Three equality guides from Acas

Three new guides on equality have been published by the employment relations service Acas.

Equality and discrimination outlines the basics of what employers, and employees and their representatives need to know to comply with equality law.

Discrimination: what to do if it happens is a step-by-step guide covering how an employee should raise a complaint of discrimination and how an employer should handle it.

Prevent discrimination: support equality explains where discrimination is most likely to arise in the workplace and how to stop it happening.

Encouraging greater awareness and understanding of the different protected characteristics under the 2010 Equality Act, alongside tackling discrimination, can help to reduce the chance of complaints, disciplinary action or an employment tribunal claim — and avoid the costs and disruption to the organisation.

Organisations need to take into account that the workforce is changing. For example, more people are continuing to work instead of retiring, women now make up almost half the workforce, around one in 10 of the UK working age population are from an ethnic minority, while one in four primary school children are from an ethnic minority.

www.acas.org.uk/equality