Do organisations legally have to complete diversity, equity and inclusion training?

Diversity, equity and inclusion training (EDI or DEI training) is not specifically required by law in the UK. However, it is still important for organisations to undertake equality, diversity, equity and inclusion training to:

Demonstrate compliance with legal regulations around more broad discrimination laws
Create an inclusive workplace, where all employees feel safe and respected
Incorporate diversity and inclusion into employer practices, establishing the organisation as a diverse and welcoming environment for clients, customers, service users and staff alike

Put simply diversity, equity and inclusion training allows businesses to establish a more inclusive workplace culture and enhance their reputation through understanding the terminology that they need to put into action in the workplace:

Equality– the state of being equal, especially in status, rights or opportunities.

Equity– recognising each person has different circumstances and allocating exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.

Diversity– the practice or policy of including or involving people with a range of different characteristics.

Inclusion– the practice or policy of providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalised.

What about the Equality Act?

While EDI training (sometimes known as DEI training) itself is not a legal requirement, employers must demonstrate their compliance with the laws that apply to them. Specifically, the Equality Act 2010 is to legally protect people from discrimination in the workplace and wider society, setting out the different ways in which it is unlawful to treat someone. Organisations operating within England, Wales, and Scotland must comply with this legislation

This protects individuals against discrimination based on nine protected characteristics. This means individuals must be protected from direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, and harassment relating to these characteristics. This includes job applicants and current employees.

Direct discrimination: Outright treating someone less favourably due to a protected characteristic.

Indirect discrimination: When a policy or practice puts someone at a disadvantage due to a protected characteristic.

Harassment: Unwanted, hostile, or offensive behaviour linked to a protected characteristic.

These protected characteristics include:

Age
Disability
Gender reassignment
Marriage and civil partnership
Pregnancy and maternity
Race
Religion or belief
Sex
Sexual orientation

The Equal Pay Act 1970 was superseded by the Equality Act of 2010- the Equality Act also requires employers with over 250 employees to submit their gender pay gap on an annual basis.

Many organisations use EDI training as a proactive way to meet these obligations, developing their workforce to understand both the legal framework and become more aware of their actions in valuing difference, whilst demonstrating legal compliance.

What does DEI training involve?

In our Strategic Approaches to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion course, we equip leaders with the tools to create a high-performing and diverse workforce that fosters an inclusive business culture. Our course content ensures that not only are leaders and employees aware of what’s required from them in the context of DEI training but are able to translate these best practices into real change.

Our diversity, equity and inclusion course takes place over 3 days and makes sure employees come away with:

A clear understanding of the importance of equity, diversity, and inclusion training for legal and business purposes
A complete knowledge of the board and director’s role in DEI
The skills to develop an inclusive organisational culture
The ability to critically assess structural inequality within your organisation
An assessment of how equity, diversity, and inclusion influence attainment of strategic objectives
A clear framework to create, review, and refine their organisation’s DEI strategy and delivery plan
The key success indicators and change milestones to assess the impact and effectiveness of their strategy
Enhanced knowledge, awareness, and skills to be a change leader for DEI in their organisation
Clarity and confidence about the priority levels of actions to be taken- so what changes must be implemented immediately
The ability to lead DEI strategically, and to evaluate personal impact on the organisation and in the accomplishment of organisational objectives

Why does Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training matter?

Although not a legal requirement, DEI training has become a cornerstone of forward-thinking business strategies. A thorough approach to diversity, equity and inclusion training has several benefits for organisations and their employees, such as:

Boosting workplace morale

An inclusive environment will encourage collaboration, and make all employees feel valued and respected. Making reasonable accommodations and championing inclusivity, can increase employee satisfaction- increasing retention and enhancing productivity.

Improving business reputation

Prioritising equality and diversity can make your business more attractive to potential applicants and investors.

Reducing legal risks

DEI training allows employees to understand their responsibilities in promoting equality, equity and diversity, which reduces the risk of discrimination.

The overlooked benefit of DEI training- improving performance

Diversity, equity and inclusion training is often seen as a HR consideration; however, DEI training is actually crucial to increase the performance of teams and boost revenue.

Studies have shown that diverse teams perform better by:

Increasing innovation due to diverse perspectives
Being more facts-focused, as diversity can make people more aware of their biases
Facilitating better financial performance, as a McKinsey study highlighted that companies in the top quartile for ethnic and racial diversity in management were 35% more likely to have financial returns above their industry mean

Diversity has been proven to be a contributor to the success of businesses.

Champion Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training for better business results

DEI training should not just be a box-ticking exercise. The fact that it is not a legal requirement does not make it any less crucial to the success and longevity of businesses.

Creating an environment where all employees can thrive will always be a cornerstone of success. Whether your objectives are to boost brand reputation and business outcomes, demonstrate compliance with legislation, or enhance employee satisfaction and morale- diversity, equity and inclusivity training is a vital consideration.

If your leaders and teams are looking for specific skills and frameworks to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, taking a more in-depth look at our Strategic Approaches to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion CMI Level 7 course is essential.