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Equalities | EOC

Earlier this week I visited the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) offices in central London to interview Jenny Watson before she sets off into the Outback sunset next week.

It can of escaped no HR professional's attention that the EOC is being wound up at the end of September to make way for the all-encompassing Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR).

Former Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) chief Trevor Phillips will head the new body, leaving Watson to while away the rest of the year driving a camper van around Australia.

I met her among half-packed boxes and sacks of paperwork in the eerie calm of a half-deserted office. Her phone rang during the interview. A job offer, perhaps? "There are plenty of those," she quipped.

Watson seemed relaxed about handing over the gender equality reigns to Phillips, and satisfied that she had done what she could in her two years at the helm.

She felt it was time to move on, and that a fresh perspective was needed. The realities of such a fundamental handover, however, came starkly into focus when I saw the empty shelves and bulging boxes around me.

Transferring just the physical infrastructure of the EOC, the CRE and the Disabilty Rights Commission into one building is a challenge enough. Then factor in the HR challenge of bringing staff together under one roof - along with some new starters - and, oh yes, the small matter of actually improving opportunities and human rights for all sectors of society.

The CEHR clearly has its work cut out. I think Watson has the right idea. How much is a flight to Sydney these days?


Greg Pitcher |

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