http://www.equality-ne.co.uk Equality North East is a comprehensive website offering fact sheets, a search facility, news items, best practice information relating to race, gender, disability and work-life balance. Thu, 17 May 2012 12:00:00 GMT http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/10983 "Despite the fact that we know that as many as a quarter of offenders have a mental illness its disappointing to discover that since its introduction in 2005 the mental health treatment requirement still represents well-under 1 per cent of all requirements issued." Sean Duggan, Centre for Mental Health chief executive said, commenting on recent figures from the Ministry of Justice that show a fall in the number of Mental Health Treatment Requirements (MHTRs) issued as part of a Community Order or Suspended Sentence Order. "Our research has shown that the MHTR has unfilled potential as an option for community sentences. By engaging offenders with mental health problems in effective treatment in the community, the MHTR has to potential to improve an individual’s mental health and wellbeing and reduce the chances of reoffending. "There are a number of barriers to using the MHTR including uncertainty about which offenders an MHTR is suitable for, poor understanding and awareness of the MHTR amongst criminal justice and health professionals, and a lack of suitable guidance and protocols in place to facilitate its use. Full details.... http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/10982 The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development is calling on the Government to hold its nerve and go ahead with the extension to flexible working rights in today’s Queen’s Speech. New research from the CIPD reveals that only a tiny minority (4%) of employers have had difficulties complying with the current right to request flexible working since it was introduced nearly ten years ago. With 96% of employers providing flexible working arrangements to at least some employees, the research finds that seven out of ten employers report that flexible working supports employee retention, motivation and engagement. Almost two-thirds of employers believe flexible working supports their recruitment activities and half believe it has a positive impact on reducing absence as well as on boosting productivity. Full story.... http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/10981 The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has called on the Government to "hold its nerve" on the planned extension of the right to request flexible working to all employees, which is expected to be announced in the Queen’s Speech tomorrow. Last year, the Institute of Directors called on the Government to scrap the right altogether, with the aim of reducing the burden of red tape on employers. However, according to a report from the CIPD, just 4% of employers have reported difficulties complying with the right to request flexible working since its introduction in 2003. The right currently applies to parents of children under the age of 17, or 18 if the child is disabled. The CIPD’s survey of 1,000 employers found that a large proportion of respondents believed flexible working to be beneficial. Three-quarters (76%) of organisations said that flexible working supported employee retention, 73% believed that it boosted motivation and 72% said that it increased engagement. Full story..... http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/10980 Employees across the UK believe the balance between their work and personal life has improved since 2010, according to a Work-Life Balance Index based on the views of 2,500 UK professionals, published by workspace provider Regus. Despite the average worker putting in longer hours than ever before, the Index shows 60% of people are enjoying their jobs more, and 58% feel that they have enough time to spend at home or on personal pursuits. The majority of workers (69%) state that they achieve more at work than in 2010, which points to a connection between a good work-life balance and worker productivity. Over a third (36%) of respondents say that employers have made efforts to shorten staff commute times, acknowledging the strain a lengthy journey to and from work can have. Full story.... http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/10979 Can an unsuccessful job applicant demand that the prospective employer provide him or her with documents about the successful applicant? The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has held, in Meister v Speech Design Carrier Systems GmbH, that there is no such duty on an employer, but also held that refusal to disclose the information may be one of a range of factors to be taken into account in deciding a subsequent discrimination claim. Obtaining evidence of discrimination Ms Meister was a Russian national holding a Russian degree in systems engineering, which was a recognised qualification in Germany. The respondent company, which was based in Germany, placed a newspaper advertisement for a software developer. Ms Meister applied and was rejected without interview. The company then re-advertised the position. Ms Meister re-applied and she was again rejected without being called for interview. There was nothing in the subsequent proceedings to suggest that her qualifications for the post were unsatisfactory. She was not told why her applications had been unsuccessful. Subsequently, Ms Meister issued proceedings against the company