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THIS PAGE IS CURRENTLY UNDER REVIEW - MAY 2025
General
- I have been asked to fill out an equalities monitoring form. Why do I need to do this? Will my line manager see this information?
We gather equalities monitoring data anonymously in order to know the demographics of our workforce and students. This data helps us to identify where certain groups (e.g. people of an ethnic minority) are underrepresented so that we can take action to address any imbalances.
- What do Inclusion Leads do?
An Inclusion Lead is someone in your department to whom staff and students can come to for information and advice, distributing and drawing attention to new equality developments and legislative change. They also ensure that staff and students are conversant with UCL's equalities policies and procedures. You can read more here
- What is 'positive action'?
Positive action is allowed under sections158-159 of the Equality Act 2010, where members of protected groups have been underrepresented within the workforce or in a particular work group in the preceding 12 months. These are lawful measures designed to redress imbalances and counteract the effects of past discrimination. They ensure that people from previously excluded groups can compete on equal terms with other applicants. It can include targeted promotional initiatives, internships/secondments or training initiatives for specific protected groups.
- What is discrimination?
Discrimination is treating a person less favourably due to a protected characteristic (age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation). Less favourable treatment can be anything that puts someone with a protected characteristic at a disadvantage compared to someone who does not have that characteristic. It can still be discrimination even if the less favourable treatment was not intended.
Types of discrimination include:
- direct discrimination - treating someone with a protected characteristic less favourably than others
- indirect discrimination - putting rules or arrangements in place that apply to everyone, but that put someone with a protected characteristic at an unfair disadvantage
- harassment - unwanted behaviour linked to a protected characteristic that violates someone’s dignity or creates an offensive environment for them
- victimisation - treating someone unfairly because they’ve complained about discrimination or harassment
This is a form of discrimination that favours someone by treating them differently in a positive way, and this is known as ‘positive discrimination’. Positive discrimination is unlawful in the UK. Positive discrimination should not be confused with positive action, which is lawful under the positive action provisions in the Equality Act 2010.
Recruitment
- How do you ensure that during the recruitment process all selection decisions are based on merit?
UCL has a recruitment and selection policy in place to ensure that decisions are based on merit and are free from discrimination and bias. Everyone involved in recruitment at UCL is required to go on our Fair Recruitment training prior to beginning the recruitment process. The training explicitly deals with equalities and diversity issues.
Age
- I am reaching pension age (66) and I don't want to retire yet - is there a default retirement age here?
There is no compulsory retirement age at UCL. Staff may voluntarily retire at a time of their choice, subject to providing appropriate notice.
For further information, refer to our Retirement Policy.
Disability
- I have a condition which can be defined as a disability, but it does not affect my work as I am managing my condition well on my own. Why do I need to tick the box?
Monitoring helps UCL to identify whether or not our workforce is representative of the UK as a whole. The information will not be shared with your manager and will be held confidentially.
Sex
- Is there a 'glass ceiling' for female staff at UCL?
At the two highest grades at UCL (9 and 10) 31% of our staff are female. This is not representative of the population as a whole, so we have set an employment target of 50:50 female and male staff. We are committed to improving the proportion of women at senior grades by at least 1% per year, and have engaged in a number of activities, such as mentoring, to facilitate this.
Race
- Why is our ethnicity employment target 29%? Is it only for professional services staff?
One of UCL's corporate equality objectives is to improve its equality monitoring data relating to staff and students to enable UCL to address imbalance and under representation of particular groups. In the autumn of 2001 UCL established an 'aspirational' workforce Equality Target in relation to ethnicity. It aims to achieve an annual increase of between 2.5% and 5% in its black and minority ethnic staff in administrative, clerical, technical, manual and ancillary grades and achievement against the target will be reviewed at the end of each year. This target is based on the economically active ethnic minority population of Greater London, from which we recruit the majority of these posts. We are currently reviewing our Race Equality Policy and current targets, and may develop new ones in the future.
Religion & Belief
- If UCL is a secular organisation why are people allowed to wear religious clothing at work?
UCL has to be flexible with its dress code to allow employees to comply with their religion or belief. If UCL did not allow such flexibility this could lead to unlawful religious discrimination. UCL's secular ethos is about being inclusive to people from all different walks of life and different faiths.
Sexual Orientation
- Why does UCL have a sexual orientation staff group? UCL seems to be a very cosmopolitan organisation and there is no problem with staff being gay here.
UCL's staff social network is a way for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ+) staff at UCL to get to know each other and take part in social events. The group was set up in July 2009 as some LGBTQ+ staff considered that, in an organisation as big as UCL, it was difficult to get to know people in other departments, especially other LGBTQ+ people.
Gender Reassignment
- Which toilets should trans people use when they are transitioning?
Trans staff should be able to use whichever toilet they feel is most appropriate. Gender Reassignment is a protected characteristic under Equality Act 2010, and as such, bullying and harassment of staff undergoing or who have undergone gender reassignment is unlawful.