I recently commented on Equality Impact Assessments and wondered if any reader has comment on a question recently posed to one of Righttrack’s Equality Specialists.
The person asking the question was responsible for the refurbishment of an organisation’s office accommodation over three locations covering a total headcount of around 500. A request had been made to provide improved facilities for staff to allow them to bring food to work, store it in refrigerated space and to have access to microwave ovens, toasters etc. This was particularly so for those who worked unsocial hours starting very early in the morning or on night shift. Historically there were only vending machines and water coolers.
As several equality impact assessments had been carried out in the organisation over the preceding year the question was whether an impact assessment would be appropriate in this situation and if so what groups would likely to be impacted. There could be requests, or rather demands, for separate refrigerators to meet religious requirements or personal preferences, and, that being the case would the costs and space requirements become unrealistic. Of course, having set expectations, some compromise may be needed, or if there were a tiny minority requiring special facilities could this be declined on economic or practical grounds – or would this be tantamount to religious discrimination where this was the overriding driver?
We wonder if any readers have encountered similar situations and whether an Equality Impact Assessment has produced solutions to such potentially difficult problems, or indeed thrown up other issues that must be addressed.
By Mike Cooney | Righttrack’s Commercial and Financial Director