In recent years, one of the issues that have most concerned the areas of Human Resources and People Management has been everything related to Equality and Diversity in work environments. Since 2020, legislative developments have been setting the pace in aspects of vital importance for our organisations such as the Register, the Remuneration Audit and the Equality Plan itself.
On 10 October, RD 1026/2024, of 8 October, came into force, which develops the planned set of measures for equality and non-discrimination of LGBTI people in companies. This new regulation adds a series of mandatory elements related to the LGTBI collective, an aspect not contemplated to date.
To clarify the current panorama, from Psicotec we make a point of the situation of the state of Equality and Diversity in organizations.
Equality and Diversity: Equality Plans, renewal and implementation
We start with the most well-known aspect to date, reviewing the three most important elements from the perspective of regulatory compliance in the field of Equality: the remuneration register, the equality plan and the remuneration audit.
- Remuneration Register: Since April 14, 2021, all companies, regardless of their size, are required to draw up a remuneration register of their entire workforce, including management staff and senior managers.
- Equality Plan:
- Companies with 50 or more workers: From 7 March 2022, all companies with 50 or more workers must have an Equality plan.
- Companies with less than 50 workers: The preparation of the equality plan will be voluntary, after consultation or negotiation with the legal representation of the workers.
- Exceptions: companies with fewer than 50 workers that are bound by a collective agreement or by sanctioning procedure will also have to have an Equality Plan.
- Remuneration Audit: Any company that prepares an Equality Plan must include a Remuneration Audit in it. This must include an evaluation of jobs.
It is clear that all companies in our country must already have a Remuneration Register and that the vast majority of these, in addition, must have negotiated and registered their Remuneration Audit and their Equality Plan.
But equality plans have a maximum duration of 4 years.
This leads us to find two main situations in our business ecosystem: companies that need to renew their equality plan (and audit) and companies that, although their plans have not yet expired, must implement and implement the different actions included in the equality plan.
At Psicotec we understand this moment as a real opportunity to incorporate diversity and equality at all levels in our companies, as a differential value:
“Instead of understanding equality regulations as a mere imposition, we understand it as a great opportunity to go further and transform our organizations in a profound way.”
Along these lines, from the Consulting and Transformation Area of Psicotec we have advised more than 100 companies in the negotiation, preparation and renewal of their Equality plans, giving special importance to a correct Description and Evaluation of Positions.
In addition, in collaboration with our Training and Talent Development Area, we have designed and implemented a series of training actions and development programmes that allow the need for a Plan to become a real transformational impulse.
Some of our Equality Workshops most in demand by our clients are:
- Workshop on Culture of Diversity, Equal Opportunities and Inclusion.
Workshop on Equality Management and Equity in the Identification of Talent.- Workshop on Prevention and action in situations of harassment.
- Workshop on Effective Communication and Use of Inclusive Language.
- Workshop on Barriers in inclusion: unconscious biases and microaggressions.
In addition, for those companies that are aware of long-term diversity and equality, we have developed two exclusive Development Programs:
- Psychotec Program for Women’s Development: Real Barriers and Self-Limitations.
- Psicotec Programme for Responsible Management of People and Contribution to the Development of Sustainable Goals.
Whether you need advice on the negotiation of your equality plan or if it is time to implement the actions it encompasses, at Psicotec we can help you.
Equality and Diversity: Developments in the inclusion of LGBTI people
The recent publication of RD 1026/2024, of 8 October, has generated a great stir among those responsible for People Management, especially due to the need to negotiate the planned measures within a period of 3 months.
To shed some light on this new regulation, we share some key points of the Royal Decree:
- Which companies are affected by the new regulations?
- The negotiation of the planned measures will be mandatory for companies with more than 50 workers.
- In the case of companies with 50 or fewer workers, the negotiation will be voluntary.
- Who should conduct the negotiation?
As a general rule, bargaining will take place within the framework of collective agreements. But there are two alternative scenarios:
- In the absence of a collective agreement, companies that have legal representation of the workers will negotiate the planned measures through company agreements.
- Those companies without an applicable collective agreement and without legal representation of the workers must set up a negotiating committee, on which the negotiation will fall.
- In what aspects will it directly affect companies?
There are two mandatory elements that come into force with the new RD and that all companies must take into account:
- The development of a protocol of action against harassment and violence against LGBTI people.
- The integration into the training plans of organisations of specific modules on the rights of LGBTI people in the workplace, with special emphasis on equal treatment and opportunities and non-discrimination. These modules should be aimed at the entire workforce, including managers and middle managers.
To respond to this new mandatory need, Psicotec’s Training and Talent Development Area has also adapted and offered the Workshop “LGBTI Diversity: equal treatment and non-discrimination in the workplace (mandatory after RD 1026/2024)”, which seeks the involvement of the entire workforce in the real and effective equality of LGBTI people and the eradication of any type of behaviour that may lead to harassment or discrimination.
In addition, the spirit of the Royal Decree underlines the importance of reinforcing this type of training for those people in our organisations involved in the selection of personnel. For this reason, we also offer a specific workshop to eradicate stereotypes in access to employment for LGBTI people.
Conclusion: the growing importance of Equality and Diversity
If we can draw a conclusion from the legislative developments of recent years, it is that aspects related to Equality and Diversity are increasingly important for any organization.
This growing importance is materialized in a greater investment of resources (people, time and money) that allow us not only to comply with the law, but to make this obligation an opportunity to drive our organization towards greater equity and productivity.
Faced with this perspective, an option that more and more companies of all types and sectors are turning to is the outsourcing of these aspects to consultants specialising in human resources and people management.
Whether you need advice on the negotiation of your Equality Plan, or if you need to carry out the training actions that derive from it or the new LGTBI Plan, at Psicotec we have the solution you need.
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