Developing staff disclosure - Advance HE · Developing staff disclosure 5 high-quality monitoring...

Developing staff disclosure A guide to collecting and using equality data

Foreword

© Equality Challenge Unit

October 2009

Contents

Equality Challenge UnitDevelopingstaffdisclosureAguidetocollectingandusingequalitydata

1 Abouttheproject 1

2 Understandingthecaseforcollectingdatafromstaff 4

3 Consideringhowtoencourageandenable staffdisclosure 10

4 Planninghowtousethedatacollected 21

5 HEIcasestudies 28

AppendixA:ChecklistforHEIswhendevisinganactionplanonstaffdisclosure 45

AppendixB:Actionplantemplate 46

AppendixC:Referencesandresources 48

HEI case studies

2 Developingstaffdisclosure

ContentsForeword ii

Executivesummary 1

Introduction 3

Section A 4

1. Termsofreference 4

2. Language 8

3. Themedicalandtheoreticalexplanationoftranssexualism 84. Thelegalframework 10

Section B 165. Generalgoodpractice 16

6. Supportingamemberofstafforstudent 22

7. Discussingtransitionwithothers 25

8. Thedayoftransition 279. Post-socialtransitionsupport 27

10. Bullying,harassmentanddiscrimination 28

11. Monitoring 29

Annexes 32

A Suggestedformatforpolicystatement 32

B Anexampleofthetransitionprocess 34C Transrespect 35D Checklisttoconsiderwhendiscussingtransition 36E Indicatorsofsuccessfulpolicies 40

F Usefuladdresses,publicationsandwebsites 41

ContactStuartMoore,PolicyAdviserEmail:[email protected]

Written and compiled by Stuart Moore with contributions from ECU colleagues.

AcknowledgementsEqualityChallengeUnit(ECU)wouldliketothankthehighereducationinstitutionsthathavecontributedtothisprojectthroughtheresearchstageanddevelopmentofdisclosureinterventions,andespeciallycolleaguesfromthefollowinginstitutionswhopilotedinterventionsandprovidedcasestudiesincludedinthisguidance,namely:

AstonUniversity

UniversityofBirmingham

CanterburyChristChurchUniversity

UniversityofHull

UniversityofLeeds

OxfordBrookesUniversity

UniversityofSalford

SheffieldHallamUniversity.

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1Developingstaffdisclosure

1 About the project1.1 IntroductionThisguidanceprovidespracticaladviceforhighereducationinstitutions(HEIs)onencouragingandenablingthedisclosurebystaffmembersofequality-relateddata(forexampleinformationabouttheirgender,ethnicorigin,disabilitystatus,sexualorientation,religionorage),andprovidesinformationonhowthesedatacanandshouldbeused.Inthisdocumentwerefertothisareaofworkas‘staffdisclosure’.

Theguidanceisstructuredasfollows:

Section1explainsthebackgroundandmethodologyusedinECU’sstaffdisclosureproject.

Section2setsoutthemainreasonsforcollectingdataandexplainstheimportanceofHEIscreatinganinclusiveandsupportiveworkplaceinwhichstaffmembersfeelcomfortabletodiscloseequality-relatedinformationaboutthemselves.Italsodiscussessomeofthekeydifferencesbetweenstaffdisclosureissuesastheyrelatetodifferentequalitystrands.

Section3discussessomeofthepracticalmethodsHEIscanusetoenableandencouragestaffdisclosure.

Section4providespracticaladviceforHEIsonhowtomakeuseofthestaffdisclosurestatisticsthatarecollated.

Section5presentsillustrativecasestudiesfromHEIsthathavecontributedtoECU’sdisclosureproject.

Wealsoprovidefurtherpracticalinformationandcasestudiesintheappendices:

AppendixAisachecklistforHEIstousewhendevelopinganinstitution-wideactionplanonstaffdisclosure

AppendixBisatemplateforsuchanactionplan

AppendixCprovidesavarietyofreferencesandresourcesthatarerelevanttoissuesofstaffdisclosure.

1.2 BackgroundIn2007ECUconductedresearchtoinvestigatestaffdisclosureinHEIs(ECU,2008a,2008b).Thisworklookedatthesupportreceivedbydisabledstaff,barrierstheyexperienced,andthefactorsinfluencingwhetherornotstaffdisclosetheir

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About the project

disabilitystatus.Inaddition,otherobservationsanddevelopmentshaveledECUtoidentifytheneedformoresupporttoHEIsonthesubjectofstaffdisclosure.Theseinclude:

thesignificantproportionofstaffinmanyHEIswhochoosenottodisclosetheirethnicoriginordisabilitystatusinthedatareturnedannuallybyHEIstotheHigherEducationStatisticsAgency(HESA),whichaffectsthestatisticalsignificanceofthedata

thelevelofinterestinstaffdisclosureissuesonthemainequalityanddiversityonlinediscussiongroupforthehighereducationsector(theADMIN-EOmailinglistaccessedviawww.jiscmail.ac.uk)

mediacoverageofdifficultiesinvolvedinstaffdisclosure

discussionswithunionpartners

theobservationthatotherguidanceondisabilitydisclosureinhighereducationhastendedtofocusonstudentratherthanstaffdisclosure

agrowingemphasisonensuringequalityanddiversityworkisproperlyevidenced

arecommendationfromtheCommissionforDisabledStaffinLifelongLearning.

1.3 Methodology

Research stageECUconductedaliteraryreviewofexistingpublicationsrelatingtostaffdisclosure,analysingthesourcedpublicationsforrecommendationsandusingthese,alongwithECU’spreviousresearch,asabasisforconcentratingonarangeofdisclosureinterventions.Theinterventionsweredividedintofourcategories:

improvingclarityondisclosureanddataquality

improvingcommunicationandengagementindisclosureandequality

implementingequalityinrecruitmentandretention

achievingbehaviouralandculturalchangethroughdevelopingsupportivestructures.

TheresultsofthisliteraryreviewarepublishedinInterventions for staff disclosure in higher education: background paper 2009(ECU,2009a).

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Developingstaffdisclosure 3

Development stageInApril2008,ECUputoutacallforexpressionsofinterestfromHEIsinterestedinimprovingtheirdisclosureratestoparticipateinaprojecttopilotarangeofECU-identifiedinterventions.ECUreceivedagoodresponsetothisrequest,andstafffromtheHEIswereinvitedtooneoftwomeetingsinsummer2008,atwhichtherewereconstructivediscussionsonthebarrierstostaffdisclosureinhighereducation.

ECUinvitedtheHEIstopilotinterventionsanddevelopanactionplan,detailing:

theinterventionsbeingpiloted

actionsplannedtodelivertheinterventions’outcomes

thedatebywhichtheinterventionwouldbeimplemented

whowouldberesponsibleforensuringthis

whatthemeasuresofsuccesswouldbeafterimplementation.

Piloting stageOfthosewhoattendedthemeetings,eightHEIsvolunteeredtopilotinterventions.ThisphaseoftheprojecttookplacebetweenSeptember2008andJune2009.Withlimitsontimeandavailableresources,theindividualHEIsdidnotpilotallinterventions,butchoseoneormoreinterventionsfromeachcategory.

ECUconvenedameetinginspring2009todiscusstheachievementstodate,andthebenefitsandchallengesthathadbeenidentifiedthroughpilotingthechoseninterventions.InJunetheHEIssubmittedtheirfinalreports,updatingontheprogresstheyhadmade.Section5ofthisguidancepresentscasestudiesoftheparticipatingHEIs.

Althoughtheprojectinitiallysetouttolookatdisclosurerelatingtodisability,ethnicity,religionandsexualorientation,thepilotHEIswereconcernedprimarilywithimprovinglevelsofdisabilitydisclosure.Asaresult,thecasestudiesandpracticaladviceinthisguidancepredominantlyfocusondisability.However,wherepossiblethispublicationlooksbeyonddisabilityissues,andmanyofthegoodpracticeexampleswouldbeeasilytransferabletootherareasofstaffdisclosure.

ThepilotHEIsproducedarangeofoutputsduringtheprojectwhichareavailableontheECUwebsiteatwww.ecu.ac.uk/inclusive-practice.

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About the project


2 Understanding the case for collecting data from staff2.1 Benefits for staff members and HEIsForanyHEIlookingtoworktowardsimprovingitsstaffdisclosurerates,itisimportanttounderstandwhydisclosureisbeingsought.Itisalsoimportanttoconsiderthebenefitsthatcanbeachievedforboththeinstitutionandtheindividualstaffmemberthroughgreaterdisclosure.

Forstaff,thebenefitsindisclosingequality-relatedinformationaboutthemselvesinclude:

scopeforpromptingadiscussionwiththeiremployeraboutdisability-relatedreasonableadjustmentsorotherworkplacesupportthattheymightrequire

theabilitytoreceivetargetedinformationaboutsupportorpositiveactioninitiatives,suchasdevelopmentprogrammesforstafffromunder-representedgroups

contributingtoapoolofinformationthatwillhelptheinstitutionmeetthediverseneedsofstaff(forexampleinrelationtoprovisionofcateringoptionsorfacilitiesforprayerorcontemplation).

Staffmayalsoreceiveincreasedlegalprotectionbydisclosingsuchinformationtotheiremployer:insomecasesanemployermaybeplacedunderanincreasedobligationtoprotectstafffromdiscriminationifithasreceiveddisclosureinformationfromastaffmember,forexampleabouttheirdisabilitystatus,orholdsbroaderevidenceofthediversityofitsworkforce.

CertaintypesofmonitoringorstaffdisclosureproceduresarecompulsoryforHEIs,eithertosatisfylegalrequirementsortomeetthereportingrequirementsoforganisationssuchasHESA.Inaddition,proactivelycollectingdisclosuredatafromitsworkforcecandelivermanyotherbenefitsandadvantagesforanHEI.Theseinstitutionalbenefitsinclude:

aclearpictureofthecompositionoftheHEI’sworkforce–toassistwithplanningoffacilities,supportstructuresorstaffnetworksandtoenabletheHEItomeetthediverserequirementsandexpectationsofitsworkforce

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high-qualitymonitoringdata,whichcanbecross-referencedwithotherstaffdata(e.g.trainingattendancedata,salaryinformation)toprovideanindicationofwhethersomegroupsofstaffarepotentiallybeingdisadvantaged

aclearindicationofwhichindividualstaffmembersshouldbeofferedadiscussionaboutdisability-relatedsupportoradjustments

theabilitytotargetparticulargroupsofstaffmemberswithinformationaboutrelevantpositiveactioninitiativesorstaffnetworks.

EffectivemonitoringanddisclosureprocesseswillalsosendasignaltostaffandpotentialjobapplicantsthatanHEIiscommittedtoequalityandtosupportingadiverseworkforce.

2.2 Key differences between equality strandsWhenanHEIconsiderswhatitspriorityactionsare,itisimportanttobeawareofthekeydifferencesbetweenequalitystrandsinrelationtostaffdisclosureissues.Itwilloftenbeappropriatetomonitorthekeyequalitystrands(age,ethnicity,disability,gender,religionorbelief,andsexualorientation)inthesameway,toavoidinadvertentlysendingamessagethatanHEIhasahierarchicalapproachtoequalityanddiversity.However,ECUrecognisesthatsomeHEIshaveconcernsaboutaskingstaffforinformationinsomeoftheseareas.

