Publishing Equalities Charter

If you would like more information, or to schedule a meeting please contact:

Bobby NayyarResearch Fellowbobby.nayyar.1@city.ac.uk020 7040 333507891169286

EquipCity University LondonNorthampton SquareLondonEC1V 0HB

www.equalityinpublishing.org.ukwww.city.ac.uk

e uipe q u a l i t y i n p u b l i s h i n g

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Contents

Introduction ..................................................................................................................3

Notes for CEOs and HR Managers .......................................................4

Publishing Equalities Charter ....................................................................5

Membership Obligations ...............................................................................6

Benefits of Membership .................................................................................7

Promotion of Your Work .................................................................................8

How to Join the Charter ..................................................................................9

Questions & Answers ....................................................................................... 11

Suggested Actions ..............................................................................................15

History of Equip ......................................................................................................19

Contact Us ....................................................................................................................20

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Introduction

The Publishing Equalities Charter programme was launched at the London Book Fair in 2010. It draws its inspiration from the Equality Act 2010, more details of which can be found on page six of this booklet. Over the course of one year, Equip has been collaborating with a number of trade associations to create a framework that publishers, booksellers and agents can join, regardless of size or output, to achieve the following aim:

To help promote equality across UK publishing, bookselling and agenting, by driving forward change and increasing access to opportunities within the industry.

We recognise that many publishers already have diversity and equality practices in place. The Charter is a means to acknowledge and celebrate this across the industry. It is also an opportunity to bring new ideas to the table and start a new dialogue between companies.

In this booklet you will find detailed information about why the Publishing Equalities Charter is beneficial to your business, how to join the project, how it will be progressed and some suggestions for projects you could action in your company.

Best wishes,

Bobby Nayyar

Research Fellow City University London

Equip would like to thank the following organisations who collaborated to draft the Publishing Equalities Charter:

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Equality Act 2010

The Publishing Equalities Charter has its roots in the Equality Act 2010, in particular the nine protected characteristics, as listed on the opposing page.

The aim of the Charter is not to replicate any of the statutes of the Act, but rather interpret them and create a positive framework, which will encompass a wide range of organisations in publishing and bookselling.

Over the past few months Equip has been discussing this project directly with publishers to learn about the actions they are taking within their communities and as part of their CSR commitments, but also to get feedback on the Charter so it is constructed in a way that accentuates the benefits of membership without adding unnecessarily to the workload of HR managers or directors.

Many of the actions suggested on pages 15-17 are already being undertaken by many of the publishers we have spoken to. Now is the time to gather that information and share it collectively as an industry that is committed to development and finding new markets in this challenging economic environment.

Equalities Charter

We pledge to support equality in publishing by adopting this four-point charter.

1. Equal Opportunity We recognise equality with regard to:

Age Disability Gender reassignment Marriage and civil partnership Pregnancy and maternity Race Religion or belief Sex Sexual orientation

(The above are the protected characteristics as specified in the Equality Act 2010 Part 2, Chapter 1)

2. People Attract: We will engage and attract new talent by adopting inclusive

recruitment policies, practices and traineeships, and where appropriate, engage in outreach work to increase the profile of publishing to traditionally underrepresented groups.

Develop: We will develop and encourage existing talent through adopting robust staff development programmes, mentoring schemes, networking opportunities and other similar activities.

3. Action We agree to carry out at least two actions a year to demonstrate our

commitment to equality, and review these on a yearly basis.

4. Improvement We will continually strive to improve performance regarding equality.

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Membership Obligations

Members of the Publishing Equalities Charter project are required to:

Commit to undertaking two actions related to equality per calendar year, hence from 2012 onwards. See pp.15-17 for suggested actions.

Review these two actions on a yearly basis. This is to ensure that if you are not happy with the outcomes of your action(s) then you have the opportunity to consult with other members, and change your action(s) for the following year. Equip is keen to promote your good work, and illustrate examples of best practice with other members.

Attend an annual conference with your fellow members to discuss the outcomes of your actions, plans for the following year, and best practice.

Commit to being a member for a minimum of one calendar year.

