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Diversity Legal Outlook
In our Diversity Legal Outlook 2024, we look ahead to some of the key developments and issues across diversity, equity and inclusion impacting global employers in the coming years.
DEI: Where now?
DEI: Where now? Navigating a safe legal path in challenging times is our thought leadership series providing insights, commentary and guidance for employers on some of the most complex and technical areas of UK law, regulation and governance on diversity, equity, and inclusion issues.
DEI: How to lead without going offside
Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance published an article by Linklaters' Simon Kerr-Davis and Laurie Ollivent on the current global landscape for prioritising action to improve corporate diversity, equity and inclusion mitigating legal risk and tools for boardrooms to consider, such as targets, incentives, diversity shortlists and more.
Diversity in Financial Services
The last decade has seen an unrelenting focus on culture within financial services firms. Focus has now shifted to the role diversity, equity and inclusion play in supporting better decision-making, better outcomes for firms and customers and enhanced risk management.
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Diversity Legal Outlook
Diversity Legal Outlook
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DEI: Where now?
DEI: Where now?
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DEI: How to lead without going offside
DEI: How to lead without going offside
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Diversity in Financial Services
Diversity in Financial Services
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Diversity Faculty blog
Diversity Faculty blog
The Diversity Faculty blog
Mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting
20 mars 2025 //
On 18 March 2025, the UK government launched a consultation on introducing mandatory ethnicity and disability pay reporting for employers with 250 or more employees. We set out the key points from the consultation on the proposed framework.
FTSE Women Leaders Review – 2024 report
26 février 2025 //
On 25 February, the FTSE Women Leaders Review published its 2024 Report on the representation of women on the boards and leadership teams of the FTSE 350 and 50 of the UK’s largest private companies.
The legal issues to consider when amending or withdrawing from diversity initiatives
13 février 2025 //
As the political backlash against corporate DEI continues, many organisations are considering whether to review, double-down, or withdraw from their workplace diversity initiatives. Wherever an organisation sits on the spectrum of reaction to the DEI backlash, there are legal and commercial risks to consider.
Managing conflicting beliefs in the workplace
3 février 2025 //
Conflicting beliefs in the workplace are, to some degree, an inevitable part of modern working life, but have the potential to escalate and create significant legal and reputational risk even for the most well-intentioned employer. In such a challenging environment and within a complex legal framework, how do employers manage these situations and mitigate risk appropriately, safely and with confidence?
DEI in 2025: a binary choice?
9 janvier 2025 //
At the start of 2024, we reflected on the landscape for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) for employers and the pace at which it was evolving, as businesses sought to develop meaningful strategies which reflected commercial objectives but also complied with applicable laws and met cultural and societal expectations. Whilst many of our 2024 reflections remain live, arguments around DEI in 2025 have become more polarised in the public arena.
Does this mean that businesses are faced with a simple binary choice whether to proceed with DEI initiatives at all costs or stop their DEI initiatives entirely? In this article, we suggest that the situation is more subtle and nuanced in light of global political developments.
ONS publishes annual gender pay gap data for 2024
20 novembre 2024 //
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes annual updates on gender pay gap in the UK, where it summarises differences in pay between men and women, arranged by reference to age, region, occupation, and full or part time categorisation.
DEI legal development: New duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment at work
5 novembre 2024 //
On 26 October 2024, the new mandatory duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees came into force. Many aspects of the new duty will be relevant to those advising organisations on diversity, equity and inclusion issues, policies and procedures.
Positive discrimination: new ET case emphasises the importance of a competitive recruitment process
22 août 2024 //
An employment tribunal has found that the appointment of an ethnic minority employee to a vacant role without any competitive recruitment process was positive discrimination. In our latest blog post, we discuss the tribunal’s judgment and the importance of policies, rationale and training for employers navigating the grey area between lawful positive action and unlawful positive discrimination.
EHRC publishes report on racial discrimination in Great Britain
20 août 2024 //
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) published a report on 7 August 2024 to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD Committee). The report analyses racial discrimination in Great Britain in several areas, including rights at work, and outlines corresponding recommendations to the UK and Welsh governments.
Positive action vs positive discrimination
31 juillet 2024 //
Improving diversity, equity and inclusion remains a strategic priority for many employers. As DEI ambitions grow, positive action can be a powerful tool to improve diversity in the workplace. Explore our new thought leadership series providing practical overview of the differences between lawful positive action and unlawful positive discrimination and how employers can navigate the grey area and promote DEI whilst staying on the right side of the legal line.
A Labour government: a new dawn for DEI?
5 juillet 2024 //
As the dust starts to settle on this year’s General Election, we look at the key DEI-related rights and actions the new Labour government proposes to introduce.
Diversity and inclusion: How can boards safely drive change from the top?
5 juin 2024 //
Whilst much of the focus has been on achieving greater diversity within the board, the spotlight is increasingly moving towards the board’s responsibility for the organisation’s overall D&I strategy. But how do boards safely drive change from the top and to what extent should boards intervene or let change happen organically?
FCA hits pause on D&I
16 mai 2024 //
The FCA confirmed to the Treasury Committee last week that it will be hitting pause on the diversity and inclusion proposals set out in its recent consultation but will be pressing ahead with other aspects of the consultation relating to non-financial misconduct.
LGBT+ employees in the UK and abroad
14 mars 2024 //
As we marked LGBT+ history month in February 2024, this article considers the current position of LGBT+ employees in the workplace in the UK and further afield.
The right direction for ethnic board diversity
12 mars 2024 //
The Parker Review published its annual report this week, with encouraging progress on boardroom diversity for ethnic minorities, but recognising that there is still more work to be done to improve ethnic minority representation at a senior management level.
FTSE Women Leaders Review 2024: Progress on women’s representation on boards and leadership teams
7 mars 2024 //
We look at the latest results from the FTSE Women Leaders Review on the representation of women on the boards and leadership teams of the UK’s largest companies.
Supporting menopause in the workplace
23 février 2024 //
Research found that 67% of working women between the ages of 40 and 60 said that menopausal symptoms have had a mostly negative impact on them at work. Based on the result, EHRC has published new guidance for employers on supporting workers experiencing menopausal symptoms.
Priorities for diversity in a UK tech workforce
23 janvier 2024 //
There are over 1.6 million workers in the UK tech industry. However, the sector has the lowest proportion of workers aged over 50 of any of the UK STEM sectors, fewer women in the workplace than compared to other sectors, a lower percentage of disabled workers than average for the rest of the UK workforce, disproportionate representations of ethnic groups, and a significant underrepresentation of certain socio-economic groups, particularly at a senior level.
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