Equality Commission Northern Ireland

INTRODUCTION TO UNDERSTANDING EQUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE

Basic – for beginners in employment equality
This seminar is designed to give employers an awareness of the principal anti-discrimination laws and explores the concepts of direct and indirect discrimination.  It also looks at the particular requirements of Northern Ireland's fair employment legislation.

Webinar overview:
 

• The role and function of the Equality Commission
• Introduction to anti-discrimination legislation in NI
• Definitions of discrimination
• The reasonable adjustment duty
• Fair Employment Treatment Order (FETO)
• Good practice

RECRUITING FAIRLY 

Systematic, fair and objective recruitment and selection procedures increase the likelihood that the most suitable persons will be appointed and significantly reduce the possibility that unlawful discrimination will occur. This session looks in detail at the various aspects of the recruitment and selection process and aims to provide employers with practical guidance and support.

Session overview:
 

• Recruitment and selection and the law
• Developing an effective policy and procedure
• Avoiding common mistakes
• Practical examination of key aspects of the recruitment and selection process (including job documentation and reasonable adjustments)
• Case law
• Good practice

EQUALITY TRAINING FOR LINE MANAGERS

This webinar will focus on good practice regarding employment equality issues for those with line management responsibilities.

Webinar overview:

• Overview of the legal context and types of discrimination
• The role of the line manager in relation to creating a harmonious working environment
• Flexible working – the right to request and the duty to consider
• Managing poor performance
• Disability and the reasonable adjustment duty
• Summary and overview of management responsibilities

MANAGING HARASSMENT AND BULLYING AT WORK - PROMOTING AN INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE
- Delivered by the Equality Commission NI and Labour Relations Agency

This training session will examine the types of behaviour that can constitute harassment and bullying and the impact of these behaviours in the workplace. It will highlight the legal position in relation to harassment and bullying as well as issues liability, and what actions employers can take to promote diverse and inclusive workplaces.

Session Overview:

• Types of harassment
• Bullying and harassment behaviours
• Differences between bullying and harassment
• Legal context
• Nature and consequences of workplace bullying and harassment
• Developing effective policies and procedures
• Building an inclusive workplace
• Equality Commission workplace research

MANAGING SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT WORK

This webinar will examine the types of behaviour that can constitute sexual harassment in the workplace.

Webinar overview:

• The types of behaviour that can constitute sexual harassment
• A brief overview of recent caselaw
• key learning for employers

PREGNANCY, ADOPTION AND MATERNITY AT WORK

This session will focus on informing employers of their responsibilities in relation to equality law related issues regarding pregnancy, adoption and and maternity.

Session overview:
 

• Brief overview of equality and employment law in NI
• Issues of discrimination that can arise from the management of pregnancy and maternity leave
• Best practice examples

This session will be faciltated by Sharon Davidson from the Labour Relations Agency and Una Wilson from Equality Commission.
 

Introduction to Mental Wellbeing at Work

Thurs 24 Oct, 10am - 11.30am

Reasonable Adjustments and Mental Health

Thurs 7 Nov, 11am - 12noon
 

THE DISABILITY REASONABLE ADJUSTMENT DUTY IN THE RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PROCESS
 

This webinar aims to highlight the importance of complying with the reasonable adjustment duty of the Disability Discrimination Act, in the context of recruitment and selection specifically.  It is aimed at employers who already have basic knowledge of the key provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995, such as the definition of disability. It will examine how discrimination can occur, will set out common barriers to recruiting disabled people for consideration, and will highlight the Commission’s good practice recommendations for complying with the law and promoting inclusivity in recruitment for disabled people.


Webinar Overview
 

• Key requirements of the reasonable adjustment duty in the DDA and compliance in the context of recruitment.
• The importance of the duty to promoting equality in employment for disabled applicants.
• How to develop a policy and action plan to facilitate compliance with the duty.

PROMOTING EQUALITY IN EMPLOYMENT FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

This webinar will examine how employers can promote equality and employment for disabled people with an emphasis on the reasonable adjustment duty.

Webinar overview:
 

• Barriers to recruitment and retention of those with disabilities
• Effective strategies to reduce and minimise these barriers
• Types of discrimination
• The reasonable adjustment duty
• Reasonable adjustment examples
• Positive action
   

A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO THE REASONABLE ADJUSTMENT DUTY FOR EMPLOYERS

This webinar will highlight key information and advice for employers wishing to understand and comply with their responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act.  It aims to provide practical, step by step guidance on DDA related matters, with a specific focus on the reasonable adjustment duty.


Webinar Overview

• Practical implications of the provisions of DDA for employers.
• Guidance on the definition of disability under DDA.
• Review of relevant case law with a focus on key learnings for employers.
• A practical, step by step approach to complying with the reasonable adjustment duty will be outlined.

PROMOTING EQUALITY IN EMPLOYMENT FOR WOMEN AFFECTED BY MENOPAUSE

In this webinar we will look at:
 

• How to fairly manage women experiencing symptoms of the menopause.

• The equality law implications and the lessons from case law.

PROMOTING AGE EQUALITY: WHAT CAN EMPLOYERS DO? 

This seminar is designed to give employers an awareness of age discrimination in the workplace and explores some of the key issues in relation to recruiting and retaining employees.

Session overview:

• Scope of the legislation
• Types of Discrimination
• Objective Justification
• Recruitment
• Benefits based on length of service
• Retirement
• Redundancy
• Good practice recommendations

Promoting race equality in employment and service provision

This webinar is for employers, trade unions and service providers seeking to promote race equality for all.  It will highlight information on relevant issues including the law in this area, common barriers experienced, as well as our key advice on eliminating race discrimination in both employment and service provision - and for working towards the promotion of best practice in this area. 

Webinar overview:

• Introduction and overview of the current context in relation to race equality in NI – Paul Oakes, Advisory Services Manager
• Promoting race equality in employment – Roisin Kelly, Advisory Services Officer
• Promoting race equality in service provision – Una Wilson, Advisory Services Officer
• Summary and best practice recommendations

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES MONITORING

This webinar is for those employers wishing to develop voluntary systems of employment equality monitoring.

Session overview:

• The reasons for employment equality monitoring 
• How to establish a system of employment equality monitoring 
• Equality Commission guidance on employment equality monitoring

ARTICLE 55 REVIEW - KEY ELEMENTS

To provide support around completion of the three yearly, Article 55 Review, we are offering an overview of some key aspects of the review and the opportunity for you to ask questions relating to the review process.

Webinar overview:

• Fair Participation as an underpinning theme running throughout the review process
• Identification of geographical catchment areas for your organisation and related comparator ranges. These are key to the assessment of fair participation and as benchmarking tools, help the analysis and evaluation of the following points
• Workforce Composition
• Workforce Flows

FAIR EMPLOYMENT MONITORING WORKSHOPS

These sessions will advise employers on how to comply with their legislative duty to collate and retain monitoring information for inclusion in the annual monitoring return.

Webinar overview:
 

• Discuss completion of the annual monitoring return
• Address employer queries