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Management handling of sexual orientation, religion & belief in the workplace

About this study

The Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations and the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations came into force in 2003. These regulations make it illegal for employers to discriminate against workers on the grounds of sexual orientation and religious beliefs.

We held a one-day event during which managers met and discussed what they thought of the regulations. The issues that were discussed included:

• the practicalities of accommodating religious observances such as requirements for days off or dress requirements, and
• the need to create an environment that challenged prejudice and discrimination towards lesbian, gay and bisexual employees.

These and other interesting findings are discussed in more detail here.

Potential policy impact

The research will be of interest to anyone involved in the creation of company policy in regards to sexual orientation, religion and belief. It will also be of interest to anyone involved in the promotion of equal rights and the fair treatment of all employees.

Methods

We held a one day event with managers from a range of small, medium and large employers. These employers were drawn from the CIPD's membership database. During the day we used deliberative research techniques. This involved briefing participants so that they all had an equal and complete understanding of the regulations, before asking them to discuss the challenges associated with these regulations, possible solutions and what resources they would need to make these solutions work in practice.

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Of interest: