As part of our action plan (.pdf) in response to the Reindorf Review, we are reviewing a number of policy documents to ensure that they fulfill our legal obligations and accurately describe the protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010 as well as reflecting the University’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. The policies/areas included in the review are: the University’s equality, diversity and inclusion policy documents, our Charter and the Strategic Plan, Supporting Trans and Non-Binary Staff guidance and our Zero Tolerance Approach to Bullying and Harassment.
The minimum requirement we have is that we must act lawfully and ensure through our policies and procedures that we are operating within the current law. In order to uphold these obligations, there are some terms used in our policies that we cannot change. We have taken legal advice on these areas and are developing revisions to our policy documents that are consistent with this advice. However, there are other areas where we are able to go beyond the law as it currently stands, provided that the way in which we do so is lawful. These are the areas where we are seeking your feedback and on which this consultation is focused, so that we can recognise, respect and protect the identities of our members.
Have your say on the characteristics to which we should extend protection, where we may do so lawfully.