What is an Equality Plan?
An equality plan outlines how your company’s equality and diversity policy will be implemented.
Your equality and diversity policy should explain your business’ stance on diversity and set out legal rights and obligations of your staff. It is your promise to treat all employees, and potential employees, fairly and considerately.
Your equality plan allows you to integrate equality into your performance management system, quality initiatives and corporate planning processes.
You may draft an equality plan that focuses on one particular protected equality ground (such as racial group, or sex, or disability) or, alternatively, on two or more grounds, or, to take a fully integrated approach, on all of the protected equality grounds.
We have published two template equality plans that may assist you to draft your own:
(a) a racial equality plan template (word doc), and
(b) an integrated equality plan template (word doc) for all protected equality grounds.
We can provide further assistance on request, such as where you may wish to develop an equality plan that focuses on any other specific equality ground (such as sex or disability). |
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This provides employers with a practical and manageable framework for coordinating all aspects of equality work undertaken within your organisation. It specifically refers to employment practices and access to services and is:
- A voluntary initiative driven by the needs and priorities of your organisation
- A flexible structure which can be tailored to meet the specific needs of your company
- A framework for undertaking an Equality Impact Assessment of employment policies and practices
- A way of integrating equality into performance management systems, quality initiatives and corporate planning processes
- Development of action plans to promote affirmative & positive action.
Equality plans can also be used to develop plans to promote affirmative and positive action where this is deemed appropriate.
Do you require assistance?
The Equality Commission can assist you to develop an Equality Plan that will match the specific needs of your organisation.