Thissectionprovidesanintroductiontosomeofthekeydifferencesbetweenthedifferentequalitystrands.Section3.4providesfurtherguidanceonusinginclusivelanguagewhenframingdisclosurequestions.

AgeInHEIs,itislikelythatcomprehensiveagedatawillbeavailableandreliableforcurrentstaff,ashumanresources(HR)systemsgenerallyrecordpeople’sdateofbirth.Whenanalysingdatabyage,itisusualtogroupthedatainto,forexample,five-orten-yearblockstomakeiteasiertodrawconclusions.Inmanycases,itcanalsobeusefultodevelopaninstitution-wideapproachtowhichgroupingswillbeusedwhenworkingwithagedata,toensurethecomparabilityofdifferentdatasets.Whencollectingagedatafromjobapplicants,HEIsmayhaveasysteminplaceforextractingageinformationfromthedate-of-birthquestiononapplicationforms;and/orHEIsmaydecidetoincorporateadate-of-birthoragequestionwithinaseparateequalitymonitoringform.

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Understanding the case for collecting data from staff


Reviewingtheinformationthathasbeencollectedonstaffagegroupingscanbeextremelyhelpfulinidentifyingsupportthatstaffrequirethroughdifferentstagesoftheiremploymentlifecycle,forexample,take-upoftraininganddevelopment,flexibleworkingopportunities,ortheprovisionofoccupationalhealthsupporttoolderworkers.Profilingstaffexpectationsbyagewillbecomeincreasinglyimportantasthegovernmentreviewsthedefaultretirementageof65in2010.

DisabilityAskingstaffaboutwhetherornottheyaredisabledisimportantintermsofdeliveringdisabilitymonitoringdatatoinformpolicyordecision-making.AskingthisquestionwillalsobecrucialintermsofenablingHEIstocontactindividualdisabledjobapplicantsorstaffmemberstoofferthemanopportunitytodiscussanydisability-relatedadjustmentsorsupporttheymayrequire.ItisimportanttonotethatdisabilitymonitoringisarequirementofthespecificdutiesoftheDisabilityEqualityDutycontainedwithintheDisabilityDiscriminationAct1995(asamended)(HMGovernment,2005a),andsetoutintheDisabilityDiscrimination(PublicAuthorityStatutoryDuties)Regulations2005[SI2966](HMGovernment,2005b).

Aswithalldisclosuredata,itisvitalthatemployersareclearandstraightforwardaboutthewaysinwhichdisabilityinformationaboutindividualswillbeused.Otherwise,forexample,astaffmembermaydiscloseadisabilityandreasonablyassumethatthedisclosurewillpromptadiscussionaboutdisabilitysupport,wheninfactthedataarebeingusedonlyforanonymousmonitoringpurposes.

Whenaskingaquestionaboutdisabilitystatus,itiscommontoprovideacleardefinitionofdisability(perhapsbasedonthedefinitioncontainedwiththeDisabilityDiscriminationAct1995),asmanypeoplemaynotbeawareofthebroadnatureofthisdefinitionorthefactthatitwillcovermanypeoplewithconditionssuchasdyslexia,long-termmentalhealthconditionsorlong-termmedicalconditions.

Aswellasaskingstaffwhetherornottheyconsiderthemselvestobedisabled,manyHEIsaskafurtherquestionofthosewhodiscloseadisabilityinordertoseekmoredetailedinformationaboutthenatureoftheperson’sdisability(asking,forexample,whetherthepersonisblindorpartiallysighted,hasaphysicalormobilityimpairment,etc.).



EthnicityIncludingquestionsonethnicityforjobapplicantsandcurrentstaffisfairlystandard,particularlysince,undertheRaceRelations(Amendment)Act2000(HMGovernment,2000),dutiesareplacedonHEIsandotherpublicbodiestocarryoutethnicmonitoringinarangeofdifferentareas.Framingaquestiononethnicitycanbedifficult,particularlygiventhatthewayinwhichsomeoneviewstheirethnicorigin,colourornationalidentitywilloftenbeindividualtothem.Whilethereisnoperfectquestiontousewhenaskingstaffabouttheirethnicity,thereisoftenmeritinadoptingthesamequestionthatisusedwithintheten-yearlynationalCensus,toenablemeaningfulcomparisonstobemadebetweenthecompositionofanHEIworkforceandlocalornationalpopulationstatistics.ItisnotuncommonforHEIs,whenanalysingethnicitydata,togroupthedataintobroadercategories,suchas‘blackandminorityethnic(BME)staff’,oftentoensuresamplesizesarelargeenoughtobesignificantandalsotoavoididentifyingindividualstaffmembersinreports.However,suchbroadheadingsarenotusuallyfeaturedinthemonitoringquestionsthemselves.IfyourHEIgroupsdatatogetherinthiswayduringanalysis,itisalsoimportanttobeawarethatthismaydisguisesignificantvariationsbetweenindividualethnicgroups.

Gender and gender identityAswithage,manyHRsystemscontainfairlycomprehensiveandreliablestaffdataongender.HEIshavelegalobligationstomonitorgenderundertheSexDiscriminationAct1975(asamended)(HMGovernment,2008)andtheEqualityAct2006(HMGovernment,2006).

HEIsshouldalsoconsiderwhetherandwhentoaskstaffabouttheirgenderidentity.Questionsaboutgenderidentityshouldbeaskedseparatelyfromquestionsaboutgenderorsexualorientation.ECU’spublicationExperience of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans staff and students in higher education: research report 2009(ECU,2009b)providesmoreinformationaboutwhenandhowtomonitorgenderidentity.Bymonitoringgenderidentity,HEIswillbeabletolearnmoreabout,andbettermeet,theneedsoftheirtransstaffandstudents.

Religion or beliefAswithageandsexualorientation,thereisnospecificlegalrequirementtomonitorreligionorbelief;however,itisoftenimportantforHEIstohaveaccesstoworkforcedataonreligionorbelieftohelpinformpolicy-anddecision-



making.Suchdatawillassist,forexample,whenplanningtheprovisionofcateringservicestomeetthediverserequirementsofstaff,establishingspacesforprayerorcontemplation,orselectingkeyreligiousholydaystoincludeinanonlinecalendar(recognisingthatlevelsofreligiousobservancevarybetweenindividuals).Consultingreligionandbeliefworkinggroups(consistingofstaffandstudentsofdifferentreligionandbelief,andnone)andstaffandstudents’unionscanassistHEIsindesigningaquestionthatmeetslocalneeds.TheremayalsobemeritinreferringtothequestionusedintheCensusortheannualBritishSocialAttitudessurvey,asusingthesamequestionenablescomparisonstobemadewithpopulationstatistics,whilebearinginmindthatthereisaverybroadspectrumofreligionandbelief.Religionandbeliefisnotstatic,andtheremaybemeritinmonitoringthisregularly,andgivingstaffampleopportunitytodisclosetheirreligionorbelief.

Sexual orientationAskingstaffforsexualorientationdatacanprovideanimportantmeansofassessingwhetherlesbian,gayorbisexualstaffmembersareatapotentialdisadvantage–forexample,inrelationtocareerprogression,pay,etc.–comparedwithheterosexualstaff.MonitoringsexualorientationcanalsohelpanHEIshowthesamelevelofcommitmenttolesbian,gayandbisexual(LGB)equalityasitdoestootherequalityissues,especiallyiftheHEIisseentorespondtoanyissuesthatariseinamonitoringexercise.

Aswithotherareas,suchasdisabilityandreligion,ECUencouragesHEIstomonitorsexualorientationiftheyhaveprovidedasafeenvironmentinwhichtodisclose,andareconfidentthattheyhaverobustandconfidentialmechanismsforrecordingtheinformation.Itisimportanttoexplainclearlytostaffhowinformationabouttheirsexualorientationwillbestoredandused.HEIsmayfindtheyreceiveahigherresponseratewhenaskingstafftodisclosetheirsexualorientationinthecontextofaconfidentialandanonymousstaffsurvey,ratherthanonrecruitmentmonitoringforms.However,HEIsareincreasinglyreportinggrowingresponserates,andaverypositiveimpactontheirworkplaceculture,afterseekingsexualorientationdatafromtheirstaff.



Other areasHEIsoftenrequestinformationfromstaffinrelationtootherareas–suchasmarital/civilpartnershipstatus,orchildcareandothercaringresponsibilities–andsuchquestionscangenerateveryusefuldata.OtherinformationstoredonHRsystems–suchasinformationaboutstaffmembers’part-timeorfull-timestatus,fixed-termorpermanentcontractstatus,orearlycareerresearcherstatus–willalsobeusefulasmonitoringdatatoenableHEIstoexplorewhetherpatternsofpotentialdisadvantageordiscriminationmayexist.



3 Considering how to encourage and enable staff disclosure3.1 Creating a positive culture for staff to encourage disclosureForanyHEIcommittedtoimprovingstaffdisclosureofequalitydata,itisimportanttorecognisetheneedforaninclusiveandsupportiveworkplaceculture.Takingvisiblestepstocreateapositivecultureandpromoteawarenessandunderstandingcanmakeasignificantcontributiontoanindividual’sdecisiontodisclose.Interventions for staff disclosure in higher education: background paper 2009(ECU,2009a)recommendsstepsthatcouldbeimplementedbyHEIs.Theseinclude:

fosteringvisibleleadership;developingmanagerswhounderstandthebenefitsofequalityanddiversityandhaveaproactiveapproachtoachievingit

developingaworkplaceculturethatissupportiveandrespectstheindividualityofallstaff

providingequalityanddiversitylearningopportunitiesforallstaff

involvingstafffromequalityareasinpolicy-makingandotherdecision-makingprocesses.

Box1providesanexampleofthestrategyofanHEIthatparticipatedinECU’sdisclosureprojectandworkedtoencourageaninclusiveculture.

Box 1 University of Leeds: Progressing a culture change

Aspartofitsworktoimprovedisclosure,theuniversityworkedonraisingdisabilityawarenessandintroducedpoliciesthataresupportiveofstaffneeds.

Leedsdevelopedabooklet,Building disability confidence – supporting disabled staff at the University of Leeds(UniversityofLeeds,2009),detailingthesupportavailabletodisabledstaff,anddistributedittoallstaff(www.equality.leeds.ac.uk/downloads/staff_leaflet/disabled-staff-leaflet.pdf).

Aflexibleworkingcharter,whichwaslaunchedatastaffbenefitsfair,demonstratesLeeds’commitmenttotheprinciplesofflexibleworking.Theuniversity’sequalityserviceiscurrentlydeliveringequalityanddiversitytrainingto1700staffmembers,focusingontheneedtotakeaflexibleapproachtothemanagementofthediverseworkforce.Itisanticipatedthatthiswillbenefitdisabledandethnicminoritystaffaswellastheobvioustargetaudienceofstaffwithcaringresponsibilities.

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Itshouldbeacknowledgedthatforcertainreasons–negativeattitudes,higherriskofdiscriminationandgeneralacceptancebysociety–staffmaybemorelikelytodisclosetheirequalitystatusinsomeareasthanothers.Staffmaybemoreinclinedtodisclosetheiragethantheirsexualorientation;anindividualwithmultipleimpairmentsmaydiscloseavisibleimpairment,suchasbeingawheelchair-user,withoutdisclosinganimpairmentrelatingtomentalhealth.

