Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Positive action

Under the Equality Act 2010, positive action means action that is taken to encourage certain groups, for example women or people from a particular racial minority, to take advantage of opportunities for employment if the purpose is to tackle their underrepresentation in a particular field.

Positive action is permissible under the Equality Act 2010. Examples of positive action include stating in the advertisement that applications from women are particularly welcome and using types of media for advertising that are likely to be seen by members of a particular racial or religious group.

Positive action, which is lawful, should be distinguished from positive discrimination, which is unlawful.


    • Ethnicity
    • Ethnicity pay gap
    • Latest News

    Government publishes ethnicity pay gap reporting guidance

    by Ashleigh Webber 17 Apr 2023
    by Ashleigh Webber 17 Apr 2023

    The government has published new guidance on ethnicity pay gap reporting and positive action in the workplace. 

    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Positive action
    • Positive discrimination

    What’s the difference between positive action and positive discrimination?

    by Jo Faragher 20 Jan 2023
    by Jo Faragher 20 Jan 2023

    With so many initiatives focusing on equality, diversity and inclusion, we often hear about examples of positive action or positive...

    • Sexual harassment
    • Unconscious bias
    • Ethnicity

    Allegations and resignations shine unwelcome light on RAF and Red Arrows culture

    by Adam McCulloch 26 Aug 2022
    by Adam McCulloch 26 Aug 2022

    The Red Arrows, of all British institutions, has been enveloped in allegations of bad behaviour that has seen pilots removed from the roster and a major enquiry take place.

    • Gender
    • Ethnicity
    • Manufacturing

    UK in urgent need of female tradespeople finds research

    by Adam McCulloch 17 Jun 2022
    by Adam McCulloch 17 Jun 2022

    New research reveals that only 1% of tradespeople are women in the UK.

    • Gender
    • Unconscious bias
    • Latest News

    Women’s promotions at financial services firms lag behind

    by Adam McCulloch 30 May 2022
    by Adam McCulloch 30 May 2022

    Women still make up less than a quarter of senior promotions within financial services businesses, despite some signs of recent progress.

    • Indirect discrimination
    • Unconscious bias
    • Ethnicity

    Ethnicity pay gap reporting will not be mandatory

    by Adam McCulloch 17 Mar 2022
    by Adam McCulloch 17 Mar 2022

    The government says it will ‘help’ organisations tackle the ethnicity pay gap but will not make it mandatory.

    • Unconscious bias
    • Ethnicity
    • Latest News

    Is the law confusing around positive action and diversity in the private sector?

    by Ranjit Dhindsa 25 Feb 2022
    by Ranjit Dhindsa 25 Feb 2022

    Diversity in the workplace is unanimously agreed to be a good thing, but the law governing routes to achieving this is less favourably regarded.

    • Ethnicity
    • Latest News
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion

    Report recommends ethnicity pay gap disclosure

    by Jo Faragher 14 Jul 2021
    by Jo Faragher 14 Jul 2021

    Systemic racism persists in England, according to a report by the race equality think tank the Runnymede Trust.

    • Europe
    • STEM
    • Gender

    Diversity, the final frontier: space agency seeks disabled astronaut

    by Adam McCulloch 16 Feb 2021
    by Adam McCulloch 16 Feb 2021

    The European Space Agency (ESA) is seeking new astronauts for the first time in a decade and D&I is among its major goals.

    • Unconscious bias
    • Ethnicity
    • Latest News

    Firms rush to boost diversity but some over-rely on training

    by Adam McCulloch 4 Aug 2020
    by Adam McCulloch 4 Aug 2020

    Experts report a surge of companies looking to improve D&I – but some see training as a 'silver bullet' while others' motivations are questionable.

    • Service provision changes
    • Financial penalties
    • PROMOTED CONTENT

    Top 10 HR questions April 2019: Maximum compensation, holiday entitlement and positive action

    by XpertHR 2 May 2019
    by XpertHR 2 May 2019

    The annual increase to the limits on compensation that can be awarded in an...

    • Social mobility
    • Gender
    • Unconscious bias

    Eight ways to ensure diversity initiatives are fair

    by Dr Achim Preuss 17 Oct 2016
    by Dr Achim Preuss 17 Oct 2016

    After a BBC radio presenter claimed he was sacked for being a white man, is positive discrimination a fair solution...

    • Gender
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Positive action

    Practical ways to tackle diversity without positive action

    by Patrick Voss 14 Jun 2016
    by Patrick Voss 14 Jun 2016

    The BBC made headlines recently with claims it was favouring candidates from certain minorities and age groups. But if diversity...

    • USA
    • Puerto Rico
    • Positive action

    Ten notable facts about Puerto Rico labour law

    by Felicity Alexander 12 Nov 2015
    by Felicity Alexander 12 Nov 2015

    Employers in Puerto Rico must take account of both US federal and Puerto Rico labour law. This dual legal system...

    • Employment law
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Positive action

    How employers can take positive action to increase workforce diversity

    by Ashok Kanani 26 Aug 2015
    by Ashok Kanani 26 Aug 2015

    To what extent can employers take positive action in recruitment or promotion to increase workforce diversity? Ashok Kanani reviews the...

Newer Posts
Older Posts

  • The HR Bundle: Your one-stop guide to building a successful global HR Department PROMOTED | Get your hands on Deel’s free HR bundle...Read more
  • The Benefits of an Employee Assistance Programme PROMOTED | EAPs support employees in a range of ways...Read more
  • Intergenerational working and how to manage up and down the generations PROMOTED | The benefits and challenges of intergenerational workplaces...Read more
  • Bereavement in the workplace: How training can help HR get it right PROMOTED | HR professionals play an essential role...Read more
  • UK workforce mental wellbeing needs PROMOTED | The mental wellbeing support employers are providing misses the mark...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2023

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2023 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+