Consider participation in Equip’s funded research projects and initiatives.

Please note that membership to the Publishing Equalities Charter is FREE. Equip is currently funded by Arts Council England, which allows the organisation to manage the Publishing Equalities Charter project at no cost to members.

Benefits of Membership

You will become part of a network of publishers and booksellers, with opportunities to meet and make new contacts

It will improve your reputation as an equal opportunities employer

Working in collaboration with Equip you will have access to funded initiatives to explore diversity in cross-industry projects

The suggested actions on pages 15-17 will help you choose goals and activities that fit perfectly with your business. They will help empower your workforce, gain greater visibility in your local community, and most importantly, sell more books

The Charter is an excellent way to develop best practice across the nine protected characteristics detailed in the Equality Act 2010

You will be supplied the Publishing Equalities Charter tick mark to use on your digital and print material

Publishing Equalities Charter Logo

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Promotion of Your Work

All members of the Publishing Equalities Charter will be promoted on a dedicated section of the Equip website (www.equalityinpublishing.org.uk). This will feature a short profile of the organisation, weblink, logo and the two chosen actions for that year, as decided upon signature to the Charter.

Our goal is to promote this work in the trade and national press, and collaborate each year on specific funded projects. There will also be opportunities to promote actions and outcomes to the 1,500+ Equip members.

We would also recommend submitting for, or joining, the following:

The Times Top 50 Employers for Women

Stonewall Workplace Equality Index

Race for Opportunity

Opportunity Now

Employers Forum on Age

Employers Forum on Belief

Employers Forum on Disability

How to Join the Charter

Once you have agreed your two actions, you can sign up to the Publishing Equalities Charter in five easy steps:

1. Visit www.equalityinpublishing.org.uk and click on the ‘Become a signatory’ button on the homepage

2. Enter your name, email address and company

3. Upload your company logo (ideally as a 300dpi jpeg, or eps)

4. Input your two actions to be championed in 2011/12

5. Click the ‘ADD ME AS A SIGNATORY’ button

We will create a page for your company which will include your logo and your two actions. This section of the website will be open for all Equip members to see.

Alternatively please email bobby.nayyar.1@city.ac.uk or call 020 7040 3335.

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I represent a company of less than 10 people and I don’t think I can commit to two actions a year, what should I do?

We would like to see all signatories committing to two actions a year irrespective of company size. See ‘Suggested Actions’ section as a guide to the range of actions you could champion. This is not a prescriptive list but rather suggestions as to the range of actions you could champion to demonstrate equality. The aim of the Charter is to enable organisations to set and promote their agenda on equality priorities and to ensure that it is reviewed on a yearly basis. This initiative is not intended to create more work for organisations, but rather to enable them to take positive and practical steps and create new dialogues within the industry.

We are a publishing house that has actively promoted equality and diversity. Will the Charter change how we do things here?

The aim of the Charter is to bind organisations together, providing a framework for them to work collectively to effect real change in the industry. We would like a range of organisations to be involved in the Charter so that signatories will benefit from a peer-to-peer support network that shares good practice, lessons learned, advice and expertise. We understand that you are already exploring diversity, this will be a great way to promote the work you are doing, and develop new ideas for the future.

Which industries does the Charter apply to? And do I qualify?

We want to engage with as many publishers, booksellers, charitable organisations and agencies that are involved in the process of selling,

Questions & AnswersMessage of Support

‘Booktrust is proud to support Equip in its aim to create a framework that promotes and strengthens the equality and diversity work of publishers, booksellers and agents. I am delighted that we have now reached the stage where we can seek more signatories to the Publishing Equalities Charter and establish a platform for further collaboration and development.’

Viv Bird

CEO, Booktrust

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Q Questions & Answers Questions & Answers

buying and producing books as well as promoting books, reading and writing across the UK. If you are unsure whether you qualify contact bobby.nayyar.1@city.ac.uk for clarification on this matter.

How do I make sure my organisational attempts of providing equal opportunities doesn’t look like I am discriminating against any specific group or individual?