Box 2 Mental health disclosure

DuringtheirinvolvementinECU’sdisclosureproject,OxfordBrookesUniversityandUniversityofHullhighlightedissuesrelatingtomentalhealthdisclosure,suchasthecontinuingstigmaofbeinglabelledwithamentalhealthcondition.Somestaffcommentedthattheywereinitiallyreluctanttodisclosedetailsoftheirmentalhealth,butoncetheyhadformedarelationshipoftrust(suchaswiththestaffdisabilityadviser),theyweremorelikelytohavetheconfidencetodisclosesuchinformation.

OxfordBrookeshasdevelopeddetailedguidanceoninterviewingdisabledapplicantsduringrecruitment.ThisinvolvedinputfromthelocalMencapgroupandwaspilotedinatrainingsessionforthelearningresourcesseniormanagementteam.

High-profileeventsorinitiativesthatindicatesignificantbuy-infromseniorleadersandmanagerswithinanHEIarealsocrucialinmakingstafffeelmoreconfidentaboutrespondingtodisclosurequestions.

Box 3 Oxford Brookes University: Love and Justice Month

OxfordBrookesUniversityheldaLoveandJusticeMonthofequalityeventsinFebruary2009,onthethemeofdiversityandhumanrights,tocoincidewiththeannualHumanRightsFilmFestival.

Eventsincludedworkshopsforlinemanagersonflexibleworkingandwork–lifebalanceandonsupportinganinclusiveworkplace;andaphotographyandpoetrycompetitionwhichelicitedsomeinterestingcreativeresponses.

Widespreadpublicity,includingdistributingabrochurethroughthelocalpaperandradiointerviews,ensuredgreaterawarenessthroughoutthecommunityandacrosstheuniversity.TheChancellorandVice-Chancellorbothtookpartinevents,sendingastrongmessageofsupport.

Considering how to encourage and enable staff disclosure


AnHEI’sintranetcanalsoprovideaneffectivechannelforpromotingvisiblesignsofwhatanHEIisdoingtocreateaninclusiveandsupportiveculture.Thismightincluderaisingawarenessofnewstaffsupportresourcesorforthcomingequalityevents.Ahigherprofileofequalityissueswillofteninfluencedecisionsonwhetherastaffmemberfeelsconfidentindisclosing.TheUniversityofBirminghamwasoneHEIthatlookedattheuseofintranetduringtheECUproject(seesection5.5).

3.2 Creating practical opportunities for disclosureWhenplanningastrategytoincreasedisclosure,animportantpriorityistoconsiderwhethercurrentpolicyandpracticeforcollectingstaffequalitydatawillcreateanybarriersthatmayhaveanegativeimpactonindividualdecisionstodisclose.ECUhasproducedguidanceonconductingequalityimpactassessments(ECU,2007),whichcontainsatoolthatmaybeausefulmechanismtodeterminewhetherapolicyresultsindifferentialtreatmentand/orhasanegativeimpactonsomestaffgroups.

DisclosureproceduresshouldsupportongoingopportunitiesforstafftodisclosethroughouttheiremploymentattheHEI.Somestaffwillwithholddisclosureofparticularinformationwhenfirstjoininganinstitution.However,offeringarangeofdisclosureopportunitiesmayfacilitatethesestafftodiscloseatalaterdate,aswellasenablingotherstafftodisclosechangesinpersonalcircumstances.

Opportunitiesthatcouldbeconsideredforcapturingequalitystatusinformationinclude:

jobapplication

interview

medicalscreening(beforeandduringemployment)

induction

developmentandperformancereview

staffsurvey(includingannualsurveys,pulsesurveysandequalitymonitoringsurveys)

HRself-servicesystem

promotionorprogressiontoanotherrolewithintheHEI

sicknessabsenceinterview

disabilityleaverequest

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requestforflexibleleave

requestforreasonableadjustmentorotherformofworkplacesupport,suchasAccesstoWork

carparkingpermitrequests(e.g.BlueBadgeparking)

fireevacuationplans(toidentifythosewhomayrequireapersonalemergencyevacuationplan–themobilityimpaired,pregnantwomenandolderstaffmembers)

exitinterviews.

Ademonstrationofanemployer’scommitmentto,andawarenessof,equalityissuesinjobvacancies,interviewsandinductioneventswillencouragedisclosureatanearlystage.Thiswillobviouslybeofbenefitinplanningandanticipatinganysupportneedsthatmayarise.

Box 4 University of Birmingham: Staff induction programme

TheUniversityofBirminghamhasrevieweditsstaffinductionprogrammeanddevisedanewone-daywelcomesession,whichincludesinformationonrightsandresponsibilitieswithregardtoequalityanddiversity;guidanceandsignpostingonsupportfordisabledstaff;andinvitationstojointhestaffdisabilitygroupandBMEstaffgroup.

Thestaffdisabilityadviserattendsthewelcomesessiontotalkabouttheimportanceofequalityanddiversityasaninstitutionalvalue.

Invitationstothewelcomesession,whichisheldinanaccessiblevenue,askexplicitlyifstaffneedadjustments,andstatearrangementsforalternativetoursofthecampuswherestaffcannotundertakethewalkingtour.Feedbackfromtheinitialwelcomesession,heldinApril2009,indicatedanoverallsatisfactionscoreof79percent.

Althoughongoingopportunitiesfordisclosurecanbeeffective,itisimportanttofindabalancebetweenimprovingdisclosurelevelsandnotoverwhelmingstaffwithrequestsforinformation.Unlesscarefullymanaged,staffmaybecomefatiguedandloseinterestincooperating,whichcouldleadtoadropinresponserates.

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Technologycanplayausefulroleineffectivemonitoringandsupportingtheneedsofstaff.Aspartofadisclosurestrategy,HEIsshouldlookatareaswheretheycanintroduce,ormakebetteruseof,informationtechnology.

Human resources self-service systemsSelf-serviceonlinesystemsareincreasinglybeingusedinHEIs’HRdepartments.Theseprovidestaffwithaconvenientwaytoaccessandupdatetheirpersonaldetails.Staffareabletodisclosewhenevertheywishwhilekeepingcontroloftheirpersonalequalitydata,confidentthatonlyselectedstaffintheHEIwillhaveaccesstothedatatheydisclose.Withconsentfromstaff,HRdepartmentscanuseequalitydatatoconductworkforcemonitoringandplanhowtosupportandaccommodatediverseneeds.

Asopposedtoapaperrecord,oralesssecureITsystem(suchasanExcelspreadsheet),whichcouldpossiblybeaccessedbyanymemberofstaff,thesecuritythatawelldesignedHRself-servicesystemcanoffergivesstaffincreasedconfidencetodisclose.ThesesystemscanalsobenefittheHEI,astheycanproducestatisticsonthediversityoftheworkforceandenableimprovedtarget-setting,workforceplanningandmonitoringofequalitykeyperformanceindicators–whichmaybeparticularlyusefulconsideringthedirectionoffutureequalitylegislation.

Box 5 Aston University: Encouraging disclosure through IT

AstonUniversityencouragedallstafftodisclosetheirdisabilitystatusthroughthecompletionofanewonlinemonitoringform.Ofthosewhohaveresponded,76peoplehavedisclosedthattheyhaveadisability,anincreaseof22peopleonpreviousrecords.Thismeansthatthedeclarationrateformonitoringpurposeshasgoneupfrom3.6to5.5percentofthecoreworkforce.

WhenconsideringorplanningIT-basedsystemstocapturedisclosureinformationfromstaff,itisimportanttoensurethesesystemsthemselvesareaccessible.Forexample,whendesigninganonlineequalitymonitoringformtobeusedbyjobapplicants,itisimportanttoensuretheformcanbecompletedbythosewhoaccessthewebusingscreen-readersoftwareorotherassistivetechnology.Otherwise,someofthemostrelevantstaffmaybeunabletoprovidetheinformationyouseek.FurtherinformationforimprovingwebsiteandsoftwareaccessibilityispublishedbyJISCTech-Dis(2007).



Data protection and privacy issuesCollectionofstaffdisclosuredataisessentialtoensureHEIs’compliancewithHESArequirementsandthevariouspublicsectordutiesplacedonthembyanti-discriminationlegislation.Atthesametime,theDataProtectionAct1998(HMGovernment,1998b)requiresHEIstocomplywithanumberofimportantprinciplesregardingprivacyanddisclosurewhenhandlingpersonaldata.Theseprinciplesincludeensuringsuchdataareprocessedandusedforlimitedpurposes,andthatthedataareaccurateandup-to-date.TheActalsoallowspeopletofindoutwhatpersonalinformationisheldaboutthembymakingasubjectaccessrequest.TheDataProtectionActcategorisescertaintypesofdata,includingequalitystatusdata,as‘sensitivepersonaldata’,andsubjectsthesetostricterconditionsofprocessing.

TheHumanRightsAct1998(HMGovernment,1998a)providesarighttoprivacythat,inpractice,allowsstafftorefusetodisclosepersonalinformation.ItisthereforeimportantforHEIstorespecttheirdutyofconfidentialityanddemonstratetostaffwhyequalitydataarebeingcollectedandhowtheywillbeused.Ifstaffareconfidentofthebenefitsofdisclosing,theywillbemoreinclinedtoprovidepersonalinformation,particularlywhereitmay,forexample,leadtobettersupportarrangements.

3.3 Communicating the case for disclosure to staffEffectivecommunicationisacriticalelementofencouragingstaffdisclosure.ItisimportantforHEIstospendtimeunderstandingwhytheyareaskingdisclosurequestionsofstaff,andpre-emptinganyconcernsorquestionsstaffmayhaveabouttheinformationthatisrequested.

WheneveranHEIisconsideringrevisingorintroducinganewmethodofseekingstaffdisclosuredata,itisimportantthatthosedeliveringthisworkaskthemselvesthefollowingquestions.

Howwillweexplainthepurposeofthesedisclosurequestionstostaff,toensurestaffmembersunderstandhowthedatawillbeused?

Howwillwereassurestaffaboutthewayinwhichthedatawillbestored?Inparticular,howwillwecommunicateanysafeguardsthatexisttoprotectstaffmembers’confidentialityandprivacy?

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Howwillwemakeitcleartostaff,whentheyareansweringadisclosurequestion,whethertheinformationtheyprovidewillbeusedsolelyforstatisticalmonitoringpurposes,orwhethertheinformationislikelytopromptsomecontactonanindividualbasis(e.g.adiscussionwiththeirmanageraboutdisability-relatedadjustments)?Ifsomequestionsinadisclosureformwillbeusedsolelyforstatisticalmonitoringpurposesandothersmightpromptcontactfromsomeone,howwillwemakethisdifferenceclear?

Whatcommunicationworkdoweneedtodotomakethosewhohaveaccesstodisclosuredata(e.g.staffinHRdepartments)awareofhowtohandlesuchdataappropriatelyandrespectpeople’sconfidentiality?

WhatHEI-widemethodswillweusetocommunicatethebenefitsofdisclosuretoallstaff(e.g.publishingfrequentlyaskedquestionsaboutdisclosureontheHEI’sintranet,orpublishinginformationaboutchangesthathavebeenmadeinresponsetodisclosuredata)?

Havewesoughtappropriatebuy-infromstaff(possiblyviastaffnetworks,suchasadisabledstaffnetworkoranLGBstaffnetwork)and/ortheirrepresentatives(e.g.tradeunions)inrelationtoanychangesweareproposing?

