Employers must meet the challenge of collecting data on the religious and
sexual orientations of their employees, according to research.
An IRS survey among organisations that do monitor the gender and ethnic groups
of their employees, and in most cases disability as well, found that barely a
handful had extended the monitoring to groups now covered by recent employment
equality regulations. These came into force in December 2003, and protect
people from discrimination concerning sexual orientation and religious beliefs.
One problem identified by gay equality organisation Stonewall is that many
employers simply do not know what to ask in relation to sexual orientation. It
recommends that employers should establish how many of their employees are
lesbian, gay or bisexual, and how many are ‘out’ at work about their sexual
orientation. www.irsemploymentreview.com
