Finding a balance: How to ensure Equality, Diversity and Inclusion is for everyone

A new report has found that most British people support EDI initiatives but that they need to be improved to make sure they are relevant to their daily experience. The need to build greater confidence in speaking about matters relating to diversity and for EDI initiatives to shun "us versus them" dynamics were highlighted from the authors’ research. In their conclusion, they set out 10 guiding principles to help EDI strategies going forward be as supportive and effective as possible.

Information sharing in mental health emergencies at work

The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) released new guidance in March. It provides advice on when and how it is appropriate to share workers’ information when the employer believes that someone is at risk of causing serious harm to themselves, or others, because of their mental health. Their head of regulatory strategy said, “It is a good idea to plan ahead, as this will help you to make well informed decisions if you need to. Our guidance will help you do that and includes useful case studies to illustrate how the law can work in practice.”

Menopause in the workplace: Guidance for employers

In February, the Equality and Human Rights Commission published guidance about menopause in the workplace. Their resources are designed to help employers understand their legal responsibilities and provide tips for supporting staff experiencing menopausal symptoms. Three short explainer videos cover Menopause and the Equality Act 2010, Making workplace adjustments and preventing discrimination, and Conversations about the menopause.

The Buckland review of autism employment

Launched in April 2023 and led by Sir Robert Buckland, the review’s aim was to pinpoint barriers autistic people face in securing lasting and rewarding employment and exploring how these barriers can be overcome. The report of the review was published in February. The 19 recommendations are divided into 5 themes and include initiatives to raise awareness and reduce stigma, developing recruitment practices that support autistic applicants, actions to aid autistic people already in the workplace, and for encouraging their career progression.

Women @ Work 2024: A Global Outlook

Now in its fourth year, this report by Deloitte represents the views of 5000 women across different sectors in 10 countries, including 500 in the UK. It seeks to better understand the lived experiences of women in the workplace. Some of the key findings this year were that stress levels have increased with long working hours contributing to poor mental health, nearly half of those surveyed fear for their personal safety at work or while travelling for work, and that female health issues such as menstruation and menopause are still treated as taboo. Responses to new questions included in this year’s report highlight concerning issues, such as the reasons why women would not feel comfortable disclosing mental health as the reason for taking time off work.

These workplace wellbeing resources were included in our Spring 2024 e-newsletter.