ECUrecommendsthatHEIstakeaconsideredbutconfidentapproachtoissuesofdisclosure.HEIsareincreasinglyfindingthatanyinitialconcernsaboutintroducingnewformsofdisclosure(suchasconcernsaboutintroducingsexualorientationorreligionmonitoringquestions)canbemanagedeffectively,providedthereisaclearrationaleforthesechanges,andeffectivecommunicationisinplacetoexplainthisrationaletostaff.Itisalsoworthpreparingforanycome-backbythinkingthrough,inadvance,whatcommentsmightbereceivedaboutanynewdisclosureinitiative.HEIsmayevenpredictcriticismsthatmaycomeforwardfromstaffanddraftsampleanswerstothem,asthiscanhelpmakeHEIsfeelmoreconfidentabouttheworktheyaredoinginthisarea.

Boxes6to8illustratesomeinnovativemethodsforpromotingdisclosuretostaff.

Box 6 Oxford Brookes University: Promoting through payslips

OxfordBrookesUniversitysentoutaletterattachedtoJanuary2009payslipsencouragingallstafftoreviewandrevisetheirdisclosedequalitystatusdata.SinceFebruary2009,31percentofstaffhaverevisedtheirdata.

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Box 7 Using websites

AstonUniversity,theUniversityofBirminghamandCanterburyChristChurchUniversityaredevelopinginformationforstaffondisabilitydisclosureandthesupportservicesthatareavailabletopublishonline.DisabledstaffatOxfordBrookesUniversityhavealsoproposeddevelopinganonymisedaccountsoftheirexperiencesasaweb-basedresourceformanagers.

Box 8 University of Salford: Involvement of the staff disability network

Inworkingtoimprovedisclosureandcreateamoreinclusiveculture,theUniversityofSalfordhasseentheimportanceofinvolvingitsSalfordUniversityDisabledStaff(SUDS)Network.SUDShasprovedaveryhelpfulbridgeincommunicatingwiththerelevantstaff,ashavetheotherstaffnetworks.

3.4 Drafting disclosure questionsWhilereviewingexistingpoliciesandpractices,itispossiblethatHEIswillidentifyissuesinrelationtotheuseoflanguagewithinthedisclosurequestions.Knowingthebestwayinwhichtoframedisclosurequestions,anddefiningequalitytermssuchas‘disability’,canbedifficult.Itisimportanttospendsometimeconsideringtheseissues,asthewayinwhichaquestionisaskedcanhaveasignificanteffectonthenumberofstaffchoosingtodisclose.Thissectionshouldbereadinconjunctionwithsection2.2,whichhighlightssomekeyissuesrelatingtoindividualequalitystrands.

Itisimportantthatdisclosurequestionsarewrittenusinginclusivelanguage.QuestionsshouldbeeasytounderstandanddesignedtofacilitatethecaptureofdatathatindicatewherestaffmaybedisadvantagedbybarrierstheymayencounterwhileworkingintheHEI.Forexample,ifanindividualisassuredthattheyarebeingaskedforinformationabouttheirdisabilitystatusbecausetheHEIwantstobuildaninclusiveenvironmentfordisabledstaffandputadjustmentsinplacetodeliverequalityfordisabledandnon-disabledstaff,theymaybemorelikelytodisclosethanifthequestionappearstoaskforinformationaboutdisabilitystatuswithnoindicationofhowtheinformationwillbeused.SomeusefulsuggestionsonframingquestionsareincludedinthepublicationDo you have a disability – yes or no? Or is there a better way of asking?(Rose,2006).



Consistentuseofinclusivelanguageacrosstheinstitutionshouldalsobeencouraged.Equalityterminologyiscontinuallyevolving,anditisimportanttoensuresuchdevelopmentsaremonitored.ECU,theAssociationofUniversityAdministrators(AUA)andtheHigherEducationEqualOpportunitiesNetwork(HEEON)haveproducedanA–ZGuide(ECU,AUAandHEEON,2008),whichmaybeusefultoconsultwhendesigningquestions.

Awelldevisedequalityquestionnaireshouldlookforstafftodisclosetheirequalitystatus,butshouldalsohavesupplementaryquestionsthatshowthattheHEIiscommittedtosupportingallstaff.Suchquestionscouldbeframedas:

Doyouwishtodiscussyouraccessrequirementswithanappropriatememberofstaff?

Wouldyouliketoreceiveinformationonaparticularstaffnetwork?

Wouldyouliketoreceivefurtherinformationonequalityevents?

Doyouconsideryourselftohavebeendiscriminatedagainstwhileatwork?

Wouldyoubeinterestedinparticipatinginapositiveactiondevelopmentprogramme?

DuringtheirparticipationintheECUproject,AstonUniversityandUniversityofHulldevelopednewstaffsurveyforms(seewww.ecu.ac.uk/inclusive-practice/staff-disclosure-of-equality-data).

3.5 Developing an institution-wide action plan on staff disclosureECUrecommendsthatHEIsconsideradoptinganactionplanapproachtodisclosure.Anactionplanprovidesastructurefordevelopingandworkingoninterventionsthatwillimprovedisclosureandbuildasupportiveandinclusiveculturethatiswelcomingforallstaff.

HEIswillalreadyhaveactionplansinplacetosupportdeliveryofthepublicsectorequalityduties,whichmayincorporateactionsonimprovingequalitydisclosure.Alternatively,and/orinaddition,HEIsmaywishtoconsiderdevelopingaseparatedisclosureactionplan.AtemplateisincludedinAppendixBforHEIstoformulateanactionplan.

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WhenplanninganactionplanondisclosureforyourHEI,itisimportanttoinclude:

aims–theproblems,andwheretheprioritieslie

adescriptionoftheinterventionstobeimplemented

specificoutcomesthattheHEIwishestoachievetoimprovelevelsof(andcreateamoresupportiveculturefor)disclosuresetoutagainstarealistictimetable

measurableindicatorsofprogresstowardsthoseoutcomes

linesofaccountability–whowillberesponsibleforimplementinginterventions.

Incompletingtheactionplan,ECUadvisesHEIstorefertoInterventions for staff disclosure in higher education: background paper 2009(ECU,2009a)forideasonwhatinterventionstoinclude.

Therearedifferentwaysinwhichprogressonstaffdisclosureissuescanbeobservedormeasured.Obviouslyanincreaseindisclosurerateswillbeoneofthekeyindicatorsofprogress.DuetotheshorttimeframeavailableduringtheECUproject,itwasnotpossibletomeasureanysignificantimpactondisclosureratesattheparticipatingHEIs.

TheHEIswere,however,encouragedtodeveloparangeofotherindicatorstomeasureprogressonthedeliveryoftheiractionplansintheshort,mid-andlongterm.Examplesoftheseinclude:

revisionofnewequalitymonitoringforms

deliveryofequalityworkshopsforselectedstaff,suchasinHR

feedbackfromtraining(immediatelyfollowingtraining,andthenatalaterdatetodetermineiftraininghasledtoanincreaseininclusivebehaviour)

developmentofanewwebpageonthebenefitsofdisclosure

increasedopportunitiesfordisclosure

newguidanceonsupportingdisabledstaff

increasednumberofdisabledstaffapplying,shortlistedandappointedforemployment

increasednumberofreasonableadjustmentrequestsandreferralstoAccesstoWork

developmentofanelectronicdatabaseformanagingworkplaceadjustments

morestaffreviewingtheirequalitydataviaHRself-servicesystems.

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3.6 Sustainability of approachAninclusivecultureandimproveddisclosureratescannotbeachievedintheshortterm;HEIswillneedtocommittosustainingworkontheseissues,andcontinuetomonitorandimprovethesituationwithregardtostaffdisclosure.

Ascanbeseeninsection5,withthelimitedtimeandresourcesavailable,theHEIsparticipatingintheECUprojecthavehighlightedanumberofactionsthattheywilllooktodeliverinthelongerterm,forexample,furtherworktoimprovedisclosureofsexualorientation.

Box 9 Sheffield Hallam University: Supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) staff

SheffieldHallamUniversityiscommittedtodevelopingasupportiveandinclusivecultureforLGBTstaff.PartoftherationalefortheirparticipationintheECUprojectwastodevelopstrategiesforexploringtheviewsoftheinstitution’sLGBTcommunity.

SheffieldHallamplanstoexploreappropriatemeansofreviewingtheexperiencesofstafffromLGBTgroups,andtodeveloptheinstitution’semployeeopinionsurveytocollectdiversitymonitoringdata.

Tosustainthisworkfurther,collaborationisplannedwiththeLGBTstaffforumandotherkeystakeholderstoexplorethemesforfurtherresearchandeffectivemeansofengagingwithLGBTgroups.



4 Planning how to use the data collected4.1 Using data to inform policy- and decision-making and target your equality workStaffdisclosuredatawillbeextremelyvaluableinprovidinganHEIwithadetailedpictureofequalityissueswithintheorganisation,andalsoinenablingpositiveactioninterventionsandprojectstobeproperlytargeted.

Atthemostbasiclevel,anHEIcanusestaffdisclosuredatatounderstandthecompositionofitsworkforceandthereby,forexample:

exploreareasofunder-representationofspecificgroupsofpeopleatparticularlevelsorinparticularroleswithintheorganisation

assessthepotentialdemandforinclusiveservices,suchascateringservicesfordifferentreligiousgroups,spacesforprayerorcontemplation,orthepotentialdemandforanLGBTstaffforum

identifywhichkeyreligiousfestivalswouldbemostrelevanttoincludeinanonlinecalendar.

StaffdisclosuredatabecomeevenmoreusefultoanHEIwhentheyarecross-referencedwithotherinformationinordertoprovidegreaterunderstandingoftheexperienceofdifferentstaffgroups.Forexample,anHEIcancross-referdisclosuredatawith:

informationaboutsalary,overtimetake-uprates,performance-relatedpayschemes,etc.,toinformathoroughequalpayaudit

informationaboutpromotionandprogressionratestoexplorewhetherpotentialbarrierstopromotionexistforparticulargroupsofstaff

informationaboutaproposedrestructuringtoexplorewhethertheproposalsarelikelytohaveadisproportionateimpactonanyspecificequalitiesgroups

otherresponseswithinastaffsurvey,toassesswhetherparticulargroupsofstaffaremoreorlesslikelytoreportbullyingorharassment,receivethetrainingtheyfeeltheyrequire,etc.

Staffdisclosuredataarealsoaveryimportantingredientforeffectiveequalityimpactassessmentwork.IfanHEIisproposinganewpolicyorprocedure,oramajormanagementdecision,thenstaffdisclosuredatawilloftenbeessential

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toenableaproperanalysistobemadeastowhethertheproposedchangesarelikelytohaveadisproportionateimpactonanyspecificequalitygroup.ForfurtherinformationseeECU’sequalityimpactassessmentguidance(ECU,2007).

Box 10 University of Birmingham: Review of policies, processes and procedures for disability disclosure

TheUniversityofBirminghamconductedareviewofprocessesfordisclosingadisability.Thisindicatedthatmultipleopportunitieswereavailableformallytodisclosedisabilitystatussothatitwouldbeenteredonanindividual’spersonalrecord.