alleging that she had been subjected to less favourable treatment on the grounds of her sex, age and ethnic origin. Full details... http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/10978 Research shows light touch legislation has benefitted business and staff As reports suggest the Government is poised to extend the right to request flexible working to all employees, new research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), reveals that only a tiny minority (4%) of employers have had difficulties complying with the current right to request flexible working since it was introduced nearly 10 years ago*. The CIPD is calling on the Government to hold its nerve and go ahead with the extension in this week’s Queen’s speech. With 96% of employers providing flexible working arrangement to at least some employees, the research finds that seven out of ten employers report that flexible working supports employee retention, motivation and engagement. Almost two thirds of employers believe flexible working supports their recruitment activities and half believe it has a positive impact on reducing absence as well as on boosting productivity. The study, Flexible working: provision and uptake, finds that small employers are least likely to report difficulties with the right to request legislation, and in all, three quarters of employees make use of flexible working of some type. People working for micro-and small firms are more likely to be working flexibly in some way (90% and 78% respectively) than those working for medium (67%) or large-sized employers (29%). However the study, based on a survey of more than a 1,000 employers and a survey of more than 2,000 employees, shows the type of flexibility commonly used is quite limited. While the use of part-time working (32%), flexitime (25%), home working (20%) and mobile working (14%) is comparatively common, other types of flexible working are hardly used. Just 5% of workers use compressed hours, 2% use term-time working, and 1% job share. Flexible working among non managerial employees is largely limited to part-time working (39%) and flexi-time (28%) with just 14% of such staff working from home and 10% mobile working. About one in three employees working for medium sized and large organisations have no access to flexible working. Six in ten employees with no managerial responsibility who don’t work flexibly would like to do so. Ben Willmott, CIPD Head of Public Policy, comments: "The CIPD has long been calling for the extension of the right to request flexible working to all employees, despite claims from some quarters that the legislation is burdensome for businesses. Similar concerns were raised over a decade ago about the plans to introduce the statutory right to request flexible working for parents. Those fears have proved unfounded - regardless of size of organisation. "Our report finds that just 3% of micro businesses and small businesses, 4% of medium-sized businesses and 5% of large businesses have reported problems complying with the existing right to request flexible working. Micro and small employers are more likely than larger organisations to manage flexible working informally rather than through formal policies and procedures, which appears to more than compensate for any lack of formal HR support. "The argument for extending the right to request to all employees is based on a broad business case. More than seven out of ten employers report that flexible working supports employee retention, motivation and engagement. Almost two third of employers believe flexible working supports their recruitment activities, while half believe it has a positive impact on reducing absence as well as on boosting productivity. "From the employee perspective, flexible working is linked to higher levels of employee engagement and wellbeing. Our report finds that employees satisfied with their work-life balance are more likely to be engaged and less likely to say they are under excessive pressure." "This report shows that a significant proportion of those employees who don’t work flexibly would want to do so - particularly those below management level. It also finds that many flexible working solutions are not widely used, for example job sharing or the use of annualised hours - or are only available to more senior staff. Managers are much more likely to be able to work from home or benefit from mobile working than other members of staff and while, this is partly likely to be because of differences in the nature of the work between managers and their employees, in some organisations, it is because of culture and ingrained attitudes." "Our report also shows that wild claims about risk that extending the light-touch right to request legislation would lead to large numbers of tribunal claims are unfounded. The right to request flexible working has not contributed to any significant increase in employment tribunal claims. For example, since 2006, the period for which we have figures, the most number of tribunal claims generated by the flexible working regulations in any one year has been 344, with the vast majority of such claims in all years either resulting in an Acas conciliated settlement, withdrawn or settled privately between the parties. Put simply, flexible working works for business, and the Government should hold its nerve and go ahead with the extension to all employees. The result will be good news for business, employers and the wider economy." * The current right to request