What are the benefits of having an equality plan?
Having an effective equality plan in place will enable you to co-ordinate all equality-related work throughout your business. In addition, it will allow you to prepare for upcoming developments in legislation and best practice.
Advantages of equality planning
Developing an equality plan can produce a number of business benefits. It can help you:
- identify gaps and potential problem areas in your business
- raise awareness of your business’ commitment to equality
- demonstrate actions undertaken to avoid discrimination in case of tribunal proceedings
- carry out equality training and awareness with employees
- access private investment and EU funding where commitment to equality of opportunity may be an eligibility factor
Your plan will also ensure that you revise your other employment policies eg. bullying and harassment and redundancy policy, to ensure they also comply with equality standards.
Developing an equality plan with the Equality Commission
You can receive support from the Equality Commission to develop an equality plan for your business.
By accessing this support, you will also avail of our full range of speciality knowledge, training, guidance and support and you will be able to work with us to develop examples of good practice which could be promoted on the Equality Commission's website.
- Business planning - effectively coordinate all equality-related work carried out throughout your organisation
- Forward planning - prepare for developments in legislation and best practice
- Policy review - audit all employment policies against legislative requirements and best practice
- Risk assessment - identify gaps and potential problem areas, thereby managing the risk of non-compliance with equality legislation
- Quality assessment - input into quality initiatives such as EFQM and Investors in People
- Communication - coordinate organisation-wide equality training and an awareness strategy
- Promotion - raising awareness about your organisation’s commitment to equal opportunities, both internally and externally
- Evidence - can be used to help outline to a tribunal how your organisation has taken all reasonably practicable steps to avoid discrimination
- Partnership - access a full range of specialist knowledge, guidance, training and support from the Equality Commission
- Investment/funding - assist your organisation in accessing private investment and EU funding by indicating and providing evidence of your commitment to equality of opportunity.