However,thereviewindicatedthatonceadisabilityhadbeenformallydisclosednostandardpracticewasinplaceastohowthisinformationwouldbeusedandwhatsupportstaffcouldexpecttoreceive.Asaresult,staffexpectationsofsupportfollowingdisclosurewerenotalwaysbeingmet.Thereviewalsofoundthatthelanguageusedtodefinewhatwasmeantby‘disability’focusedonthemedicalmodelofdisability.

Asaresultofthisreview,thefollowingactionshavebeentaken.

Aself-servicepersonalrecordssystemiscurrentlyunderdevelopment,whichwillenablestaffdirectlytoupdatetheirpersonaldetails,includingtheirdisabilitystatus.Inconsultationwiththeuniversity’sstaffdisabilitygroup,anewdefinitionofdisabilityhasbeendevelopedandwillbeused.ThiswillincludethesocialmodeldefinitionofdisabilityalongsidetheDisabilityDiscriminationAct’sdefinition.

Inconjunctionwiththestaffdisabilitygroup,ithasalsobeenagreedthatwhenadisabilityisformallydisclosed,thisinformationwillbesharedbytheuniversitywithcertain‘keystaff’,toensuredisclosureresultsinappropriateworkplacesupport.Thekeystaffarestilltobedefined,butwouldincludethestaffdisabilityadviser,whichisanewpostfromSeptember2009.

Oncethisprocesshasbeenfinalised,apolicyondisabilitydisclosurewillalsobedeveloped.

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Planning how to use the data collected


Box 11 Aston University: Benefits of working on disclosure

AstonUniversityhasfoundthatworkingactivelytoincreasedisclosurehasgreatlyimprovedgeneralawarenessofthesupportavailablefordisabledstaff.Theprojecthaspresentedanopportunityfordisabledpeople,orthosewithmedicalconditions,tocomeandtalkthroughtheissuesthatconcernthem,includingwhetherdisclosureisappropriateandsafeforthem.TheprojecthasprovidedaplatformonwhichAstonwillbeabletobuildbetterawarenessofwhattheuniversity,asanemployer,canofferstaff.

4.2 Using data to prompt discussions about adjustments and support for individual staff membersPlanningandrespondingtorequestsforadjustmentsandsupportisonepurposeofencouragingdisclosure,asanHEImaywishtousedisclosuredatatotargetparticularstaffgroupswithinformationaboutspecificsourcesofsupport.Disclosuredatamight,forexample,enableanHEItosendouttargetedinformationaboutapositive-actiontrainingeventforwomen,orinformationaboutadisabledstaffnetworktoparticulargroupsofstaff.

IfanHEIisplanningtousedisclosuredatatocontactindividualsinthisway,itisessential,fordataprotectionreasonsandtoensuretransparency,toconsiderwhetherornotstaffmembersconsentedtotheirinformationbeingusedinthiswaywhenthedatawerecollected.Justbecauseastaffmemberdisclosedtheirreligionorsexualorientationonamonitoringform,forexample,thisdoesnotnecessarilymeantheyhaveconsentedtoreceivinglettersoremailsaboutspecificsupportnetworksoreventslinkedtoreligionorsexualorientation.

SometimesitcanbeusefulforanHEItoaskstaffaseparatequestiontoidentifystaffwhowouldbeinterestedinreceivingsuchinformation.Includingasectionalongthefollowinglinesinamonitoringformmightbeworthconsideringforthesepurposes.



The questions on our monitoring form will be used only for statistical purposes, to help us to check the effectiveness of our equality and diversity policies. We will treat this information sensitively and in a way that does not identify you personally. Your answers to the above questions will not prompt any contact from HR or other departments.

However, if you are interested in receiving information in future about any events or initiatives for staff that relate to any of the equality areas listed below, please tick the relevant box:

Age

Disability

Ethnicity

Gender

Religion and belief

Sexual orientation

If you are a disabled member of staff and would like HR to contact you for a confidential discussion about any disability-related adjustments you might require at work, please tick the box below:

I am a disabled member of staff and would like HR to contact me to discuss the support that I might require.

Theabovewordingisadraft,andwouldneedtobeadaptedtosuitthecontextofanindividualHEI.However,thisgeneralapproach–whichmakescleartostaffwhatkindofcontacttheyarelikelytoreceiveaftertheyanswerdisclosurequestions–canmakepeoplefeelmuchmoreconfidentaboutprovidinganswers.

OneareainwhichHEIsfrequentlyusedisclosuredatatocontactindividualmembersofstaffrelatestodisability-relatedsupport.DuringtheirinvolvementintheECUproject,CanterburyChristChurchUniversitytookaparticularinterestincreatingacentralbudgetandadatabasetorecordandsupportadjustmentsintheworkplacefordisabledstaff.



Box 12 Canterbury Christ Church University: Managing and funding adjustments

CanterburyChristChurchwaskeentointroduceacentralisedapproachthatwouldsupportalldisabledstaffconsistently,whileensuringnodepartmentorfacultywouldbedisadvantaged,financiallyorotherwise,inmeetingdisabilityequalityresponsibilities.

Theuniversitysignificantlyimproveditsdisabilitydisclosureratesthroughadatavalidationexercise,inwhichthequestionabout‘disability’wasphrasedinamuchmoreopenwaythanhadpreviouslybeenusedinequalopportunitiesmonitoringandstaffrecordforms.

Theprinciplesofthecentralisedapproachare:

workplaceassessmentsareundertakenbytrainedstaff(mainlyinHR)whoeitherprovidedirectadviceormakeuseofadditionalsupportservicessuchasoccupationalhealth,adetailedworkplaceassessmentbyaqualifiedphysiotherapist,advicefromaninternalassistivetechnologyspecialist,orreferraltoAccesstoWork

thecostofworkplaceadjustments(beyondthosethatshouldbeprovidedbythedepartment)arefinancedfromacentralbudget,withreclaimofcostsfromAccesstoWorkwhereappropriate

alladjustmentsarerecordedonadatabasetotrackactivityandprovidearecordofequipmentandresources.

Thecentralbudgetanddatabaseforworkplaceadjustmentshashadthefollowingbenefits:

theresponsetotheneedforworkplaceadjustmentsisappropriate,timelyandmoreconsistentacrosstheinstitution

thereisaflexibleapproachtodealingwithawiderangeofworkplacehealthanddisabilityissues,bothtemporaryandlonger-term

thedesignofthedatabasewillallowittofunctionasapoolofinformationaboutvarioustypesofadjustment

staffcanshareexperiencesand‘test’possibleadjustmentoptionsbeforecommittingtonewequipmentand/ortraining

frequentlow-costadjustments(e.g.wirelessmice,ergonomickeyboards)canbeapprovedwithoutformalassessment

thedatabaseencouragessharingofknowledgeandgoodpractice.

continued

Thefollowingchallengeshavebeenencounteredinestablishingthissystem:

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Box 12continueddesigninganappropriatedatabasehasbeenamatteroftrialanderror,andhasbeentime-consuming

obtainingapprovalfortheideaofacentralisedbudgetwaschallenging,asnodataexistedtohelptopredicttheleveloffinancialsupportrequired;atpresentthisisbeingreviewed

implementingthenewsystemhasimplicationsfortheworkloadofstaffinHR.

Followingrecentinterventions,theinformationprovidedtodisabledstaffisbeingrewrittenandwillbepromotedviathewebsiteandprintedbrochures.

Access to WorkAccesstoWork(www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/Employmentsupport/WorkSchemesAndProgrammes/DG_4000347)isagovernmentschememanagedthroughJobcentrePlus.Itprovidespractical,individuallytailoredadviceandsupporttodisabledpeoplewhoarein,orseeking,work.Insomecases,AccesstoWorkwillprovidefullfundingforadjustmentsthatastaffmembermayrequire;inotherstheemployermaybeexpectedtocontributetowardsthecosts.

OnereasontoencouragedisclosureofdisabilitystatusfromstaffmembersasearlyaspossibleistoensurestaffmembersobtainasmuchsupportaspossiblefromAccesstoWork.ItisgenerallyagoodideaforadisabledstaffmembertomaketheirfirstAccesstoWorkapplicationwithinthefirstsixweeksafterstartingworkataparticularHEI,asinthesecircumstancesAccesstoWorkwillbemorelikelytocoverupto100percentoftheapprovedcostsoftherequiredadjustments.

Foradisabledmemberofstaff,AccesstoWorkfundingmaybeavailableinrelationtopayingcoststowards:

providingequipmentthatmaybeneededwhileatwork

adaptingpremises

providingasupportworker

gettingtowork(iftheindividualisunabletousepublictransport)

meetingcostsforcommunicationatjobinterviews.

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Box 13 University of Birmingham: Access to Work guidance

TheUniversityofBirminghamhasdevelopedguidanceonhowtogetsupportfromAccesstoWork(www.equality.bham.ac.uk/policy/Policies/Access_to_work_guidelines__April_2009_.pdf).

ThiswasproducedinconjunctionwiththeDepartmentforWorkandPensions’AccesstoWorkteamandtheHEI’sstaffdisabilitygroup.Considerationofreasonableadjustmentshasalsobeentakenacrossintootherpoliciesandguidance,suchasonrecruitmentandselection,absencemanagement(forexample,absenceasapossibleindicatorthatadjustmentsareneeded),andstaffperformancereviews(e.g.underperformanceasapossibleindicator).Theaimistomakeconsiderationofdisabilityandreasonableadjustmentspartof‘businessasusual’whenmanagingstaff.

Accurate,up-to-datestaffdisclosuredatacanalsobeimportantinenablingHEIstomeethealthandsafetyrequirements,forexamplebyidentifyingstaffwhomayrequireapersonalemergencyevacuationplan.

4.3 Using the heidi equality online tool to benchmark performanceheidi(www.heidi.ac.uk)isadatamanagementtoolthatenablesHEIstoaccessabroadrangeofdataabouttheirownworkforcesandstudentbodiesandtocomparetheseresultswiththoseofotherinstitutions.HEIsneedtosubscribetoheidiinordertouseit,andmostalreadydosubscribetotheservice.

ECUandHESAhaveaddedanewequalityfunction,heidiequality,totheexistingdatabase.heidiequalityincludesstudent,staffanddestinationdataforyears2006/07and2007/08.Aswemoveforward,datafromfutureyearswillbeaddedintoheidiequality.ThisinformationcomesfromthestatisticalreturnsthatHEIsmaketoHESAeachyear.Datacanbedisaggregatedbydisability,ethnicity,genderandage.heidiequalityallowsuserstocollaterelevantequalitydataandproducetablesandchartsthatbenchmarktheperformanceofoneHEIagainstothers,oragainstthewholehighereducationsector.

AlthoughheidiequalityisownedandmanagedbyHESA,ECUhasproducedabriefing(www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/introducing-heidi-equality)tohighlighthowequalityanddiversitypractitionersandotherstaffinHEIscanusethistooltoprovideanevidencebaseforequalitywork.



5 HEI case studiesBetweenSeptember2008andJune2009,eightHEIspilotedarangeofinterventionsfromECU’sInterventions for staff disclosure in higher education: background paper 2009(ECU,2009a).ThissectionlooksateachHEIandgivesdetailson:

staffinvolvedinimplementinginterventions

rationaleforparticipationintheproject

keyaimsandobjectives

interventionsimplemented

progressmadeoneachintervention

benefitsandchallengesidentifiedinimplementingtheinterventions

futureactionsplannedtoimprovedisclosure.

