Welcoming the launch of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR),  the CBI called on the new body to make high quality information, advice and guidance on promoting diversity in the workplace its first priority.

The predecessor bodies on disability rights, equal opportunities and racial equality churned out over 1,000 pages of guidance, at times causing confusion, especially for smaller organisations without dedicated HR bodies, trying to do the right thing.  According to the 2007 CBI/Pertemps Employment Trends Survey, over two thirds (68%) of employers think clear and simple guidance should be the first priority for the CEHR. And practical advice and support, in addition to written guidance, was seen as a must by a further quarter of employers (23%).

Susan Anderson, Director of HR policy for the CBI said: "We have come a long way since the setting up of the first equality commissions. The equal pay gap has shrunk from 34% in 1970 to 13% today, disabled people are almost twice as likely to be in work than they were 20 years ago and the British workplace is more ethnically diverse than ever. New rights on age, sexual orientation and religious belief have also been successfully introduced."

She added:

"Companies look forward to working with Trevor Philips and his team - we recognise that there is no room for complacency. We need more women and ethnic minorities in the boardrooms of Britain, more high quality part-time jobs and more disabled people in work. But, if we want to close the equality gap, the CEHR must be a partner for employers, not just a policeman.

"To achieve that, the new Commission must put simplifying guidance for business at the top of its priority list. Between them, the existing equality commissions produced over 1,000 pages of guidance and many employers, small ones in particular, are quite simply overwhelmed.

"If it achieves all these things, the CEHR will be seen as the truly integrated, 'one-stop-shop' that was promised."

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