Equality and Diversity Policies: What is Workplace Discrimination

Creating a working environment that embraces all people free from discrimination, is a continual challenge for employers. As responsible employers, you have a duty to provide equality and diversity in the workplace where employees and customers are treated fairly and equally regardless of colour, race, age, gender or belief and valuing the differences and diversity each individual brings to your business.

What is discrimination?

Discrimination can be direct or indirect.  Direct discrimination can involve treating someone less favourably than others due to their certain characteristics.  Employees can be discriminated against indirectly in the workplace for example, by the creation of policies that put individuals with certain characteristics at a disadvantage.  

How widespread is discrimination?

According to Business in the Community, the gender pay gap is still an issue, with a median full-time difference of 9.4% – for every £1 earned by men, women earn 81p. 16% of Black, Asian and minority ethnic individuals have experienced racial harassment from their managers. Further, UK Government statistics show that 19% of disabled people have been treated unfairly at work, compared to 13% of non-disabled people.

According to ACAS, there are key steps both SMEs and large organisations can take to ensure discrimination is not fostered in their workplace.  Implementing a clear Equality and Diversity policy outlining business expectations and acceptable behaviour is critical in creating a successful working environment.  

An action plan promoting equality and diversity across the organisation and a system of measuring its impact, should be central to your commitment in addressing inequality and promoting diversity.

What should be included in your Equality and Diversity Policy?

In line with the Equality Act 2010, an effective policy should outline the following 9 protected characteristics; age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership and pregnancy and maternity.  A successful policy should display the organisation’s aims for eradicating prejudice and how to create fair treatment, by creating a positive and supportive environment, providing equal opportunity regardless of characteristics, promote diversity in the workforce and be responsive to changing demographics and work patterns.

Enhancing awareness of the benefits of having a diverse workforce is fundamental.  Greater diversity brings new approaches, skills and innovation to your workplace. Flexibility and equality can bring enhanced team spirit, more engaged employees and boost business reputation.  

Both employers and employees have a joint responsibility in creating a culture of respect.  Training all staff is key step in achieving equality and diversity.  

Vinciworks offers an Equality and Diversity eLearning Course which explains the importance of the Equality Act 2010 to the workplace and highlights the need to ensure that there is no discrimination in your organisation, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, or sex and sexual orientation.

As with all our courses the Equality and Diversity eLearning course can be tailored to the needs of your organisation, at no additional cost. Your course administrator can update text and other course content using our integrated authoring tool, and link to specific policy documentation, so you can be assured that the principles of your Equality and Diversity Policy will be clearly communicated to your staff.

Course on preventing facilitation of tax evasion

 VinciWorks has released a new e-learning course on tax evasion. The course will teach employees how to spot tax evaders, and the reporting procedures required of them. The training will cover the organisation’s policies and procedures, which include provisions of The Act and any other regulatory rules and principles. This includes:

  • An explanation of when and how to seek advice and report any concerns or
    suspicions of tax evasion or wider financial crime, including whistleblowing
    procedures
  • An explanation of the term ‘tax evasion’ and associated fraud
  • An explanation of an employee’s duty under the law
  • The penalties relating to the person and corporate entity for committing an
    offence under The Act
  • The social and economic effects of failing to prevent tax evasion

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DSE Risk Assessment – Are you Sitting Comfortably?

How your business can benefit from a streamlined DSE Risk Assessment process.

Research by OFCOM, reveals that as a nation we are now spending more time in front of a screen than we do sleeping.  In a recent survey, two-thirds of the participants reported that they now work longer hours than they did just two years ago.  The impact of these extended hours, sitting incorrectly and/or in front of screen equipment, whether at work or socially, can cause visual fatigue, stress, and musculoskeletal disorders.  While, as employers, you can not control what your employees do when they leave the workplace, you have a responsibility for their health, safety and well being when engaged in a work activity. DSE Risk Assessment is a critical part of this.

