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Publication - Impact assessment

Employee passport: equality impact assessment

Published
4 July 2022
From
Permanent Secretary
Directorate
People Directorate
Topic
Equality and rights
ISBN
9781804355688

This is an Equality Impact Assessment which was undertaken at the start of the project to develop and implement an Employee Passport for core Scottish Government staff. The passport provides a framework for discussing support needs with a direct link to support.

View supporting documents Supporting documents

Stage 3: Assessing the impacts and identifying opportunities to promote equality

1.1 Having considered the data and evidence you have gathered, this section requires you to consider the potential impacts – negative and positive – that your policy might have on each of the protected characteristics. It is important to remember the duty is also a positive one – that we must explore whether the policy offers the opportunity to promote equality and/or foster good relations.

Do you think that the policy impacts on people because of their age? Yes
Age Positive Negative None Reasons for your decision
Eliminating unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation x The Employee Passport will mainstream workplace adjustments. This should significantly reduce any feeling of harassment or victimisation which can sometimes arise when colleagues perceive a workplace adjustment to be favouring another member of staff.
Advancing equality of opportunity x Adjustments seek to remove barriers to allow people to perform at their best at work. The Employee Passport will mainstream workplace adjustments meaning that more people will take advantage of them.
Promoting good relations among and between different age groups x Young people coming into SG are more likely to have had an early diagnosis of a neuro-diverse condition – and had help with it at school or university. The Employee Passport will facilitate discussion with the line manager about this and improve relations. The Employee Passport will provide a chance for staff to discuss issues relating to age – menopause, worsening eye sight or hearing, or physical debilitation – with their line manager to see what adjustments could be made for them.
Do you think that the policy impacts disabled people? Yes
Disability Positive Negative None Reasons for your decision
Eliminating unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation x The Employee Passport will mainstream workplace adjustments. This should significantly reduce any feeling of harassment or victimisation which can sometimes arise when colleagues perceive a workplace adjustment to be favouring another member of staff.
Advancing equality of opportunity x Adjustments seek to remove barriers to allow people to perform at their best at work. The Employee Passport will mainstream workplace adjustments meaning that more people will take advantage of them.
Promoting good relations among and between disabled and non-disabled people x The whole aim of the passport is inclusion.
Do you think that the policy impacts on men and women in different ways? Yes
Sex Positive Negative None Reasons for your decision
Eliminating unlawful discrimination x The Employee Passport will mainstream workplace adjustments. This should significantly reduce any feeling of harassment or victimisation which can sometimes arise when colleagues perceive a workplace adjustment to be favouring another member of staff.
Advancing equality of opportunity x Adjustments seek to remove barriers to allow people to perform at their best at work. The Employee Passport will mainstream workplace adjustments meaning that more people will take advantage of them.
Promoting good relations between men and women x It is not so much promoting good relations between men and women as the passport can be a vehicle for raising gender-specific issues.
Do you think that the policy impacts on women because of pregnancy and maternity? Yes
Pregnancy and Maternity Positive Negative None Reasons for your decision
Eliminating unlawful discrimination x The Employee passport will mainstream the workplace adjustments needed for pregnant women and make them more known about and accessible.
Advancing equality of opportunity x The provision of any workplace adjustments needed during pregnancy will allow staff to continue to work at their best.
Promoting good relations x Pregnant women will feel that SG is caring employer if adjustments are made as standard without much fuss – and the passport will help with this especially for women who become pregnant a second time and have their adjustments during the previous pregnancy already recorded.
Do you think your policy impacts on people proposing to undergo, undergoing, or who have undergone a process for the purpose of reassigning their sex? ( NB: the Equality Act 2010 uses the term 'transsexual people' but 'trans people' is more commonly used) Yes
Gender reassignment Positive Negative None Reasons for your decision
Eliminating unlawful discrimination x The main aim of the passport is inclusion. Discrimination can appear in many forms and sometimes be unintended. The passport could be the vehicle for providing staff awareness sessions and thereby avoid discrimination.
Advancing equality of opportunity x The passport will provide a forum for the trans person to talk about their situation. Once recorded, this can then be passed to future line managers and the situation should become increasingly easier with the trans person not having to constantly retell their story or start from scratch – and thereby encourage progression up the organisation.
Promoting good relations x We won't identify trans people unless they disclose the information to us. We would not record this information unless requested to. Any information disclosed would be with the consent of the employee, however the service is designed to increase awareness and understanding of line mangers and offer better and informed support to employees and so offers the chance of improved communication and relations.
Do you think that the policy impacts on people because of their sexual orientation? Yes
Sexual orientation Positive Negative None Reasons for your decision
Eliminating unlawful discrimination x The main aim of the passport is inclusion. Discrimination can appear in many forms and sometimes be unintended. The passport could be the vehicle for providing staff awareness sessions and thereby avoid discrimination.
Advancing equality of opportunity x The passport will provide a forum for the passport user to talk about their sexual orientation and how it impacts on their day-to-day working life. Once recorded, this can then be passed to future line managers and the situation should become increasingly easier with the passport user not having to constantly retell their story or start from scratch – and thereby encourage progression up the organisation.
Promoting good relations x The passport provides a forum for talking openly about sexual orientation – and thereby improve relations. The passport trial showed that the passport has universal application to facilitate discussions about any circumstances impacting on a person's daily work life.
Do you think the policy impacts on people on the grounds of their race? Yes
Race Positive Negative None Reasons for your decision
Eliminating unlawful discrimination x The main aim of the passport is inclusion. Discrimination can appear in many forms and sometimes be unintended. The passport could be the vehicle for providing staff awareness sessions and thereby avoid discrimination.
Advancing equality of opportunity x The passport provides a forum for the passport user to talk about race and how it impacts on their day-to-day working life. Once recorded, this can then be passed to future line managers and the situation should become increasingly easier with the passport user not having to constantly retell their story or start from scratch – and thereby encourage progression up the organisation.
Promoting good race relations x The passport provides a forum for talking openly about race – and thereby improve relations. The passport trial showed that the passport has universal application to facilitate discussions about any circumstances impacting on a person's daily work life.
Do you think the policy impacts on people because of their religion or belief? Yes
Religion or belief Positive Negative None Reasons for your decision
Eliminating unlawful discrimination x The main aim of the passport is inclusion. Discrimination can appear in many forms and sometimes be unintended. The passport could be the vehicle for providing staff awareness sessions and thereby avoid discrimination.
Advancing equality of opportunity x The passport provides a forum for the passport user to talk about religion and how it impacts on their day-to-day working life. Once recorded, this can then be passed to future line managers and the situation should become increasingly easier with the passport user not having to constantly retell their story or start from scratch – and thereby encourage progression up the organisation.
Promoting good relations x The passport provides a forum for talking openly about religion – and thereby improve relations.
Do you think the policy impacts on people because of their marriage or civil partnership? No
Marriage and Civil Partnership[3] Positive Negative None Reasons for your decision
Eliminating unlawful discrimination x The employee passport is not relevant to marriage or civil partnership

Contact

Email: workplaceadjustments@gov.scot

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