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Not many employers will have had the time, nor indeed the inclination, to wade through the Final Report of the Equalities Review.
Its 168 pages of 'equality-speak' is long on analysis but short on concrete proposals, and it appears to be a self-serving justification for the work of the new super quango, the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR).
Recommendations
There are 10 in all. The first is an attempt to redefine what is meant by an equal society: "An equal society protects and promotes equal and real freedom and substantive opportunity to live in ways that people value and would choose so that everyone can flourish. An equal society recognises people's different needs, situations and goals and removes barriers that limit what people can do and can be".
One is tempted to add 'and they all lived happily ever after'. How long before this catchy definition finds its way into legislation?
Employers are likely to welcome some recommendations, notably the simplification of legislation and the development of a single Equalities Act covering all discrimination, which will hopefully provide some relief to anyone who has ever had to grapple with the range of Acts and regulations that currently cover this area.
Most of the other proposals will do little other than add another layer of bureau-cracy to running a business and increase costs.
For example, it proposes a standard reporting procedure, whereby employers are either required (in the public sector) or 'encouraged' (in the private sector) to fill in a form designed by the CEHR to provide data on their equality performance. It's a safe bet that despite the report's warm words, the form will be neither simple nor short.
Discrimination
As the report also suggests, the procurement and commission of goods and services by a whole range of public and quasi-public bodies provides an opportunity to promote equality by requiring that suppliers collect data more rigorously, and by requiring suppliers to adhere