The use of effective ergonomics in the workplace ensures that the capabilities and limitations of employees are considered and addressed when work is assigned. Applying ergonomics across the workforce, has been proven to reduce accidents, injury and ill health, improve on productivity and boost morale.

As employers, you can help protect your employees by performing regular display screen equipment (DSE) checks through a programme of workstation risk assessments.  DSE includes display screens, laptops, touch screens, smartphones and similar devices.  

Under the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992, DSE workstations need to be assessed regularly and effectively.  This can be done either by fully trained and informed staff or by implementing an online DSE Risk Assessment solution.

ErgoWize from VinciWorks is an award-winning online DSE course and risk assessment that instructs employees in the correct setup and safe use of their computer workstation.

This online course provides detailed images and interactions showing the correct sitting position, keying position and hand placement when using the mouse.  There are additional animations showing exercises and stretching techniques used to help reduce the amount of stress placed on joints and muscles when sitting for long periods of time.

The ErgoWize system ensures DSE compliance in three powerful steps:

  1. online training,
  2. workstation risk assessment
  3. resolution.

After your employees complete the eLearning course, a workstation Assessment is triggered automatically by the system. This ensures the employees are assessed immediately after completing the required training. The DSE Risk Assessment allows users to self resolve low-risk issues and escalate high-risk issues. This significantly reduces the number of risks escalated to management, reducing administration time required.

Ideal for companies with 100 employees to 100,000+ employees, the ErgoWize system provides drill-down reporting giving reports you can action, rather than static information. The ErgoWize system allows full trend analysis of Workstation risk issues raised and because the reports are dynamic, you can drill down into the detail with a click of your mouse.

The Compliance dashboard also provides a unique view of how your roll out of training and assessments is progressing. The Compliance module also provides closed loop training – it can import your users from a third party system, auto enrol them on the course and assessment, automatically send reminder emails and then also auto re-enrol users every 12 months (or whatever time frame your organisation prefers).

Looking for more in-depth and engaging health and safety training? Explore our comprehensive eLearning library and try any of our courses for free. 

Ransomware epidemic and its impact on organisations around the world

Ransomware epidemic and its impact on organisations around the world

It’s boomtime for ransomware and the cybercriminals making easy profits using this virulent strain of malware. The ransomware epidemic will not come as a surprise to the NHS, who recently had thousands of computers frozen by the WannaCry virus.

What can we learn from the spread of ransomware around the world? And what can organisations do to resist the onslaught of attacks?

A ransomware infection often starts with spam. Hackers use social engineering to nudge users into saving attachments or clicking links that look genuine. Emails may appear to be a request from the CEO, a parking fine notification, or a penalty notice from HMRC. Users are often scared into action, believing that something bad will happen if they don’t act quickly. But not all infected computers are the result of user error. In the case of the NHS and WannaCry, hackers exploited a known vulnerability in Microsoft Windows to gain entry into unpatched systems.

A popular exploit kit used by cybercriminals, called Angler, allows for drive-by downloads, in which malware is downloaded automatically when a user visits an infected site. The download happens in the background, without the user’s knowledge. These kinds of technologies are not just the preserve of expert hackers or international criminal gangs; anyone with criminal intent can access ransomware-as-a-service offerings on the underground Tor network, making cyber-crime as easy as setting up a website.

This demonstrates how unsophisticated some hackers are. These are rarely master criminals; they are often just chancers who recognise an opportunity for making easy money. And because web technologies allow ransomware to be deployed and utilised remotely, with money collected using anonymous crypto-currencies like Bitcoin, there is the lure of consequence-free crime. Why risk jail time for the takings in a petrol station when you can work from home and watch your Bitcoin wallet slowly fill? Of course, some of these perpetrators are caught and tried; there is no such thing as the perfect crime.

The ease of use of these tools might be one reason for their proliferation, and may explain why ransomware is on the rise. Security software company Sophos detected thousands of new pages booby-trapped with Angler every day in May 2015. And in their annual security survey, SonicWall reports that ransomware attacks increased by 167x year-on-year and was “the payload of choice for malicious email campaigns and exploit kits”.

