Equality, diversity, and inclusion are of upmost importance and should be kept at the forefront of everybody’s mind, especially in membership associations. The subject has been a significant talking point over the past few years, and rightly so. EDI should be promoted and valued aspect of any organisation.
What is Equality and Diversity?
Equality: “the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, or opportunities.”
Diversity: “the practise or quality of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic background and of different, genders, sexual orientations etc.”
Inclusion: “the practice or policy of providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized, such as those who have physical or mental disabilities and members of other minority groups.”
Benefits of EDI
Increasing the diversity of your organisation can have many benefits. It can provide a variety of different perspectives, enabling members to collaborate more effectively; it is even proven to improve team performance. EDI can also boost the brand reputation of your organisation and create space for more talent within your team.
Nine Protected Characteristics of the Equality Act
It is important to familiarise yourself with what factors come under the umbrella of equality and diversity. The Equality Act makes it against the law to discriminate against somebody because of these characteristics:
- Age
- Disability
- Gender Reassignment
- Marriage and Civil Partnership
- Pregnancy and maternity
- Race
- Religion or Belief
- Sex
- Sexual Orientation
Board Requirements
The Financial Conduct Authority have recently set a new range of positive diversity targets. Boards of stock market listed companies should now be at least 40% Women, at least one of the senior board positions should be a woman, and at least one member should be from an ethnic minority background.
Despite this only being a requirement for British listed companies, it should most certainly be adopted as practice for all. Even for small organisations it is just as important embrace and adopt EDI. It will bring numerous benefits and ensure fair treatment of the members of your organisation.
Let us know how your membership association benefits from Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in the comments.