5.1 Aston UniversityStaff roles involved in the project:

equalityanddiversityadviser

membersofequalityanddiversityforum

jointunionsconsultativecommittee

HRsystemsmanager

disabilitycoordinator

fireofficer

UniversityandCollegeUnionequalityrepresentative.

Rationale for participation in the project:

toimprovethedisclosureratefordisabledmembersofstaff

toincreaseopportunitiestogathermorerobustqualitativemonitoringdata

tobeabletotailorsupportmoreappropriately,andwithgreatersensitivity,totheneedsofdisabledstaff.

Key aims and objectives:

improveclarityforstaffaboutdisclosure

improvethequalityofdata

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raisemanagementawarenessofemploymentissuesrelatingtodisability

raiseawarenessofbenefitsofdisclosurefordisabledstaff

furtherdevelopsupportivestructuresfordisabledemployees

improvecommunicationaboutsupportivemeasures.

Interventions implemented:

Thefocustodatehasbeenontryingtoimprovethedisclosureratebygivingbetterinformationaboutwhatisinvolved,andprovidingongoingopportunitiesforpeopletodisclosethroughthecompletionofanonlinemonitoringform.

Staffhavebeenofferedtheopportunityto:

submittheirmonitoringdata

disclosetheirdisabilitystatustotheuniversity

makeanappointmentwiththeequalityanddiversityadviser

haveapersonalplanforemergencyevacuationofthebuilding

joinadisabilitynetwork.

Progress made on each intervention:

Astonsentouttwoemailstoallstaffandsubsequentlywrotepersonallytoallthosewhohadnotreplied.Inadditiontotheincreaseinstaffdisclosure(seeBox5),thestaffsurveyhasfound:

threemembersofstaffwhoneedpersonalemergencyevacuationplans

sevenpeoplewhohaveaskedtocomeanddiscusstheircircumstanceswiththeequalityanddiversityadviser

ninepeoplewhowishformallytodisclosetheirdisabilitytotheuniversity

sixpeoplewhowouldliketobepartofaface-to-facedisabilitynetwork

tenpeoplewhowouldliketojoinanonlineforum.

Benefits and challenges identified in implementing the interventions:

Benefits:

clearimprovementintheawarenessofdisabledstaffwithintheuniversity

opportunitiesfordisabledpeopletocomeandtalkthroughtheissuesraisedforthem,ortotalkaboutwhetherdisclosureisappropriateandsafeforthem

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HEI case studies

HEI case studies


aplatformonwhichtheuniversitycanbuildbetterawarenessofwhatit,asanemployer,canofferstaff.

Challenges:

thelimitedtimeavailableintheprojectdidnotprovideanopportunityfortheuniversityfullytoimplementitsactionplan;however,theworkbeingconductedbytheuniversitywillbesustainedinto2010andbeyond

complexdefinitionsofdisability,whichAstonwillneedtoconsidercarefullywhendecidinghowmuchinformationshouldbecommunicatedtostafftoensurethatallinformationisclearandtransparent,yetnotoverwhelming

technicalissueswiththerecentlyintroducedHRsystemthathavehadanimpactonthedeadlineforgettingthefacilityfullyoperational;anewformatwebsitehasrecentlybeenintroduced,whichwillhopefullygivemorescopefordisplayingandpromotingrelevantinformation

stafffatiguewithquestionnaires,andhowtoensureallmembersofstaffaresupportedinrespondingandthatanyissuesraisedaredealtwithappropriately.

Future actions planned to improve disclosure:

developmentandlaunchofablackboardsitefortheonlinedisabilityforum

widepromotionoftherelaunchedface-to-facestaffnetwork

distributionofprintedsurveystoallthoseexcludedfromtheonlinequestionnaire

revisionofleafletsaboutthesupportavailablefordisabledmembersofstaff

arrangementofongoingmeetingswithsomedisabledmembersofstaff.

5.2 University of BirminghamStaff roles involved in the project:

diversityadviser(staff)

HRprojectmanager–implementingrevisionstodisabilitydefinitions

staffdevelopmentconsultant–reviewofinductioncontent.


Theuniversityhasahighdisclosurerate,with96.9percentofstaffdisclosingtheirdisabilitystatus,100percenttheirgender,and99.1percenttheirethnic

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HEI case studies


origin.However,itwasacknowledgedthatthepercentageofstaffdisclosinganactualdisabilitywaslowat2.2percent.Thiswasnotconsideredtobeatruerepresentationoftheproportionofdisabledstaff,sotheuniversitywasinterestedinwaysofimprovingdisclosure.


Tocreateaworkplaceculturethatencouragesandsupportsthedisclosureofdisability,inwhichdisabledstaffreceiveappropriatesupportandsocandeveloptheirfullpotential.


reviewandrevisionofpolicies,processesandproceduresfordisclosure

developmentofstaffmonitoringformsthatencouragedisclosure

useofstaffinternetsitestoprovideinformationondisabilitydisclosureandsupportavailable

developmentofequality-relatedliteratureininductionmaterialsandanequalitymoduleininductioncourses

developmentandpromotionofguidanceonprovidinganticipatoryandreasonableadjustments

introductionandencouragementofappropriatemechanismstoensurethevoicesofdisabledstaffareinvolved,heardandsupported.


reviewofprocessesfordisclosingadisability

developmentoftheinternetsiteoncetheguidanceondisclosureandhowinformationwillbeusedisfinalised

creationofaone-daywelcomesessionfollowingreviewofthestaffinductionprogramme–thisincludesinformationonrightsandresponsibilitieswithregardtoequalityanddiversity,guidanceandsignpostingonsupportfordisabledstaff,andinvitationstojointhestaffdisabilitygroupandBMEstaffgroup;invitationstothesessionexplicitlyaskifstaffneedadjustmentsandstatearrangementsforalternativetoursofthecampuswherestaffcannotundertakethewalkingtour–feedbackfromtheinitialsessionindicatedanoverallsatisfactionscoreof79percent

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guidanceonAccesstoWork

consultationwiththeuniversitystaffdisabilitygrouponthedevelopmentofinitiativesunderthisproject.


Benefits:

Therehasbeenanincreaseintheproportionofstaffsystemsandprocessesthathavehadtheinvolvementandapprovalofdisabledstaff.

Challenges:

TheuniversitywasfortunatethattheECUprojectcoincidedwithseveralotherprojects–suchastheintroductionofthestaffself-servicepersonalrecordssystemandthereviewofinduction–thatsupportedtheinterventionswewantedtointroduce.Itmayhavebeenhardertointroduceinterventionsiftheyhadnotcoincidedwithbroaderreviewcycles.


AsnotedinBox10,apolicyisbeingdevelopedonstaffdisabilitydisclosurethatwilladdressissuessuchaswhystaffshoulddisclose,andhowtheirinformationwillbeused.

5.3 Canterbury Christ Church UniversityStaff roles involved in the project:

ProVice-ChancellorwithresponsibilityforEqualityandDiversity

equalityanddiversitymanager

assistantdirectorofhumanresources

humanresourcesofficer(employeerelations)

computingliaisonofficerwithspecificknowledgeofassistivetechnology.


tolearnaboutwhatotherHEIsweredoingandthedifficultiestheyhadencounteredinimprovingdisclosure

tobenefitfromtheinteractionfacilitatedbyECU

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tohaveanexternalspurtoguaranteethemomentumoftheimplementedinterventions.


improvesupportforandengagementwithdisabledstaffattheuniversity

improvethedisclosureofdisabilityattheuniversity

learnabouttheexperienceofotherHEIsandusethisininformingtheuniversity’sowninterventions.


creationofacentralbudgetforworkplaceadjustments

developmentofadatabasetorecordandmonitorworkplaceadjustments–thedesignofthedatabasewillallowittofunctionasapoolofinformationaboutvarioustypesofadjustment

communicationofinformationaboutthenewarrangementstoallheadsofdepartmentsandmanagers,andallstaff

trialofamoreopenlyphrasedquestionaboutdisabilityinthestaffsurveycomparedwiththatonequalopportunitiesorstaffrecordforms.


Alltheinterventionslistedhavenowbeenundertaken.


Benefits:

staffandmanagersknowwheretogoforinformationandsupport

theuniversity’sresponsetotheneedforworkplaceadjustmentsisappropriate,timelyandconsistentacrosstheinstitution

frequentlow-costadjustments(e.g.wirelessmice,ergonomickeyboardsandsoon)canbeapprovedwithoutformalassessment

thedatabaseallowstrackingofwhathasbeenprovided

thedatabaseencouragessharingofknowledgeandgoodpractice.

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Challenges:

designinganappropriatedatabasehasbeenamatteroftrialanderror,andhasbeentime-consuming

establishinganinitialbudgetwaschallenging,astheuniversitydidnothavedatatopredicthowmuchwouldberequired

implementingthenewsystemhasincreasedtheworkloadofstaffinHR.


promotionofrewritteninformationfordisabledstaffviathewebsiteandprintedbrochures

assignmentofanamedcontactfordisabledstaffintheHRdepartment.

5.4 University of HullStaff roles involved in the project:

staffdisabilityadviser

marketingdepartmentandoccupationalhealthstaff

HRmanagersandadvisers

facilitiesdirectorate,students’unionandfacultyofhealthandsocialcare

diversityadviser.


toimprovethequalityandclarityofdatarelatingtodisabledstaff

toraiseawarenessofdisability,encouragingdisclosure

toprovidesupporttodisabledstaffwhereneeded.


developstaffmonitoringformsthatencouragedisclosureofdisabilityinordertoimproveclarityandqualityofdata

continuetoofferdisabledpeopletheopportunitytogainsomeworkexperienceattheuniversity

explorefeasibilityoffinancingreasonableadjustmentscentrallysothatnosection,departmentorfacultyisdisadvantagedfinanciallyorotherwiseinmeetingdisabilityequalityobjectives.

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Amonitoringformandquestionnairehavebeendistributedtoallstaff.


theuniversityiscurrentlyintheprocessofdatacollectionandmakingadjustmentstotheHRdatabasewithregardtothereportingofdisabilitystatus;thisworkisyettobecompleted

therehasbeensomeresistancetowardstheothertwoobjectives,whichcouldbeduetothecurrenteconomicdownturn.


Benefits:

raisedawarenessandunderstandingofdisabilityleadingtoanincreaseindisclosure–thenumberofstaffwhohavedisclosedtheirdisabilitystatusisnow165,6.8percentofthetotalnumberofstaff;somestaffwhohavedisclosedsubsequentlyrequestedadditionalsupportoradjustments

anumberofstaffwhohadnotconsideredthemselvesdisabledorneedinganytypeofsupportwerehappytoregistertheirimpairment(s)againsttheHESAcodes,whichmayindicatethattherearefewernegativeconnotationsandlessstigmaassociatedwithdisabilitythaninpreviousyears.

Challenges:

somereluctancebystafftodisclosementalhealthproblems,whichindicatesthatthereisstillastigmawithmentalhealth

somequestionnaireshavebeenreturnedwithnonameormixedmessages,inwhichcasethedatacannotbeused.


Disclosurequestionnaireswillbegiventonewmembersofstaffandinformationwillbeprovidedviatheoccupationalhealth/staffdisabilityservice.Positiveattitudestowardsdisabledpeoplewillbepromoted,anddisability-relatedtraining,informationandadvicewillbeprovided.