The rapid rise of ransomware does pose new threats for organisations, but many of the treatments are familiar. Organisations must start with fully patched and up-to-date software and systems. Every uninstalled update is a potential backdoor for an opportunist cyber-crook.

Security systems must also be in place to limit the spread of any infections that take place, and to alert administrators to their existence before they do lasting harm. Backups provide protection against encrypted files and frozen machines. Training is the best way to ensure employees understand the evolving risks. And given the high stakes of IT security, this training should be regularly refreshed so all staff understand the vital role they play in digital defence.

Workplace stress

Working through lunch every day might impress the boss, but sooner or later it’s going to take its toll, creating an opportunity for unnecessary workplace stress. And it’s not just holidays and lunch-breaks that we’re talking about, either – even short screen breaks are essential for re-charging your batteries and giving you a much-needed chance to rest and recuperate.

What to expect after the election – post-election analysis

Polling station sign
The result of the 2017 general election has resulted in a hung parliament

What business needs to prepare for in a hung parliament

As the clock struck ten on election night, it was all over. Theresa May’s gamble had failed to pay out. The majority was lost. An unexpected swing to Labour across key and unexpected constituencies took place, offset by a strong swing against the SNP. A surge in young voters turning out and a complete collapse of the UKIP vote meant that the 42% won by the Conservatives and the 40% won by Labour no longer resulted in a landslide, but a hung parliament.

Before the election, VinciWorks published an outline of what to expect after the election from a Conservative or Labour government. Neither of those results has come to pass, so here’s what business could expect, and should prepare for, in this new reality.

A hard Brexit won’t happen

There simply isn’t a majority in Parliament for the hard Brexit that Mrs May was proposing. Cutting off British access to the customs union and single market as the Conservative party wanted looks likely to be set adrift. The Tory’s partners in Parliament, the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party, while themselves cheerleaders of Brexit, want a softer version and a frictionless border with the Republic of Ireland, and thus the EU.  
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Electrical Safety at Work – How many employees does it take to change a light bulb?

Electrical safety at work

Electricity can kill. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) approximately 1000 accidents, a year are caused by electric shocks. About 30 of these cases are fatal and arise from working with overhead or underground power cables. This means electrical safety at work is a serious issue.

Individuals working directly with electricity, for example, engineers and electricians dealing with overhead power cables, installation and circuit assemblies, are most at risk. However, those working indirectly with electricity such as farmers, construction workers and office-based employees can still be exposed to the dangers of electricity if control measures are absent and regular risk assessments are not carried out.

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 employers have legal duties and obligations “to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work” of all their employees. Additionally, the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, applies more specifically to the use of electricity within the workplace from electrical supplies to the use of electrical equipment. This legislation places a joint responsibility on employers, employees and contractors to ensure equipment is correctly installed, used and maintained.

What are the causes of electricity-related injuries in an office environment?

Electrical appliances that are inadequately installed and maintained, faulty wiring, overloaded sockets, using frayed extension cables and operating equipment near to water or with wet hands, can all contribute to electrical injuries.  

A simple checklist will help you and your employees understand the Do’s and Don’ts of electrical safety.

Employers duties in relation to Electrical Safety at work:

  • Ensure electrical equipment is suitable for the purpose it is intended.
  • Ensure equipment has undergone all necessary safety checks before use.
  • Ensure equipment is safely installed and regularly maintained by a qualified engineer.
  • Ensure that all live parts of electrical equipment are inaccessible during operation.
  • Provide all employees with adequate training and information on electrical safety.

Employees duties in relation to Electrical Safety at work:

  • Switch off appliances when not in use and at the end of the day.
  • Never force a plug into a socket if it doesn’t fit.
  • Never run long cables across busy work areas.  This will minimise falls and prevent cables from fraying.
  • Never operate an electrical appliance with wet hands.
  • If working in front of an electrical panel, maintain a distance of at least 3 feet.
  • Never use equipment that gives off a strange odour or noise.
  • Never overload an electrical socket.
  • Never use frayed cables.
  • Always report equipment which is not working correctly to your line manager or Health and Safety representative.
  • Undergo training course on electrical safety.

