Five policies that promote EDI in the workplace

Good workplace policies protect everyone. They ensure staff know the benefits and responsibilities of working in an organisation, and they lay out clearly what employees can expect of employers in return. They also provide a framework to identify and remediate situations where things have gone awry.

Here are five policies that promote EDI:

Diversity and inclusion

A diversity and inclusion policy affirms that your organisation is committed to a workplace environment that promotes diversity and inclusion, and creates an open and inclusive culture, according to Ibec.

It recognises that all employees bring their “own background, work style, distinct capabilities [and] experience to their work”, and that this reflects the diversity of its customers and markets.

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Such policies should include recognition that a one-size-fits-all approach to managing people does not achieve fairness and equality of opportunity for everyone.

It should restate the fact that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, age, gender, race, ethnicity, family status, disability, civil status or religious beliefs is illegal and refer to the fact that all of the organisation’s other policies and practices reflect this reality too.

Dignity at work

An organisation’s diversity and inclusion policy should be supported by appropriate harassment, sexual harassment and bullying policies, outlining clear disciplinary and grievance procedures

Dignity at Work, an anti-bullying, harassment and sexual harassment policy for Civil Service employees, provides a good template. It state that it is unacceptable for staff to be subjected to bullying of any sort and that every member of staff has a duty to behave in a respectful manner. It defines what constitutes bullying, harassment and sexual harassment versus what may be considered “normal workplace conflict”. It outlines the steps an individual can take if they have been subjected to aberrant behaviour and the procedures to be followed by all parties.

Flexible working

Flexible working offers greater inclusivity for a variety of people, from new parents and people with disabilities to those living in remote areas, widening the talent pool.

The new Work Life Balance Act gives employees the right to request remote working, albeit with employers reserving the right to say no. Your policy here should lay out the conditions required before staff can make such a request.

A flexible working policy should also specify the employer’s responsibilities to staff working from home in relation to their safety, health and welfare at work obligations.

Employers have the same duty of care for your health and safety for remote workers as they do for those in the office. As well as ensuring they take adequate breaks, employees have the right to disconnect from work outside of normal working hours.

Work-life balance

The new act goes much further than remote working. As well as giving parents and carers the right to request flexible working arrangements, it provides for the right to five days’ paid leave in any 12-month period for those suffering from domestic violence.

This is in addition to existing entitlements to carers’ and force majeure leave. It provides for unpaid leave for medical care purposes for parents and carers, again up to five days in cases of serious medical reasons. The new act also extends the period during which there is entitlement to breastfeeding breaks, from 26 weeks to 104 weeks.

Transgender

CIPD, the professional body for the HR sector, has issued new guidance in relation to transgender policies.

“Employers have a responsibility to create a safe working environment for everybody. Understanding how best to support transgender and non-binary inclusion within the workplace has become increasingly important to employers,” it says.

The aim is to help professionals, employers and people managers to take a proactive and informed approach to supporting transgender and non-binary people at work as part of a broader EDI policy. It covers the employee life cycle from recruitment to progression and aims to ensure that internal EDI policies support transgender and non-binary inclusion within the workplace, including how to support colleagues through their individual journey.