Or (What in the blazes is an Equality Impact assessment and what am I supposed to do with it?)
To those working in the field of equality and diversity the expression Equality Impact Assessment is a familiar one that is known so well know it goes by the name of EIA. Now it’s a good thing that the public sector has embraced EIA, but my concerns turn to the private sector, in my experience it’s a regular occurrence up and down the country when private sector suppliers meet with public sector clients around half of the meeting will be conducted in a language that the other party does not understand. Whether that be the contractors talk of CVR’s, NVC, RWP or SCM or the clients insistence on KPI, EIA, PQQ or CSR. Of course many people will understand a lot of both but the point is the more TLA’s (three letter acronyms) that exist the easier it is to get yourself into a right muddle and find yourself agreeing to something without really knowing what it is.
We had a conversation a few weeks ago with a SME (Small medium enterprise) who had been told to implement an EIA in order to increase their chances on Tender lists, poor fella had no idea what a EIA was let alone how to implement one. So here at Constructing Equality we thought we would provide a breakdown of what EIA’s are and what they can do for you!
Firstly, what is an EIA? - in its most simple definition it’s a check list you carry out before making any strategic decisions to ensure one group of people won’t be adversely affected by anything you decide– a bit like a risk assessment for diversity.
Secondly why would you want to touch one with a barge pole? Well I’ll give you five reasons
1. Tender Lists – Public sector authorities need to show they are working in line with the equality duties, this means ensuring that they are being proactive about eliminating harassment and discrimination from the workplace. As a subcontractor for a public authority they are legally bound to ensure you are doing the same. Therefore if you have procedures in place that show you understand this it can give you that edge when your client is making procurement decisions.
2. Improving Productivity and Profits - The research in this area continues to grow, and it’s saying the same thing, well managed diversity makes firms more productive thus bringing in more money. More women in boards increases profits and clients like to employ organisations that they feel can empathise with them. By implementing an EIA programme you can start moving diversity and profit forward.
3. Retain staff – If your firm keeps making decisions that isolate certain groups it’s pretty likely that sooner or later those groups will try and find alternative employment. Whilst retention might not be this mornings worry I doubt I need to tell anyone how quick that can change. Oh, and don’t make the mistake of thinking these groups will tell you if they have encountered discrimination, on the whole they tend to keep their heads down – just cos you can’t hear it doesn’t mean is not happening! A good EIA can help you pre empt behaviour and put a stop to it before it happens.
4. Marketing- Whilst so few private organisations in the built environment are taking on EIA’s you can use it in your marketing campaign to show what a forward thinking firm you are! Again looking good on PQQ’s, winning features in trade mag’s as a best practice organisation and as a great promotional tool when recruiting.
5. Legal – An EIA will help strengthen your case if here are any legal questions raised, both to complying with the equality duties and as a way of showing you did all you could to uphold the rest of the Equality act.
To help you out we are running one day EIA workshops up and down the country, as with everything we do they are written specifically for the construction industry and delivered by trainers with industry experience and qualifications in equality. Delegate are asked to bring along a sample of one of their own new policies or projects so that real life examples can be used and learn from.
The workshops are designed to ensure you use EIA to improve your organisation without breaking the bank or overloading your employees. If it suits we can also deliver in house. Get in touch to find out more.
Chrissi
For those who need to know these things EIA – Equality impact Assessment, CVR – Cost Valuation Reconciliation, NVC – Nov Verbal Confirmation, RWP- Rain Water Pipe, SCM – Supply Chain Management, KPI – Key performance indicators, EIA – Equality impact assessment, Pre Qualification Questionnaire, CSR – Corporate Social Responsibility.
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