How can VinciWorks help?

VinciWorks’ RoSPA-certified course delivers short, interactive health and safety training units that are customised to the specific office the user works in, including a section on electrical equipment and the dangers associated with its use. The online course explores common causes of electrical-related accidents – including faulty appliances and damaged or overloaded sockets, plugs and cables – and provides guidance on how to check for potential hazards and minimise the risk of accidents.

The course highlights key actions that can be taken to reduce accidents, including regular risk assessment and risk control management, using experts to install electrical equipment, and the benefits of regular maintenance and safety testing. It also provides advice on how to treat an electrical-related injury and outlines the steps to take if an accident does happen.

As with all our courses, our health and safety course can be fully customised to reflect the needs of your organisation and industry. This means that you can communicate specific messages and offer training that addresses particular issues that you might face. A designated course administrator can use our integrated authoring tool to edit the text and images within the course, and link to organisation-specific documentation, all at no extra cost.

What’s the latest on the Fourth Money Laundering Directive?

The Fourth Money Laundering Directive updates and expands anti-money laundering laws across the European Union. Unlike GDPR, which will automatically come into force, updating the AML regime requires each national parliament to transpose the regulations into local law.

In the UK, this means updating the Money Laundering Regulations 2007. The government completed their consultation in April and published a draft of the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 to be laid before parliament. The EU stated that the Fourth Directive must be in force in every country by 26 June 2017.

However, the general election called by Theresa May has thrown that timetable into disarray. The new parliament won’t meet until sometime between 14 to 21 June, leaving barely days before the deadline.

Will the UK miss the deadline?

Most likely, although perhaps not by much. The draft statutory instrument has been published and is ready to be considered by parliament. Given the long lead-in time of the Fourth Directive, the consultations and lack of particularly controversial measures, even a change of government is not likely to disrupt the process too much.

Broadly, we know what the new requirements of the Fourth Directive are, and how the UK plans to implement them. While the official change won’t take place until the 2017 Regulations is law, there is every reason to think this will happen sooner rather than later.
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Is your organisation safe from the ransomware that crippled the NHS?

Is your organisation safe from the ransomware that crippled the NHS?

On 12 May, hundreds of NHS employees turned on their computers, only to be greeted by a message stating that their files had been encrypted and could only be unlocked by paying $600. Their computers had succumbed to WannaCry, a particularly vicious type of virus known as ransomware. The on-screen message that now dominated the screen could only be removed by transferring $600 worth of Bitcoin to a given address. Instructions for obtaining Bitcoin were also provided.

Forty-eight NHS organisations were affected by this cyber-attack, leading to cancelled appointments, operations and more. Patients were asked to stay home because staff did not have the means to receive or treat them. The NHS was held to ransom by unseen forces.

WannaCry and the threat to computers

The WannaCry software might be dangerous, but its spread is usually checked because it requires people to download a dodgy attachment or click a suspicious link. The virus typically spreads slowly, gradually, in fits and starts. What happened on 12 May was very different. The doctors, nurses, surgeons and administrators who found their machines frozen that day may not have been to blame for the virus overtaking their machine. WannaCry had found its way to their desktop through a backdoor that exists in older Microsoft Windows machines.

Remarkably, this backdoor is alleged to have been developed – and utilised – by America’s National Security Agency (NSA). This vulnerability, known as EternalBlue, was stolen from the NSA by a group of Russian hackers called ShadowBrokers and then shared online. EternalBlue was used to inject WannaCry onto a huge number of machines in a synchronised attack. Infected machines were then used to spread the ransomware onto other networked machines.

