Equality Monitoring is how we understand the makeup of our staff and customers. It is an important step towards improving accessibility and diversity in our workplace and services and can be conducted internally (with staff) and externally (with our customers).
Equality Monitoring data questions are related to selected protected characteristics contained in the Equality Act 2010. These are:
- Age
- Disability
- Gender Reassignment
- Pregnancy and Maternity
- Race
- Religion or Belief
- Sex
- Sexual Orientation
The Council are also collecting data on a person’s veteran status and caring responsibilities in order to offer these groups targeted support where needed and help us meet our commitments to the Armed Forces Covenant, and becoming a Carer Friendly Workplace.
The purpose of collecting Equality Monitoring data is to improve the Council’s services. Collecting targeted equality data will inform decision making and help to ensure our services are accessible and fit for purpose. The process can also be used to highlight any discrepancies in access to service provision, for example, if data shows that people with a certain protected characteristic (e.g. disability) aren’t accessing one of our services or buildings, we can begin investigations to understand why this is (e.g. no accessible access, ramps etc.) and take the necessary measures to improve it.
The same principles apply internally when considering staff levels in different areas and departments. Understanding why we have disproportionately low or high numbers of one or more protected characteristics in a certain area can help us to become a more inclusive and diverse workplace.
Equality monitoring is:
- essential to the continued improvement and increased inclusivity of the Council’s workforce.
- not a violation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws and participation is completely optional, and all data is stored anonymously.
- key to improving Council services and making them more accessible for all.
If you would like more information on any of the above content, please email the Council’s Diversity and Inclusion Team at equality@rctcbc.gov.uk or telephone 01443 444529.