National Equality Standard

Background

The NES has been developed and sponsored by EY, supported by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), the Home Office and the Confederation of British Industry and developed in partnership with the following UK and global companies:

BHP Billiton

Bright Ideas Trust

BT Group

Cisco

EDF Energy

Green Park

Lawn Tennis Association

Linklaters

Microsoft UK

National Grid

Nestlé

Pearn Kandola

Pearson

Roast

Sainsbury’s

The Royal Bank of Scotland

Vodafone

WPP

The NES was launched in May 2013 at the British Museum and since then many businesses have signed up and the Standard has received significant media attention and news coverage.

People

Arun Batra is the CEO and founder of the NES. Prior to his position at EY he ran the Mayor's 'Diversity Works' programme in London and has recently been recognised as one of Britain’s most influential Asians for leading the establishment of the NES.

Arun is supported by Harry Gaskell, the managing partner of EYs UK & Ireland advisory Practice and Head of D&I, and the Chair of the Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion (enei).Sir David Bell has been appointed as the Non-executive Chair of the steering committee that drives the development of the NES.

Jo Heath is head of NES Assessment Delivery and the architect of the NES standards, competencies and assessment criteria.

The National Equality Standard Assessment

Through the NES, companies are subjected to a robust EDI assessment which has been devised by the NES Board and EY. The NES Assessment provides companies with a comprehensive quality review of their EDI policies and practices, identifies areas for improvement and provides implementation recommendations. Each company that undertakes the NES undergoes a robust assessment against a defined set of criteria across 7 standards. Trained NES Assessors review documentation, ensure legal compliance, conduct comprehensive interviews and sample staff through in-depth surveys. The outcome is detailed in a comprehensive report.

The Objectives

The objectives of the NES are to provide an assessment tool which:

Aims to significantly impact the way diversity and inclusion is integrated into everyday business activity across the country

Provides a single reference point incorporating all elements of the Equality Act 2010

Enables businesses to undertake a comprehensive assessment specifically focused on EDI

Consists of best practice standards that can be applied to any business sector or size

Provides a pragmatic solution to EDI which rewards ambition

Supports the private sector by providing one recognisable holistic framework for industry good practice

Enables companies to showcase their businesses as leaders in this field

Bridges the gap between legal requirements and best practice

Feedback

The feedback from those undertaking assessments has been positive; Tina Southall, Director, Diversity and Inclusion at Vodafone Group Services described the assessment process in an interview:

“The assessment process was excellent. It really captured both the macro status but also important details. It consisted of an in-depth review of materials and a very professional and well structured audit. It provided thought provoking insights combined with pragmatic and actionable recommendations. The Standard has potential to drive a real change in Equality Standards.”