Leadership Staff learning and development Accessible information and services Consultation and engagement Equality analysis Monitoring and reporting Publishing Review Dealing with discrimination and harassment Assessing compliance, evaluation and review Feedback and complaints Annexes Equality law Specific duties in England, Scotland and Wales This scheme and the Section 75 duty, Northern Ireland How we developed our scheme and objectives Summary of themes, objectives and KPIs Appendices Objectives Action plan Resources and advice for staff Section 75 timetable for measures and consultation list
harassment and prohibited conduct Standard equality-related clause in all contracts Equality built in as a core requirement in contracts where relevant Consultants provided with copy of summary equality scheme Line managers How to recruit and manage a diverse workforce To utilise staff diversity; to respond positively to individual needs and circumstances; to promote staff satisfaction and success; to prevent unlawful discrimination Disability and employment website Effective recruitment and selection course Employment law for managers course Equality expert training: Valuing Student and Difference and Deconstructing Stereotypes Briefings from HR Managers and Advisers Staff providing advice and guidance to students University policy and precedent in responding to particular circumstances To meet of students, promote engagement, student satisfaction and success Training for Student Registration and Enquiry Service staff Training for Curriculum Support Teams Regional briefings for advice staff Staff operating procedures Disability advisers Understanding of a wide range of different needs and University policy and precedent in responding To meet needs of disabled students, and promote student satisfaction and success Induction for new advisers Disability and Additional Requirements regional meetings Online resources Annual conference Advice from specialist advisers Research student supervisors University policy and precedent in responding to particular circumstances To meet needs of students, promote engagement, student satisfaction and success Advice from specialists in the Research Career Development and Research Degrees teams; Supervisor training events; Supervisor handbook Principal Investigators and Directors of Research How to recruit and manage a diverse research team To utilise staff diversity; to respond positively to individual needs and circumstances; to promote staff satisfaction and success; to prevent unlawful discrimination Effective recruitment and selection course Briefings from HR and Research School Managers Staff developing curriculum, and teaching Good practice in developing an inclusive and accessible To create inclusive curriculum that increases student engagement, retention Research seminars provided by the Centre for Inclusion and Collaborative Partnerships
methodologies and tools curriculum and learning experience and satisfaction; to anticipate barriers and address these proactively; to reduce bespoke costs Sharing good practice through the Securing Greater Accessibility group (SeGA) Online resources linked to the Curriculum approval process Advice from faculty Accessibility Specialists Resources and advice from central specialists and on the OU website Staff creating materials and assets Good practice in developing accessible materials and assets To anticipate barriers and address these proactively; to reduce bespoke costs Accessibility training provided to media teams Advice from faculty Accessibility Specialists Resources and advice from central specialists and on the OU website Staff developing strategy and policy How to assess the impact of strategy and policy on people To develop inclusive strategy and policy; to meet the public sector equality duty and Section 75 duty Equality Expert training; “Conducting Equality Analysis” Sharing exemplars; coaching. Equality Analysis Guidance and template on OU external site Staff developing, commissioning or procuring websites and systems Good practice in developing accessible websites and systems To anticipate barriers and address these proactively; to ensure systems are accessible to staff and students; to reduce bespoke costs Briefings on accessibility standards and processes by Communications and IT Staff developing partnerships, in the UK and internationally Understand the importance and value of cultural sensitivity To build and maintain successful partnerships and relationships Widening Participation Network Staff leading on equality planning and reporting for their unit University equality priorities and approaches to tackling inequalities To develop effective interventions to address inequalities Oral briefings and meetings with the E&D Team Members of the Equality and Diversity Management Group Equality law and sector good practice To develop informed equality strategy and policy Oral briefings from the E&D Team; subscriptions to the Equality Challenge Unit and the Government Equalities Office Staff with specialist roles Interpretation of equality law and case law, good practice within and beyond the sector To support the development of informed equality strategy and policy; to advise other staff Sector conferences; briefings and mailings from equality organisations; research reports; internal networks, external specialist networks related