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5.5 University of LeedsStaff roles involved in the project:

equalityanddiversitymanager

HRprojectmanager

disabilityadviserinthestudentdisabilityteam,whohassubsequentlytakenontheroleofstaffdisabilityadviser.


toexploregapsindatathatwereidentifiedthroughrecentwork

toprovidebenefittotheprojectfromongoingideasonhowtoimprovedisclosure.


Todisseminateanyusefullessons,oranyusefulideasandinitiatives,tohelpotherHEIsthatmightbenefit.


developmentofabooklet,Building disability confidence – supporting disabled staff at the University of Leeds,whichhasbeendistributedtoallstaff

reviewandrevisionoftheuniversity’srecruitmentdocumentationtoensurestatementsinvitingprospectiveemployeestodiscloseadisabilityareappropriatelysupportive,andaddinganinvitationtoprospectiveapplicantstocontactHRinconfidencetodiscussanyaccessrequirementstheymighthavefortheinterviewprocess,oranyadjustmentstheymightneediftheirapplicationissuccessful

amovetowards‘employeeself-service’–certainaspectsofamemberofstaff’spersonaldataontheHRandpayrollsystemscanbeamendedbystaff,whichwillencouragethemtoreviewtheirmonitoringdata,completeanygaps,andamendtheirdeclarationifappropriate

developmentofadisabilitydisclosureprocessforstaffiftheircircumstancesalter,linkedtoaprocedureforrequestingreasonableadjustments–oneofwhichcouldberequestsfordisabilityleave(whichiscategorisedseparatelyfromannualorsickleave)

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launchofaflexibleworkingcharterdemonstratingtheuniversity’scommitmenttotheprinciplesofflexibleworking,withassociatedtrainingformanagersonthebenefits.


distributionoftheBuilding disability confidencebooklettoallcurrentstaff;newstaffareadvisedofitsexistencewiththeirletterofappointment

amendmentoftheapplicationformandsupportinginformationasdescribed

pilotworkonemployeeself-servicehasbeendelayed,soithasnotbeenpossibletomonitoranyimpactondisclosure

adisabilitydisclosureprocedure,reasonableadjustmentsrequestform,anddisabilityleavepolicyareindraftandcurrentlyunderconsultationwiththecampusunions;initialresponseshavebeenpositive

launchofaflexibleworkingstatement,withasupportingstatementfromtheVice-Chancellor,atarecentstaffbenefitsfair,whichisbeingwidelypublicisedacrosstheuniversity

theequalityserviceiscurrentlydeliveringequalityanddiversitytrainingto1700staffmembers,focusingontheneedtotakeaflexibleapproachtothemanagementofthediverseworkforce;itisanticipatedthatthiswillbenefitdisabledandethnicminoritystaffaswellastheobvioustargetaudienceofstaffwithcaringresponsibilities.


Benefits:

Alltheinterventionshaveformedpartofastrategytodevelopanddistributepracticalsupportandguidanceformanagersandstaffonequalityanddiversityissuesacrossthewholespectrum.Thishashelpedtoraisetheprofileoftheserviceandtoraiseawarenessofequalityanddiversityissuesgenerally.

Challenges:

Themajorchallengehasbeentoprogresssomeoftheinitiativesinthetimescalefortheproject,someofwhichhasbeenoutsideofthecontroloftheequalityservice.

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continuationofworkondisabilitydisclosureandassociateddocumentsthroughtheconsultationprocessuntiltheyareformallyadoptedbytheuniversity,afterwhichtheywillbewidelypublicised

continuationoftheemployeeself-servicefacility–theequalityservicewillcontinuetoworkwithHRtoensureequalitydataarereviewedandrevisedtoreducethegapsinthedataasfaraspossible

aspartoftheworktodevelopasingleequalityscheme,theuniversityhasheldfocusgroupswithstafffromallequalitystrands,andconsiderationwillbegiventotheestablishmentofstrand-relatedstaffforumswhichmayimprovetheconfidenceofstafftodisclosetheirethnicity,sexualorientationordisability.

5.6 Oxford Brookes UniversityStaff roles involved in the project:

equalopportunityanddiversitycoordinator

staffdisabilityadviser

HRteam

businesspartnershipmanager(equalopportunityanddiversity)


toaddresstheunder-representationofdisabledstaffattheinstitution

tostartmonitoringforsexualorientationandreligionandbelief

toactontheinstitution’scorevalueofincreaseddiversity

tosharelearningwithcolleaguesinthesectoraboutwhatworksandwhatdoesnot.


increasedisclosureformonitoring

improvedataqualitybyintroducingnewHESAcategories

promoteequalityinrecruitment

increasestaffunderstandingofdiversityandpromoteasupportiveculture.

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revisionoftheequalopportunitiesmonitoringformusedinrecruitmentandselection

revisionofonlineandpapermonitoringforms

lettersenttoallstafftopromptthemtocompleteonlineorpaperversions

revisionofrecruitmentandselectiondocumentationandprocedures

implementationofactionsarisingfromequalityimpactassessmentsofrecruitmentandselectionwithindirectorates

revisionofcurrentrecruitmentandselectiontraining

setupofastaffdisabilitynetwork

introductionofmonitoringofrequestsforflexibleworking

introductionofaLoveandJusticeMonthofequalityeventsinFebruary2009,onthethemeofequalrights,tocoincidewithannualHumanRightsFilmFestival.


newmonitoringformintroduced

letterwassentoutattachedtoJanuary2009payslipsencouragingallstafftoreviewandrevisetheirdisclosedequalitystatusdata;31percentofstaffhaverevisedtheirdatasinceFebruary2009

actionsarisingfromequalityimpactassessmentsofrecruitmentandselectionhavebeenimplemented,althoughitmaybetooearlytomeasuretheeffect

increasedownershipofdiversityissuesindirectorates–wordingofnewjobdescriptionsandpersonspecificationshasbeenimprovedtoensuretheyarenon-discriminatoryandbasedmorecloselyontherequirementsoftherole

detailedguidanceoninterviewingdisabledapplicantsdrawnup,withinputfromthelocalMencapgroup,andpilotedinatrainingsessionforthelearningresourcesmanagementteam

firstmeetingofthestaffdisabilitynetworkheldinApril;sharedmailinglistsetuptohelpfacilitatecommunication,and28disabledmembersofstaffhavenowexpressedaninterestinjoiningthenetwork

disabledstaffhavebeeninvolved,throughaquestionnaire,ontheproposedrevisedparkingpolicy

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disabledstaffhaveproposeddevelopinganonymisedaccountsoftheirexperiencesasaweb-basedresourceformanagers

LoveandJusticemonthorganisedandwellreceived(seeBox3).


Benefits:

proceduresarenowinplacetocollectthereviseddatarequiredbytheuniversity,butfurtheractionisstillneededtoencouragemorestafftoupdatetheirdata

guidanceoninterviewingdisabledstaffhasbeendevelopedandincorporatedintraining–initialfeedbackisthatitisuseful

disabledstaffnetworkelicitedaverypositiveresponse–tomaintainthemomentumofthisgroup,OxfordBrookeswillneedtodevelopanelectronicmeansofcommunicationasitisverydifficulttofindasuitabletimeandplaceforalltomeetface-to-face

LoveandJusticeMonthwasthefirsttimetheuniversityhadtriedtorunaprogrammeofeventsonascaleofthatsize,andenabledtheuniversitytolearnalotaboutlarge-scaleplanningofaccessibleevents.

Challenges:

Increasingstaffdisclosureratesandunderstandingdatacontinuestobeacomplicatedarea.Forexample,inJanuary2009theuniversityhad3.5percentofstaffwithadiscloseddisability(4.0percentofsupportstaff,3.2percentofacademicstaff;zeromanagement).Thisoverallfigurewasadramaticincreasefrom2.8percentinDecember2008.Thisrepresentsanincreasefrom62staffto78.Thereasonsforthissuddenincreaseareunclear,anditisnotknownwhetherthisratewillbesustained.

Thestaffdisabilityadviserfindsthatpartialdisclosureiscommon.Frequentlytheinitialdisclosureisofavisiblephysicalimpairment,andwhenarelationshipoftrusthasbeendeveloped,furthermentalhealthissuesaredisclosed.


useofsexualorientationandreligionandbeliefdatainfuturediversityreportstohelpreassurestaffabouthowthesesensitivedataareused

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affiliationwithDisabledGo(www.disabledgo.com),whichwillhostaccessinformationandjobadvertisementsonitswebsitetoencouragemoreapplicationsfromdisabledpeople

publicityaboutTexthelpassistivesoftware,whichcanbeinstalledonstaffPCsatnoadditionalcharge

liaisonwithstudentstopromoteasupportivecultureonLGBTissues;theuniversityhasbeenworkingwithoneveryproactivestudent,whohasrecommendedbooksforthelibrary,requestedlibrarydisplaystosupportOxfordPride,anddevelopedsuggestedwebpagesgivinglocalandnationallinks.

5.7 University of SalfordStaff roles involved in the project:

HRprojectsmanager

seniorassistantregistrarequalityanddiversity

SalfordUniversityDisabledStaff(SUDS)Network.


Theuniversityhasbeenawareoflowlevelsofdeclarationofdisabilityamongdisabledemployees,andsimilarlyamongotherequalitygroups.


tofindwaysofencouragingemployeestodeclaretheirpersonalequality-relateddatasotheinstitutioncanmonitorprogress,orthelackofit

toidentifybettertheimpactofpoliciesandpracticesonstaff.


Theuniversityhasutilisedtheannualstaffdatachecktoencourageemployeestodeclareiftheyhaveadisabilityand/ortotickaboxandprovidecontactdetailsforaninformaldiscussion,iftheywish.


Aconsiderablenumberofemployeeshaveprovidedtheircontactdetailsandrequestedaninformaldiscussionondisability.Atthetimeofwriting,itisnotknownifmoreemployeeshavetakentheopportunitytodeclareadisability.More

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declarationwillprovideamoreaccuratepictureofthepercentageofdisabledstafftheuniversityemploys,andhelpinplanningandundertakingactiontoimproveonthis.


Benefits:

moreemployeesthanbeforehaveengagedinthisissueattheuniversity

moreemployeeswilleitherreceivesupportintheworkplaceinrelationtotheirdisability,orwillhavepeaceofmindthatsupportwouldbeavailableifneeded

SUDShasprovedaveryhelpfulbridgeincommunicatingwithrelevantstaff,ashavetheotherstaffnetworks.


Theuniversitywillimplementitssingleequalityschemeande-recruitment.Itwillmonitortheimpactoftheseactivitiesandpositiveoutcomesonitsequalityanddiversityagenda.