flexible working, which covers parents of children aged up to 17 and disabled children up to 18 and some carers, was first introduced in 2003. http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/10977 Muslims across Europe face discrimination in the workplace and society in general if they choose to demonstrate their faith, Amnesty International has claimed. A new report by the human rights organisation says that European governments must do more to challenge the negative stereotypes and prejudices held against Muslims across the continent. Full story..... http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/10976 Trish Hopkinson, senior HR business partner at DHL Supply Chain, tells Personnel Today about the challenges involved in devising a prisoner-employment scheme. More employers should consider employing ex-offenders, according to justice secretary Ken Clarke, who is trying to boost rehabilitation of former prisoners by helping them to gain employment. Clarke has also said that he eventually wants to see businesses manufacturing and providing services from prisons on a commercial basis. At a Downing Street reception later this month, Clarke will outline why organisations should think again when it comes to ex-offenders. DHL, the logistics and courier company, is one of the employers that will be attending, but working with ex-offenders is not new to the employer. Part of the company, DHL Supply Chain, already works in prisons. In 2008, it won a tender with the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) to supply and deliver canteen food to 80,000 inmates in 137 prisons across the UK. Full story... http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/10975 Most working mothers think it unlikely they and their partners will make use of the government’s new shared parental leave system, a survey has revealed. The poll of 1500 working mums, conducted by Netmums together with Working Families, also revealed some concerns about the plans, which are set to form part of the Queen’s speech next week. The new system is set to reduce the default length of maternity leave from 26 to 18 weeks, with the remaining entitlement of up to 38 weeks able to be shared between both partners. Full story.... http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/10974 An employer’s "real business need" can justify a discriminatory provision, criterion or practice The Supreme Court has handed down its judgment in the case of Homer v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police, which involved an allegation of indirect age discrimination. The case was heard at the same time as Seldon v Clarkson Wright and Jakes. The facts When Homer joined the Police National Legal Database (PNLD) there was no requirement to have a law degree or equivalent qualification, provided the individual had exceptional experience/skills in criminal law and a lesser qualification in law, which Homer had. Later on, however, a new grading structure was introduced which required employees to have a law degree or similar if they wanted to be promoted to the highest grade. Homer could have studied for a law degree, but by this time he was 62 and the normal retirement age at the PNLD was 65. There was simply not enough time before his retirement in which he could complete a law degree and attain the promotion threshold. Full story.... http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/10973 Equality North East is delighted to announce the launch of the 2012 North East Equality Awards In their ninth year, the Awards have become a significant fixture on the North East business calendar, highlighting and celebrating the good equality practice being carried out regionally. Last year’s glittering ceremony was held at the Gosforth Marriott and was attended by over 300 employers, employees and equality champions. [image 144 left] One of last year’s winner Kate Carter, Darlington College, Winners Learning Providers and Colleges of Over 50 Staff 2011said ‘'The Award was external recognition of the work that has been done and an opportunity to tell individuals and the staff as a whole that their contribution had made an enormous difference to the people and the communities that we serve. It was also a great opportunity to thank everyone involved who have been so committed to ensuring the College is a place where people can study or work without fear of discrimination.’' Liz Reay, Chief Executive of Equality North East, the regional equality organisation behind the Awards, said: "In these difficult economic times it can be easy for employers to put equality on the ‘back burner’. However, it has never been more important to celebrate good equality and diversity practices so we can all learn how this leads to real business benefits. Wise employers know that being fair and pro-active leads to getting the right people for the job, a motivated and loyal workforce and success with those important public sector contracts''. Equality North East would like to thank this year’s sponsors who include: [item]Gateshead College[/item] [item]Cestria Housing[/item] [item]GENTOO[/item] [item]Learning and Skills Improvement Service[/item] [item]Sunderland City College[/item] [item]South Tyneside Homes[/item] [item]Gateshead Housing[/item] [item]Homes for Northumberland[/item] [item]The Strategic Health Authority[/item] [item]Tyne and Wear Fire Service[/item] [item]Marriott Hotels[/item] The closing date for this year’s awards is Friday 12th July 2012 and the categories