EQUALITY ACT 2010

Is your organisation prepared for the Equality Act 2010, the core provisions of which are due to come into force next month?

The Act distils and extends existing discrimination legislation with the aim of providing a simpler, more consistent and more effective legal framework for preventing discrimination.

Employers and HR need to understand the Act's provisions to ensure that their policies and their practices - from recruitment to termination - comply with the new rules coming into force in October.

To help you do this, we have published an Equality Act 2010 resource pack, highlighting just some of the material on this subject available on XpertHR - including guidance on equal pay, equal opportunities policies and diversity. The pack covers the provisions of the Equality Act 2010 and includes guidance on conducting an equal pay audit, taking positive action and avoiding disability discrimination under the Act.

XpertHR Equality Act roadshow

Our resource pack provides ideal background reading for subscribers attending the XpertHR roadshow regional conferences on the Equality Act, which will take place on 15 September in London, 19 October in Birmingham and 27 October in Manchester.

If you haven't already booked to attend, a limited number of places are still available. XpertHR subscribers are entitled to a £50 discount per delegate.

David Shepherd, Editor

Take part in our research

Tell us how you intend to handle pay decisions in 2011
XpertHR is offering you the opportunity to gain valuable free intelligence on the prospects for pay in 2011. All you have to do is take part in our pay prospects survey.

Employment law

Equality Act: new secondary legislation supports definition of disability
The Government has published the Equality Act 2010 (Disability) Regulations 2010, which include provisions that support the definition of disability in the Equality Act 2010 coming into force on 1 October 2010.

Equality Act 2010: XpertHR resource pack
With most of the core provisions of the Equality Act 2010 due to come into force in October, we round up the relevant information on XpertHR, including: a series of FAQs on equal pay; model policies and documents relating to equal opportunities; and an Outlook video on changes to the law on disability discrimination.

Employment law manual updates - contracts
The contracts chapter of the XpertHR employment law manual has been updated to reflect recent case law concerning express and implied terms.

Weekly dilemma: Derogatory comments by employees on social websites
This week's dilemma concerns employees who post derogatory comments about their employers on social websites.

How to choose and apply redundancy selection criteria
This guide in the XpertHR "how to" section explains the options employers have when choosing selection criteria and the issues to keep in mind to avoid discrimination and ensure any subsequent dismissals are fair.

Case report round-up: Withdrawal of disability concession not allowed
The EAT held that a blind claimant could not withdraw her concession that she is not disabled under disability discrimination legislation, in one of the case reports added to XpertHR this week.

Case reports stop press
XpertHR's case reports stop press service highlights recent key cases including the EAT decision in Tao Herbs & Acupuncture Ltd v Jin EAT/1477/09 providing a reminder that employment tribunals should not take into account the employer's ability to pay when considering how much compensation to award an unfairly dismissed employee.

Tribunal update: Use of and discussions about lap dancing and prostitutes was discrimination
We provide summaries of recent employment tribunal rulings, including a woman who suffered discrimination as a result of her employer's use of, and discussions about, lap dancing and prostitutes.

Pay and benefits

Economic outlook September 2010: "choppy" recovery in prospect
Economic recovery is ongoing, but faltering growth, widespread job insecurity and concerted industrial action could be just around the corner, according to XpertHR Salary Surveys.

Latest on pay awards, wages and salary levels
Reward specialists at XpertHR present their twice-monthly settlement summary table, together with detailed reports of recent pay reviews.

Inflation and earnings forecasts, 3 September 2010
We provide the latest earnings and inflation forecasts compiled by XpertHR: a vital resource for employers with forthcoming pay reviews. We also publish our pick of recent forecasts from HM Treasury and business survey projections.

Playing catch-up: pay awards chasing inflation
The level of retail prices index inflation is a key indicator used during wage negotiations by those on both sides of the bargaining table. However, with RPI going from record lows to a 19-year high in the space of a year, pay setters would be forgiven for struggling to keep up.

HR policy and strategy

How to get the most out of employee assistance programmes
Employee assistance programmes are a common benefit provided by employers, but how can their use be optimised?

Managing absence, sickness and stress: XpertHR resource pack
We round up the information on XpertHR on absence, sickness and stress that your HR team need to know, from a series of FAQs to detailed legal guidance and a wealth of practical advice from the XpertHR "how to" section.

Recruitment and retention

Benchmarking labour turnover rates and costs in 2010
The national median voluntary resignation rate stood at 8.6% in 2009, according to 2010 XpertHR Benchmarking research on labour turnover.

Employment intelligence: from the blog

Top 10 HR questions - August 2010
FAQs providing information about the impact of the Government's announcement on the abolition of the default retirement age have been popular in the last month. In particular, employers have been looking at the expected timetable for the changes.

What's happening to HR professionals' pay?
We are currently collecting pay data for the XpertHR core business salary surveys. These cover employees in HR, sales and marketing, finance and general management/admin functions.

If I could change one thing about HR: have your say!
XpertHR is inviting you to have your say on the following topic: "If I could change one thing about HR…"

News from XpertHR

Coming soon to XpertHR
Forthcoming additions to XpertHR include a policy and procedure on arranging cover for maternity leave and an order of proceedings for a grievance appeal hearing.

Latest additions to XpertHR services
A number of enhancements have been made to XpertHR's case reports stop press and "how to" sections.

Save £50 on 2010 managing absence, sickness and stress conference
XpertHR subscribers are entitled to a £50 discount per delegate on the XpertHR Events conference on managing absence, sickness and stress to be held in London on 22 September.