Equal opportunities monitoring (or ‘equality monitoring’) is the process of collecting, analysing and storing data about staff’s and job applicants’ protected characteristics in order to:
establish whether an Equal Opportunities Policy is working
investigate whether more could be done to promote equality (eg positive action)
set targets and make strategies for better promoting equality, and
to emphasise the employer’s commitment to diversity and equality
Monitoring is not legally required, but it is recommended to help employers meet their legal obligations.
If you undertake equal opportunities monitoring you must be careful to comply with data protection laws. For more information, read Data protection.
For more information on equality monitoring, read the EHRC’s Employment Statutory Code of Practice.