this year are: [item][b][colour navy]Employers of Between 51 & 250 Staff[/item] [item]Employers of Up To 50 Staff[/item] [item]Learning Providers of up to 50 Staff[/item] [item]Colleges & Learning Providers of Over 50 Staff[/item] [item]Outstanding Contribution by a Larger Organisation[/item] [item]Individuals Who Have Made a Difference[/item] [item]Equality and Diversity in the Housing Sector up to 50 staff[/item] [item]Equality and Diversity in the Housing Sector up to 250 staff[/item] [item]Practicing Excellence in Housing Sector Organisations[/item] [item]Organisations Supporting Disabled People in Employment[/colour][/b] [/item] The evening celebration is scheduled to take place at the Gosforth Marriott Hotel on Friday 19th October 2012 and applicants can apply [link http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/awards/apply]online.[/link] Closing date for entries is Friday 12th July and Equality North East will be hosting support days for applicants to come and receive guidance and advice on completing applications. http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/10972 A Christian doctor sacked after emailing a prayer to colleagues lost his claim for unfair dismissal after a Tribunal judge ruled that there was no place for religious references at work, reports the Daily Telegraph. Dr David Drew told an Employment Tribunal that he was made to feel like a ‘religious maniac’ after sending out the prayer by St Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, to motivate his department. But Employment Judge, David Kearsley, ruled that if complaints were made about Muslim or Hindu doctors who had quoted from holy texts, they too would be asked to refrain from such behaviour. Full story.... http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/10971 Plans to reduce maternity leave to 18 weeks criticised by mothers and employers In advance of announcements on legislative change to maternity and paternity leave (likely in the Queen’s Speech on 9 May) a new study for Working Families and Netmums found overwhelming opposition to plans to reduce maternity leave to 18 weeks. Working Families employer members have also voiced concerns about reducing maternity leave to18 weeks and warn of hidden costs to business. The Netmums survey of 1,500 mothers found: • Nearly 60 per cent of mothers said it would be hard to ask for more time off, if they had had to request more leave after 18 weeks of maternity leave with 24 per cent of these saying their employer would have made it clear that they wanted them back at that time. • Asked if they would take advantage of their partners being able to take "shared leave", 17% said their partner would be keen to take shared leave; 28% said he might want to but it wouldn’t happen in practice; while a further 41% said the family could not afford for the father to take the time off. Working Families also asked eleven leading employers what they thought of the 18 week maternity leave proposal. Nine of the eleven said they’d prefer a default of 26 weeks' maternity leave to the 18 week proposal. Employers concerns included likely higher absenteeism among women returning before they were ready, costs of rearranging leave cover if plans change, and the importance of retaining women’s workplace talent. Netmums founder Sally Russell said: "Women are very strongly saying that 18 weeks of maternity leave is not enough. It is possible to have a system that works for mums and dads but this isn’t it. "The findings show that an 18 week limit may well push women out of employment and the result will be the opposite of what the Government are trying to achieve" Working Families Chief Executive, Sarah Jackson said: "This isn’t just about what women want: some of our top employers are warning of hidden costs to business if women come back too soon. We urge the Government to think again: 18 weeks of maternity leave is simply too short for women’s wellbeing and for business success". SME employer Viv Matthews said: "These proposals are a retrograde step. We know that women value spending longer at home bonding with their new child. Working mums find it hard to return even after six or twelve months, and we want to ensure they are fit and ready when they do. We support the aim to provide more choice in families but in reality few fathers will take up shared leave. Reducing maternity leave to18 weeks may lead to long term costs to employers". (Viv Matthews is Head of Human Resources for Henmans LLP, an Oxford based law firm with 125 employees) http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/10970 This report presents new, wide-ranging evidence about disabled people from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds and recommends how policy-makers, local authority commissioners, and service providers can improve BME disabled people’s access to services. http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/10969 In April 2012, the British Humanist Association published a ‘Freedom of Information report on organisation of "faith" schools in the maintained sector’. The report finds that almost two-thirds of the state-maintained ‘faith’ schools to open in the last five years have done so outside of competition, whilst for schools without a religious character, the number is less than one in six. The British Humanist Association says that the findings reveal a biased system, in which religious organisations are uniquely privileged and local democracy is subverted. Full story...