Internal staff Workforce composition by location, unit, job category, grade band and mode Reasonable adjustments Recruitment Leavers Workforce composition by location, unit, job category, grade band and mode Grievances, bullying and harassment, disciplinary Promotions Development Pay gap Staff survey data Workforce composition by location, unit, job category, band and mode Reasonable adjustments Recruitment Leavers Workforce composition by location, unit, job category, grade band and mode Grievances, bullying and harassment, disciplinary Promotions Development Pay gap Maternity leave return Staff survey data Workforce composition by location, unit, job category, grade band and mode Reasonable adjustments Recruitment Leavers Agency temporary staff Workforce composition Workforce composition Workforce composition Consultants Workforce composition Workforce composition Residential schools staff Recruitment Recruitment Recruitment Publishing As a public authority, the OU is required to publish information about its employees and other persons affected by its policies. We have published our equality scheme, action plans, annual report and a significant range of data on our employees, students, and governance bodies annually for many years. It is our intention to publish the following: This equality scheme Our outcome-focused equality objectives (Appendix 1) Our Welsh Language scheme Completed equality analysis templates (for functions relevant to Northern Ireland) An annual report showing progress against our equality objectives, and a summary of our equality analysis work, Annual monitoring reports based on the table in Section 3.6 of this scheme Our annual report to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland
Indirect discrimination means putting in place a rule or policy or way of doing things that has a worse impact on someone with a protected characteristic than someone without one, when this cannot be objectively justified. Harassment includes unwanted conduct related to a protected characteristic which has the purpose or effect or violating someone’s dignity or which creates a hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for someone with a protected characteristic. Discrimination by association means treating a person less favourably because of their association with a person who has a protected characteristic. For example, not agreeing to a reasonable adjustment such as slightly varying working patterns for a person who needs to care for their disabled husband. Discrimination by perception means treating a person less favourably because you think they have a protected characteristic. Victimisation is treating someone unfavourably because they have taken (or might be taking) action to claim their entitlements or legal rights or supporting somebody who is doing so. Annex D: Public sector specific duties in England, Scotland and Wales The English, Scottish and Welsh Governments have introduced separate, though broadly similar, specific duties which are intended to help public authorities to meet the general public sector equality duty (see Foreword). The Open University is required to meet the legal duties in England only however, as a UK-wide public authority, we have agreed the following principles: Recognising our role in supporting the different Governments of the UK to address equality priorities determined through the democratic process in each country, we will comply with all of the duties in each country, regardless of whether or not we are legally bound by them. We will deviate from this position only where such an approach would be disproportionate. Recognising the need to develop procedural arrangements that can be easily understood and implemented by the majority of OU staff, we will adopt a universal approach wherever possible. We will deviate from this position only where there is a significant difference between the duties in different nations, or where applying a universal principle would be disproportionate. The below summarises the full set of duties for each country.