The aim of the Charter is to provide organisations with the framework to promote equal opportunities. There is a distinct difference between positive discrimination and positive action. ‘Positive action is not the same as positive discrimination or affirmative action, which are both unlawful.

Positive discrimination and affirmative action involve preferential treatment to benefit members of a disadvantaged or underrepresented group which does not meet the conditions, the limitations or the proportionality requirement for positive action under the Act [Equality Act 2010]’ (Source: Draft Employment Statutory Code of Practice, Equality and Human Rights Commission: January 2010).

If I don’t participate in the optional yearly reporting can I still be a signatory to the Charter?

You can still be a signatory to the Charter but we encourage signatories to participate in yearly monitoring of their two actions as it will improve industry performance regarding equality. The information will not be used to single out individual organisations that are under/over performing, but will be used to assess yearly progress for the whole industry.

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Message of Support

‘We are proud to support Equality in Publishing and their strategic work with publishers. The organisation fills a critical gap within the industry in its focus on developing access to the widest range of people.’

Richard Mollet

Chief Executive of the Publishers Association

Suggested Actions

HR Ideas

Create an equality policy that is embedded throughout the organisation in policy, strategy and working practice

Monitor the impact of policies through conducting equality impact assessments

Make all policies transparent by updating them and making them available to all staff (e.g. via the intranet)

Make all job applicants complete an equality monitoring form

Ensure that every new job opportunity is advertised externally

Make your sites accessible to all your clients and customers by conducting regular accessibility assessments

Include an equality statement within job advertisements

Work towards achieving ‘Two ticks positive about disabled people’ accreditation which guarantees an interview to a candidate with a disability (as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005) and who match the requirements of the person specification

Take on flexible working/condensed working hours to support those with caring responsibilities

Wherever possible try to recruit a representative mix of people according to your local demographics. For example 46% of England’s ethnic minority population live in London (source: LDA: ‘The Competitive Advantage of Diversity’, Oct 2005), this should be reflected in organisations based in London

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BSuggested Actions Suggested Actions

Publishing and Bookselling Specific

Wherever possible ensure authentic representation of people from underrepresented groups (e.g. book cover designs, illustrations, marketing material, advertising)

Volunteering and CSR

Form a relationship with a local school and run workshops/talks to educate students about the industry

Host an open day so that the general public can find out more about your organisation

Set up a staff equalities working group ensuring a good representation of people in the organisation

Hold a themed brown bag lunch for staff encouraging debate and dialogue amongst colleagues in an informal setting

Be involved in industry-wide collaborations to increase equality in publishing

Take on a trainee from an underrepresented group by hosting a Positive Action Traineeship

Develop a mentoring programme that supports new staff from traditionally underrepresented groups, and those at transitional career stages

Skills and Training

Take part in yearly industry-wide reporting through organisations such as Creative Skillset

Encourage members of staff to be involved in seminars/workshops/talks that raise the profile of the industry to traditionally underrepresented groups

Identify an Equalities Champion on your board who can be responsible for monitoring action on equality

Provide equality training for all staff on a yearly basis

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Message of Support

‘Pearson is proud to support Equality in Publishing. At Pearson, our goal is to keep diversity and inclusion at the heart of what we do and our commitment starts with our leaders. Our aim is to build an inclusive working environment for all our people, and our vision is to be a company that reflects the world in which we operate; so naturally it made sense for Pearson to support Equip, who recognise the potential and promote the contributions people from diverse backgrounds can bring to the publishing industry.’

Abu Bundu-Kamara

Head of Diversity at Pearson

History of Equip

Equality in Publishing continues the work of the Diversity in Publishing Network (Dipnet), which was established by Elise Dillsworth and Alison Morrison in 2004 in response to a survey undertaken by Arts Council England and The Bookseller. The survey results highlighted the lack of ethnic diversity within publishing. Dipnet was created to address the concerns of groups traditionally underrepresented within all areas of the industry.

From 2006-2012, Dipnet was managed by Booktrust. Following a successful Arts Council England bid, Dipnet’s projects are now managed at City University London under the new name Equality in Publishing, a change reflecting the wider remit to address the nine protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010.

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