seminars this autumn 2009 aimed at assisting voluntary sector employers meet responsibilities under employment equality legislation. For more information click here.

Employer Equality Networks
For information on the range of employer networks including details on how to join a network in your area/sector click here.

Latest Good Practice Guides for Employers

Guidance for Volunteer-Involving Organisations
In partnership with Volunteer Now the Equality Commision has developed good practice guidance and supporting materials for volunteer-involving organisations aimed at assisting them to promote equality of opportunity when developing and co-ordinating volunteer roles.

People involved in voluntary work do not have the same level of protection under equality law as paid employees, however clearly volunteer-involving organisations stil have a responsibility to take steps to promote equality and protect their volunteers from discrimination. Two guidance documents have been developed to aid the promotion of recommended best practice in this area and are available to download by clicking on the following links:

Promoting Equality and Diversity in Volunteering - A Guide for Volunteer-Involving Organisations
Monitoring Equality and Diversity in Volunteering - A Guide for Volunteer-Involving Organisations 

Additional guidance and support on volunteering issues is available at www.volunteernow.co.uk or contact 028 9023 6100.



Unified Guide to Promoting Equal Opportunities in Employment
The Equality Commission has recently produced its Unified Guide to Promoting Equal Opportunities in Employment. 

The Guide aims to provide employers with practical guidance on how to comply with their responsibilities under each of the anti-discrimination laws in respect of their treatment of job applicants and employees, and to assist employers to promote equality of opportunity in employment across all of the statutory equality grounds.

The Guide aims to amalgamate in one document the principles that are currently contained in the several equality codes of practice and other guidance materials that the Equality Commission has published. 

You may access an electronic version of the Unified Guide through the title link above.  

Good Practice for all employers - General guidance on Equal Opportunities
This document give general guidance on equal opportunities and is taken from an excerpt of the Fair Employment Code of Practice 1989.

Commission Guidance - Promoting a Good & Harmonious Working Environment - A Guide for Employers and Employees  
The Equality Commission has finalised its guidance for employers on ‘Promoting a Good and Harmonious Working Environment’. 

If you require the guidance in a different format, for example hard copy, large print or Braille please let us know.

Contact details:
Telephone: 028 90 500 595
Email: edenquiries@equalityni.org

Supporting Employers
The Equality Commission provides support to employers on employment equality matters. This publication outlines the support provided by the Employment Development Division.

Discriminatory Advertising
This is a publication for employers that aims to provide good practice guidance on how to advertise job vacancies and how to avoid publishing discriminatory advertisements.

Employing Migrant Workers
This publication is intended to provide employers with practical guidance on how best to comply with their responsibilities under Northern Ireland´s anti-discrimination laws regarding their treatment of migrant workers. 

Revised Equal Opportunities Model Policy 
This model policy has been developed for use by employers and is designed to ensure that, as a minimum, an organization complies with its equality obligations under the various pieces of anti-discrimination legislation.

Fair Employment Monitoring - Additional Guidance
This document provides additional information to assist employers to complete their annual monitoring return forms.

For a full list of Commission publications click here.

Back to top 

Your Views on...

E-Monitoring
We are keen to hear your views on the development of a web based eMonitoring system which will enable employers to submit their annual monitoring returns electronically. Click here to submit your views.

The Equality Commission is committed to providing high quality training to employers on a wide range of equality issues. To ensure we continue to meet your needs we would like to know your employment equality training priorities. Click here to submit your views.

Back to top

Need advice?

The Employment Development Division is responsible for the provision of equality support to employers. Further information about the Division including our standards of service and what to do if you have a complaint can be found in the About us section of this website.

Back to top

Special Feature / Bulletin

A local government initiative designed to address the under-representation of women at senior levels and as elected members. For more information please visit the Women in Local Councils website. 

Click here for an overview of the initiative.

Progress Report Against Chartermark Standards
Update against Chartermark Standards.

Click here to view Sept 2007 progress report.
Click here to view Oct - Dec 2007 progress report.

The Commission devotes considerable resources to producing clear and useful guidance for employers and to the provision of advice and assistance for employers on the provision of equality of opportunity for all their staff and for job applicants as well as compliance with their particular responsibilities under the legislation. To do this most effectively it is essential that we listen to the concerns of employers and shape the training, guidance and other services we provide, to take account of these.

We are constantly exploring how we might make our contacts with employers more responsive to their needs. To that end, the Equality Commission has just completed a comprehensive survey of public and private employers which obtained responses on their satisfaction with key aspects of the business support provided by the Commission and of their awareness of equality issues. Click here to view the Executive Summary. 

Back to top