Public Sector Specific Duties in England, Scotland and Wales Duty England Scotland Wales Equality objectives, outcomes and plans Prepare and publish one or more specific and measurable objectives Publish equality outcomes, informed by evidence base Include all protected characteristics or reason for any gaps Publish an equal pay statement Publish strategic equality plan, which includes objectives, timeframe and how progress will be monitored, informed by evidence base Specifically consider need for pay objective(s) Include all protected characteristics or state reason for any gaps Review Review objectives every 4 years Review outcomes every 4 years Review strategic plan every 4 years Monitoring Gather information about employees and other persons affected by policies and practices Gather and use information about composition, recruitment, development and retention of employees Gather information on employees and other persons affected Consultation/ involvement Take reasonable steps to involve people when developing outcomes Engage people when developing strategic plan, objectives, assessing equality information and impact of policies Publishing Publish annual monitoring information on employees and other persons affected by policies and practices Publish progress report and report on mainstreaming equality 2 years, to include employment monitoring data and pay gap information Publish the results of Equality Analyses Publish annual report, including monitoring information Equality analysis There is no specific duty, but public authorities must consider the three aims of the general duty when developing and reviewing policies, procedures, practices and/or decision Assess the impact of new or revised policy or practice Use evidence base to assess impact of policies and practices Procurement [There is no specific duty, but public authorities must consider the three aims of the general duty when procuring goods and services.] Consider criteria and conditions in relation to procurement
minorities in their particular field of work or location Broadribb) 2a. 80% of line managers to have undertaken unconscious bias training by 2020 2b. Line managers engaged post-training to capture impact of any action taken as a result of learning All 3. Line managers improve their skills in developing all staff, especially those with protected characteristics as follows: a. 50% of line managers will have an objective to demonstrate how they will improve their skills in developing staff who are under-represented by 2018 b. 100% of line managers will have an objective to demonstrate how they will improve their skills in developing staff who are under-represented by 2020 Disability Race Sex Sexual Orientation 4. Reduce the difference in satisfaction of ethnic minority staff with line managers to within 2% of other staff by 2020 Race 5. Reduce the difference in satisfaction of disabled Associate Lecturers and Internal staff with line managers to within 2% of other staff by 2020 Disability Developing our objectives Audit of inequalities We have an annual equality monitoring and reporting cycle that includes data and survey analysis and internal reporting. This annual process ensures our approach is evidence-based, and ensures we assess progress and performance regularly and are able to identify and respond to key inequalities. In preparing the current scheme, a review of a wide range of information was carried out to identify continuing and new priorities. Information was analysed from the following sources: Data reports on student participation, completion and attainment rates Reports on student experience and satisfaction, from end of module surveys, withdrawal surveys and national student surveys Reports on student complaints and appeals Data reports on workforce composition and a wide range of other workforce indicators, including recruitment, promotion rates, leaving rates, access to learning and development, grievance and disciplinary cases Data reports on the composition of the main governance bodies, Senate and Council Reports from all units of the University on the progress made against agreed equality action plans Benchmarking data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency. Findings from benchmarking exercises with Opportunity Now (gender), Race for Opportunity and Stonewall (sexual orientation) Much of the information used in our audit is included in monitoring reports, published alongside our Equality and Diversity Annual Report 2011. These monitoring reports can be viewed on our equality and diversity website at
Review appropriateness of equality objectives EDI Implementation Group March 2020 Review of full equality scheme Project team appointed by Equality and Diversity Management Group Completed by September 2020 List of consultees for functions relevant to Northern Ireland This list is not exhaustive. We welcome enquiries from any person or organisation wishing to be to this list. See Section 3.4 of our equality scheme for further information about our consultation arrangements. Organisations that we have formal or informal partnership arrangements with ASDA Ballybeen Centre Coiste Communication Workers Union Condition Management Programme Derry Central Library EPIC (NI) Falls Women’s Centre Forum for Adult Learners Northern Ireland (NICVA) Four Seasons Health Care Congress of Trade Unions, Northern Ireland Committee NIACRO North West Regional College Public and Commercial Services Union Sainsbury's Salvation Army, NI Shankhill Women's Centre Tar Anall Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers UNISON Waterside Library Other organisations that have a specific interest in equality of opportunity and good relations Age NI Alliance Belfast Conflict Resolution Consortium British Deaf Association Cara Friend Carers Association Northern Ireland Coalition on Sexual Orientation Committee on the Administration of Justice Democratic Unionist Party Department for Employment and Learning Disability Action Embrace NI Equality Coalition Equality Commission for NI Equality unit, Office of First minister and Deputy First Minister Irish Traveller Movement MENCAP Bryson Intercultural (formerly Multi-Cultural Resource Centre) NI21 Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities (NICEM) Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) Northern Ireland Higher Education Council Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Northern Ireland Forum Rainbow Project Action on Hearing Loss ( RNID) Royal National Institute for the Blind Rural Community Network Sinn Féin Social Democratic and Labour Party The Green Party Traditional Unionist Voice UK Independence Party Ulster Unionist Party Women's Aid Federation Northern Ireland Women's forum Northern Ireland Women's Resource and Development Agency