There are 24 days to go until the new Equality Act comes into force on 1st October. It’s a hefty piece of legislation – 218 sections with 28 Schedules – and covers all aspects of discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Although a consolidating piece of legislation, it also introduces new claims, simplifies and unifies others and will be giving HR and employers everywhere headaches. In the run up to the commencement of the Act I will be taking a look at the headline points. Tomorrow I will cover the Act’s restriction on the use of pre-employment health questionnaires and medicals, today I will set out the main framework of the Act. ACAS has produced a very useful summary of the Act for employers – click here.