In a story with many startling elements, perhaps one of the most shocking parts is the fact that Microsoft had released a patch to close this vulnerability in March. The only computers affected by this attack where those that had not been updated. In the case of the NHS, it seems that the government chose not to renew a multimillion-pound security package which would have protected against this threat. This meant that the NHS attack also became a political issue in the middle of a general election.

The WannaCry attack was only halted by an intrepid IT security consultant who noticed that the malware was trying to connect to a non-existent web domain. Marcus Hutchins immediately registered the address, an act which killed the virus immediately and meant that hundreds of NHS organisations could get back to work.

While the usual advice on digital security is to raise awareness among staff, the WannaCry incident is a good reminder that employee training will only protect your organisation if your technology is up-to-date. Effective digital security must be holistic, protecting against a wide range of evolving threats with a mixture of training, processes, hardware, software and company culture.

How VinciWorks can help

Our vast and expanding cyber security training suite prepares users for all cyber risks. It includes hours of training, hundreds of micro-learning modules and topics from social media to IT security. These courses and micro-learning units can easily be configured into a multi-year training plan.

Alcohol Awareness in the Workplace – Is a Pint at Lunchtime Still OK?

Is alcohol in the workplace really a problem?

From lunchtime meetings to company socials, alcohol has always been part of workplace culture in some form. However, the negative impacts that alcohol consumption can have on an individual and your organisation at large are often quite significant.

According to the Institute of Alcohol Studies, a study in 1994, revealed that 90% of personnel directors from top UK organisations stated that alcohol consumption was a problem in their workplace, with 17% seeing it as a major issue. More recently, research indicates that 63% of UK workers admit that drinking alcohol at lunchtime makes them less productive and 40% say lunchtime alcohol consumption has a negative impact on their concentration, and, although numbers are falling, consuming alcohol on lunch break remains a significant issue that employers must contend with.  

Alcohol Awareness and health.

Alcohol can have a significant negative impact on health. Alcohol can raise blood pressure, increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, cause liver damage, cirrhosis of the liver, and increase the risk of cancers of the mouth and throat. Additionally, alcohol can cause behavioural changes, bad behaviour and poor discipline could lead to low morale for the rest of your employees, which can have a detrimental impact on productivity all-round.

Alcohol consumption during lunchtime not only affects the individual health of employees, but also those around them. Any organisation that requires the use of operational machinery are guaranteed to be an increased risk of workplace accidents, as reaction times and decision-making abilities can be significantly impaired. Being under the influence of alcohol can also cause emotional impairment which can often result in aggressive and even violent behaviour which can potentially put other employees at risk.  

Alcohol Awareness: Your responsibilities as an employer.

One question you should always consider is if you doing enough to make sure your workers are aware of your organisation’s position on alcohol consumption?

Employers should always take steps to provide staff with clear rules on alcohol consumption during work hours. By putting appropriate policies and procedures in place you will also support for personnel affected by alcohol.

Guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) explains your legal obligation under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to provide a healthy and safe working environment.  The HSE advises that your policy should be formed in consultation with staff and other stakeholders and a clear focus on support is essential.

Ensuring that your management is aware of the issues and challenges associated with staff misusing alcohol is fundamental. In addition, guidance for staff on the dangers of alcohol abuse is critical.

Training courses aimed at raising awareness go a long way to helping solve problems relating to alcohol in the workplace.

The VinciWorks Alcohol and Drug Awareness eLearning course highlights the dangers associated with drugs and alcohol misuse in the workplace. The online course highlights how alcohol and drug-related problems not only affect individuals physically and emotionally but also cause problems in the workplace. The course identifies the responsibilities of employers and employees regarding the use of alcohol and drugs in the workplace.

As with all the VinciWorks courses, this Alcohol and Drug Awareness eLearning course can be customised to meet your needs, enabling your workforce to understand the specific policies and procedures you have developed for your organisation. A designated course administrator can edit the text and images within the course using our integrated authoring tool, and link to organisation-specific documentation, all at no extra cost.

Looking for in-depth and engaging health and safety training? Explore our comprehensive eLearning library and try any of our courses for free.