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. Fri, 09 May 2008 12:00:00 GMT http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/5372 Trevor Phillips, Chair of the Commission, called for a ‘radical rethink’ by employers to unleash the talent of people with mental health conditions in a speech for the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health today (Wed 7 May). He called on employers to ‘create a workplace which cultivates openness, provides support and promotes mental wellbeing.’ 'By shutting people with a mental health condition out, we turn our back on enormous talent and potential,' he said. He went on to point out that less than forty per cent of employers are willing to hire someone with a mental heath condition. The cost to the economy is around GBP10 billion a year. Mr Phillips indicated a range of practical measures to help employers create a level playing field for staff with mental illnesses. These include: • more support • flexibility at work, for example to allow people to attend healthcare appointments, or work outside normal office hours • a buddy/mentor scheme to provide support day to day • flexibility around sick leave and unpaid leave. He went on to say: ‘We need to approach the issues of mental health at work not just from the point of view of a medical strategy. We also need an equality strategy. ’Individual employers need to be aware of the reasonable adjustments they could make to the workplace so that it is feasible for people with mental health issues to stay in employment. ‘The Government is right to raise expectations of people with mental health problems leaving Incapacity Benefit and moving into work, and critically not leaving work and going onto incapacity benefit in the first place. But we need to up our game if we are going to make any real difference. We must redouble our efforts to support people not just to find jobs but to also develop in and keep jobs.’ Angela Greatley, Chief Executive of the Sainsbury centre for Mental Health, which is organising the event, said: ‘We are delighted that Trevor Phillips has highlighted the need for all of us to tackle the ignorance and prejudices that reduce the life chances and potential of people with mental health problems. ’Mental distress is a fact of life. It can affect any of us at any time. Ignoring mental ill health at work is a false economy. Mental ill health costs UK businesses GBP1,000 a year for every person they employ. Instead of running away from it, employers need to embrace the issue and create workplaces that promote mental wellbeing.' http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/5371 The Employment (Equality) Age Regulations 2006 prohibit direct discrimination on grounds of age, unless this is objectively justified (regulation 3). Direct discrimination takes place if an employer treats an employee less favourably than it would treat or treats a comparator on the grounds of the employee’s age. Direct discrimination can be objectively justified where the treatment is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. Examples of legitimate aims which might justify age discrimination are: [item]facilitation of employment planning; encouraging and rewarding loyalty; and recruiting or retaining older people.[/item] Full story... http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/5370 If agency workers were given the same rights as full time employees after a year - as the CBI has argued for - then three quarters of agency workers would still be excluded from protection, a new report has revealed. The study, Agency working in the UK: what do we know?, has been conducted by academics from the universities of Leeds, Bradford and Kent. It coincides with discussions in Parliament over a Private Members' Bill, which would grant agency workers equal treatment to permanently employed workers in comparable jobs. Full story...... http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/5369 The UK’s small and medium-sized businesses are embracing flexible working practices for parents in ever increasing numbers, according to new research. Almost three-quarters of SMBs have introduced flexible working options, and nearly a half gave the thumbs up to government plans to extend flexible working to parents of older children. However, proposed legislation to extend maternity leave from 39 to 52 weeks, and offer fathers up to 26 weeks paternity leave with statutory pay in the event of the mother returning to work, were met with some caution. Full story.... http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/5368 A positive relationship between flexible working practices and employee performance is a key finding of a significant new piece of research to be launched at "Measuring Up – The Impact of Flexible Working Practices on Performance," a major conference taking place in London on 30 April 2008. Flexible Working and Performance is the result of a two-year research project by Cranfield School of Management in collaboration with Working Families. Seven major blue-chip companies, from a range of sectors, participated in the research. The report demonstrates that flexible working can be a win-win option for employers and employees. As the availability and types of flexible work continue to increase, there is a greater need to know exactly how such working practices affect the organisation with regard to performance of individuals, and the impact on colleagues and managers. Key findings of the report include: The majority of flexible workers, co-workers of flexible workers and managers of flexible workers reported that there was either a positive impact or no impact on individual performance. This was true for both quantity of work produced, and quality of work produced. The majority of employees reported that flexible working had a positive effect in reducing and managing stress levels. However, there was evidence to suggest that for some individuals flexible working itself could become a source of work stress. Significant positive relationships were found when comparing those who work flexibly with other employees. Flexible workers were found to have higher levels of organisational commitment, and in some cases they also had higher levels of job satisfaction. In addition, the availability of flexible working was a key competitive strategy within the labour market. There was a high degree of informal flexible working across the organisations. Report co-author and Senior Lecturer in Strategic Human Resource Management from Cranfield School of Management, Dr Clare Kelliher, said: "These findings are important because they show both performance-related and longer term benefits from flexible working. However