5.8 Sheffield Hallam UniversityStaff roles involved in the project:

wideningparticipationpolicyunitrelationshipmanager

diversitymanager

diversity,ethicsandwideningparticipationcoordinator,FacultyofArts,Computing,EngineeringandSciences.


tofacilitatereviewanddevelopmentoftheapproachtostaffdeclarationanddisclosureofdisability

todevelopstrategiesforexploringtheviewsoftheuniversity’sLGBTcommunity.


furtherdeveloptheprinciples,policiesandproceduresforstaffdisclosureofdisabilityandtheprovisionofreasonableadjustments,andpromotetheseeffectivelytostaffgroups

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informimprovementsinthecollectionanduseofmanagementinformationrelatingtostaffdisclosureofdisability

exploreappropriatemeansofreviewingtheexperiencesofstafffromLGBTgroups.


amajoremphasisoftheprojecthasbeenonexploringtheuniversity’scurrentapproachtostaffdisclosureofdisabilityandtheprovisionofreasonableadjustments,whichhasresultedinaseriesofrecommendationsforfutureimprovementstoboththepracticesandprovisionofinformationandsupporttostaffmembers

developmentsintheemployeeopinionsurveyhaveenabledthecollectionofdiversitymonitoringdata,whichfacilitatestheexplorationoftheviewsofLGBTstaffgroups.


areporthasbeenproducedfortheequalityanddiversitystrategygroup,containingrecommendationsforfurtherdevelopmentoftheuniversity’sapproachtostaffdisclosureofdisabilityandtheprovisionofreasonableadjustments,anditishopedthatthiswillencourageagreaterproportionofdisabledstafftodiscloseadisability,whereitisintheirbestintereststodoso

someanalysisoftheemployeeopinionsurveyhasbeeninitiated,andfurtherconsultationwiththeLGBTstaffforumislikelytoidentifykeythemesformoredetailedresearch.


Benefits:

identificationofsomeofthekeyissuesthatwerehinderingdisclosure

opportunitytoestablishasteeringgrouptoaddresstheseissues,anddeveloptoolsandguidancetosupportandfacilitatedisclosure.

Challenges:

ensuringasharedapproachwastakentoaddressinganissueforwhichresponsibilityshouldbesharedacrosstheinstitution

ensuringdisabledstaffmembersfeltempoweredtoshareconfidentialinformationabouttheirexperiences.

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implementationofrecommendationsfromthereportonstaffdisclosureofdisabilityandtheprovisionofreasonableadjustments,inordertoimprovethequalityofthedisabledstaffexperience

furthercollaborationwiththeLGBTstaffforumandotherkeystakeholderstoexplorethemesforfurtherresearch,andeffectivemeansofengagingwithLGBTgroups.

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Appendix A: Checklist for HEIs when devising an action plan on staff disclosureThechecklistbelowliststhekeypointstoconsiderinadvanceandduringdevelopmentofthedisclosureactionplan,andprovidessignpostingtoparticularpartsofthisguidethatmaybeusefultorefertoforfurtherreading.

Point to consider Section in this

guidance

Whatsenior-levelcommitmentistheretoreviewingandimprovingtheHEI’smechanismsforcapturingandusingstaffequalitydata?

3.1

Whichequalitystrandshaveaparticularlyhigh‘noreturn/unknown’rate,andwhatcantheHEIlearnfromanymarkeddifferencesinreturnratesbetweenequalitycategories?

2.24

Howeasyisitforstafftoupdatetheirpersonalrecordsiftheirdecisiontodiscloseortheircircumstanceschange,andhowmighttheHEImakethiseasierforstaff?

3.13.2

WhatistheHEI’sunderstandingof(a)itsreasonsforcollectingstaffequalitydataand(b)howthisinformationwillbeused?

24

HowwilltheHEIensurestaffunderstandwhyequalitydataaboutthemisbeingcollected?

3.4

WhatnewmethodswilltheHEIadopttocommunicatetostaffthebenefitsofdisclosingequalitydata?

3.3

Howappropriatearethedisclosurequestionscurrentlybeingaskedofstaffintermsofhowtheyareworded?

3.4

HowrobustandconfidentialaretheHEI’sproceduresforstoringandmanagingequalitydata?

3.2

WhatstrategiesdoestheHEIhaveinplacetomakethebestuseofitsstaffdisclosuredatato(a)informitsequalityanddiversitywork,(b)targetindividualequalityanddiversityinterventions,and(c)benchmarktheperformanceoftheHEI?

4.13.54.3


Appendix B: Action plan templateSimilarinprincipletothoseproducedforsupportingdeliveryofthepublicsectordutiesforrace,disabilityandgender,adisclosureactionplancanbeausefultoolinprioritisingthekeystepstheinstitutionwilltaketoachievehigherratesofdisclosure.Pleaserefertosection3.5forfurtherinformation.

Therearesixelementstothetemplate,covering:

equality group–thegroupofstafftheinterventionisaimedatsupporting–disabledstaff,BMEstaff,LGBTstaff,andsoon

intervention objective–whattheuniversityhopestoachievebyintroducingtheintervention

actions–whattheHEIwilldotoachievetheinterventionobjective

by when–thekeydatesbywhichtheactionswillbeimplemented

responsibility–whowithintheHEIwillbetheleadforimplementingtheaction

success indicators–whattheHEIwillconsiderisneededtomeasurethesuccessoftheintervention.

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Date: Institution: Project coordinator:

Equality

group

Intervention

objective

Actions By when Responsibility Success

indicators

Action plan template


Appendix C: References and resourcesReferencesECU(2007)Conducting equality impact assessments in higher education.EqualityChallengeUnit,London.www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/equality-impact-assessment-in-he

ECU(2008a)Disclosure and support issues for disabled staff in higher education: Report 2008.EqualityChallengeUnit,London.www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/disclosure-for-disabled-staff-in-he-report-08

ECU(2008b)Disclosure and support issues for disabled staff in higher education: Survey findings 2007. EqualityChallengeUnit,London.www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/disclosure-for-disabled-staff-in-he-survey-07

ECU(2009a)Interventions for staff disclosure in higher education – background paper 2009.EqualityChallengeUnit,London.www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/interventions-for-staff-disclosure-in-he

ECU(2009b)Experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans staff and students in higher education: research report 2009.EqualityChallengeUnit,London.www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/lgbt-staff-and-students-in-he

ECU,AUAandHEEON(2008)A–Z Equality & Diversity.EqualityChallengeUnit,AssociationofUniversityAdministratorsandHigherEducationEqualOpportunitiesNetwork,London.www.aua.ac.uk/about/governance/workinggroups/equalityadvisorygroup/azguide.pdf

HMGovernment(1998a)HumanRightsAct1998.OPSI,London.www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1998/ukpga_19980042_en_1

HMGovernment(1998b)DataProtectionAct1998.OPSI,London.www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1998/ukpga_19980029_en_1

HMGovernment(2000)RaceRelations(Amendment)Act2000.OPSI,London.www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/ukpga_20000034_en_1

HMGovernment(2005a)DisabilityDiscriminationAct1995(asamended).OPSI,London.www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2005/ukpga_20050013_en_1.htm


HMGovernment(2005b)DisabilityDiscrimination(PublicAuthorityStatutoryDuties)Regulations2005[SI2966].OPSI,London.www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2005/20052966.htm

HMGovernment(2006)EqualityAct2006.OPSI,London.www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2006/ukpga_20060003_en_1

HMGovernment(2008)TheSexDiscriminationAct1975(Amendment)Regulations2008.OPSI,London.www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2008/uksi_20080656_en_1

JISCTech-Dis(2007)AccessibilityEssentialsSeries.JISCTech-Dis,York.www.techdis.ac.uk/index.php?p=3_20

Rose,C.(2006)Do you have a disability – yes or no? or is there a better way of asking?LearningandSkillsDevelopmentAgency,London.www.lluk.org/documents/Do_you_have_a_disability.pdf

UniversityofLeeds(2009)Building disability confidence – supporting disabled staff at the University of Leeds.EqualityChallengeUnit,London.www.equality.leeds.ac.uk/downloads/staff_leaflet/disabled-staff-leaflet.pdf

Further readingACAS(2004)Sexual orientation and the workplace – a guide for employers and employees.ACAS,London. www.acas.org.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=105&p=0

AccesstoWork–practicalhelpatwork.www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/Employmentsupport/WorkSchemesAndProgrammes/DG_4000347

CommissionforDisabledStaffinLifelongLearning(2008)From compliance to culture change – disabled staff working in lifelong learning.NationalInstituteofAdultContinuingEducation,Leicester.www.niace.org.uk/projects/commissionfordisabledstaff

CRE(2005)Statutory Code of Practice on racial equality in employment – final RIA.CommissionforRacialEquality,London.www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/ria_code_racial_equality_em1.pdf

DRC(undated)The medical or individual model of disability/The social or structural model of disability.DisabilityRightsCommission,London.http://83.137.212.42/sitearchive/DRC/citizenship/worksheets/PDFs/L3W2.pdf

References and resources


DRC(2004)Code of Practice: employment and occupation.DisabilityRightsCommission,London.www.equalityhumanrights.com/uploaded_files/drc_employment_code.pdf

DRC(2005)The duty to promote disability equality – Statutory Code of Practice.DisabilityRightsCommission,London.www.dotheduty.org/files/Code_of_practice_england_and_wales.pdf

DRC(2006)The Disability Equality Duty – guidance on gathering and analysing evidence to inform action.DisabilityRightsCommission,London.www.dotheduty.org/files/DRC_Evidence_Gathering_Guidance.pdf

ECU(2007)The production of single equality schemes.EqualityChallengeUnit,London.www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/files/single-equality-schemes-briefing.pdf/view

ECU(2008)Equality in higher education: statistical report 2008.EqualityChallengeUnit,London.www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/equality-in-he-stats-08

ECU(2008)Mapping equality data in the higher education sector.EqualityChallengeUnit,London.www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/mapping-equality-data-he

ECU(2009)Revising disability equality schemes.EqualityChallengeUnit,London.www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/files/Revising-disability-equality-schemes-briefing.pdf/view

EHRC(undated)‘Whatisthedisabilityequalityduty?’EqualityandHumanRightsCommission,London.www.equalityhumanrights.com/advice-and-guidance/public-sector-duties/introduction-to-the-public-sector-duties/disability-equality-duty

HEFCE(2008)Staff employed at HEFCE-funded HEIs: update – trends and profiles.Issuepaper2008/26.HigherEducationFundingCouncilforEngland,Bristol.www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2008/08_26

InstituteforEmploymentStudies(2005)Non-disclosure and hidden discrimination in higher education - report to HEFCE, SHEFC, HEFCW.InstituteofEmploymentStudies,Brighton.www.hefce.ac.uk/Pubs/RDreports/2005/rd09_05



DuringtheirinvolvementinECU’sstaffdisclosureofequalitydataproject,someoftheHEIshaveproducedwrittenpublicationsandmaterials.Theseareavailabletodownloadatwww.ecu.ac.uk/inclusive-practice/staff-disclosure-of-equality-data.

ECUaimstocontinuetoexpandtheresourcesavailableonthiswebpage,andwouldbehappytoreceivecasestudiesfromanyotherHEIsthathaveworkedonimprovingstaffdisclosure.

Aston UniversityHR Staff Disability Survey

Guidance for Personnel Staff and those arranging selection interviews – making interview arrangements for people with disabilities

Sheffield Hallam UniversityWorking with disabled staff: Sheffield Hallam University’s approach to disability disclosure and reasonable adjustments

University of BirminghamHuman Resources Access to Work Guidelines

University of HullStaffDisabilityDisclosureForm

University of LeedsBuilding disability confidence – supporting disabled staff at the University of Leeds


www.ecu.ac.uk

Equality Challenge Unit supports the higher education sector to realise the potential of all staff and students whatever their race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion and belief, or age, to the benefit of those individuals, higher education institutions and society.

© Equality Challenge Unit. ECU’s publications are produced free of charge to the HE sector. Information can be reproduced accurately as long as the source is clearly identified. Alternative formats are available: E: [email protected], T: 020 7438 1010

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