The University recognises there is more to equality than simply compliance. We not only want to be a fair employer; we want to create a creative and caring environment for our students and staff to study and work in.
A diverse workforce, with people from different racial, educational and social backgrounds and a range of ages, opens up a wealth of possibilities for the University of Southampton. It helps to encourage creativity and foster innovation, in turn enabling us to develop and grow towards our strategic ambitions.
Our Equality Plan was developed with the support of students and staff from all areas of the University, representing the cross-section of students and staff from various grades and career pathways for each of the diversity groups.
Further information and guidance about diversity and equality is available below and on the diversity website.
At the University of Southampton we have a strong commitment to equality and diversity both within the organisation and in the service we provide. We aim to employ a representative workforce that reflects the communities we serve.
In order to provide a high level of service, we encourage applications from under-represented groups and we are proud to pursue a policy of 'positive action' in an attempt to achieve this.
Positive action refers to a range of measures and initiatives that employers can lawfully take to actively encourage individuals from under-represented groups to apply for positions - as well as supporting them through the selection process.
The selection procedure itself is no different, and must be based solely on merit. Positive action does not seek to remove competition for jobs and any initiative undertaken as positive action stops before any part of the selection process.
Who does it apply to?
Positive action initiatives can be used whenever an under-represented group is identified. Legislation enables positive action to work around issues of gender, disability, race, sexual orientation and religion.
This is not a legal requirement but provisions have been made under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Race Relations Act 1976, Disability Discrimination Act 1995, Religion and Belief Regulations and Sexual Orientation Regulations 2003 to support this area. Under-represented groups may therefore also include, women, Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) individuals, and people with disabilities.
Positive action is often confused with positive discrimination. Positive discrimination, which generally means employing someone because they come from an under-represented group in spite of whether they have the relevant skills and qualifications, is unlawful. We treat all applicants equally.
It is against the law to discriminate against anyone because of:
These are called 'protected characteristics'.
You are legally protected from discrimination by the Equality Act 2010.
You’re also protected from discrimination if:
The University of Southampton is an accredited Disability Confident employer. We are committed to the aims of Disability Confident and in particular we will:
Further details on the ways that we support staff with a disability are available on the Diversity webpages.