flexible working should not be seen as an add-on activity. Other HR policies may need to be adjusted in order to ensure they support flexible working." Working Families Chief Executive Sarah Jackson OBE said: "The key findings of this rigorous two year research project strengthen the business case for flexible working. The research involving seven blue chip companies shows that flexibility has a positive effect on the quality and quantity of work and on employee commitment. It is also clear that flexible working works best where it is available to all employees". http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/5367 Ignorance of rights at work and a lack of access to employment rights advice, made worse by recent changes in the funding regime, are key problems for the two million vulnerable workers in the UK, according to the TUC’s Commission on Vulnerable Employment (CoVE) report published on Wednesday. The Commission, which brings together employers, independent experts and trade unions, says: 'Vulnerable workers have great difficulty in getting the specialist support they need - even if they are persistent, they will in many areas only get advice about their basic rights but not the ongoing support they need to enforce them. Many areas of the country are employment rights advice deserts. Full details.... http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/5366 A company fined for dismissing an employee who took a month off work to look after his family has won its appeal against the Employment Tribunal’s decision. Cortest Ltd was fined a total of GBP7,243 in damages after the Employment Tribunal found that the employee, Mr O'Toole, was unfairly dismissed for exercising his rights under the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA), which provide a right to take time off to look after dependants. O'Toole was dismissed after his partner had to leave their home "for her own sanity" after issues relating to the amount of hours worked by O'Toole and her care for one of their children, who was proving difficult to look after, came to a head. Full story.... http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/5365 People are not taking up their right to request flexible working for fear it will damage their career prospects, research has revealed. The findings undermine HR director Imelda Walsh’s long-awaited recommendations to the government on extending the right to request flexible working beyond those with young children. Full story... http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/5364 The number of employers being prosecuted for hiring illegal workers has risen dramatically. Figures obtained by the BBC revealed a total of 137 businesses were caught employing illegal immigrants in March and April, the two months after the law was changed. Full story... http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/5363 Manufacturers have urged the government to delay plans to extend the right to request flexible working to more employees. The plea follows a survey of 446 companies in the sector by employers' body the EEF that found the majority had experienced practical problems with implementing the current legislation, and were opposed to extending the right to request flexible working beyond those already covered. Full story... http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/5362 An overwhelming majority of people prejudice those with facial disfigurements, a survey has revealed. Research by the charity Changing Faces has revealed people with facial disfigurements are likely to be marginalised in life and at work because little is expected of them. The study revealed that although all respondents claimed to have no prejudice against those with facial disfigurements, in reality 90% of 1,000 people held implicit prejudices. Full story... http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/5361 This document sets out how the Equality and Human Rights Commission promotes equality in all its work, from recruiting and employing staff to carrying out services and public activities. [doc 223]Easy Read Version[/doc] http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/5360 Foreign workers hoping to fill skilled vacancies in Britain’s labour market will have to meet strict new criteria, the Government has announced. The Home Office has published proposals for much tighter skilled and temporary worker tiers of its new Points Based System (PBS). The schemes - known as Tier 2 and Tier 5 - sweep aside around 30 different routes to the UK, including the old work permit system. British-based companies will have to prove they cannot fill skilled posts with a resident worker and must show that the job vacancy has been advertised in the UK. Would-be migrants will need a job offer before they even apply for a visa, unless the job is on the shortage occupation list. To qualify, skilled foreign nationals will have to earn a certain number of points before being allowed to work in Britain. These points are awarded only if a person can prove they will be doing skilled work, speak a good standard of English, and are earning more than GBP24,000, or have a decent qualification. Employers will need a licence from the UK Border Agency to offer jobs to skilled workers. Full story.... http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/5359 It was only when Rachel Underhill was lying in a hospital bed, haemorrhaging, that she first realised the way of the Watchtower might not be for her. She had just given birth to twins via an emergency Caesarean section. As a Jehovah’s Witness she was subject to the whim of the church elders, and they made their feelings about a blood transfusion quite clear. As she was wheeled into the operating theatre, one of them pushed a form under her nose and said "sign here". Ms Underhill, 32, from Brighton, East Sussex, was lucky enough to survive her ordeal without a transfusion, but the idea that her religion was encouraging her to risk her life was a defining moment. Full story.... http://www.equality-ne.co.uk/news/articles/5358 The Financial Times has admitted that its female journalists are paid less than men in equivalent jobs - but has defended its employment practices, MediaGuardian.co.uk can reveal. In a confidential internal memo obtained by MediaGuardian.co.uk, the managing editor, Dan Bogler, acknowledged that "the bald statistics show that women are paid less than men for equivalent jobs at the FT" but then said the problem was largely down to length of service. "This does not take into account the fact that, on average, our female staff have shorter service records than their male colleagues, which explains the difference," he wrote. Full story....