RACE EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT ON

RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION POLICIES, PROCESSES AND PRACTICES FOR INTERNAL STAFF

February 2009

Contents:

Page
1. / About this Equality Impact Assessment / 4
2. / Scope of the policy/process / 4
3. / Equality relevance / 4
4. / Data, evidence and feedback used / 4
5. / Assessment of impact / 5
6. / Promotion of equality / 6
7. / Consideration of alternatives / 8
8. / Formal consultation / 8
9. / Decisions and actions / 9
10. / Monitoring arrangements / 9
11. / Publishing / 10
12. / Encouraging ongoing feedback / 10
13. / Next review / 10

Appendices:

Page
Appendix A: Systems Diagram – Filtering individuals from the employment pool and intervention questions / 12
Appendix B: Systems Diagram – The recruitment process / 13
Appendix C: Ethnic minority population data by OU location / 14
Table 1a: Difference between % of ethnic minority internal staff and ethnic minority economically active population in selected travel to work area / 14
Table 1b: Alternative Milton Keynes benchmarks / 14
Appendix D: Level of qualifications by ethnicity / 15
Table 2: Level of highest qualification held by people of working age in England, Autumn 2005 / 15
Appendix E: OU recruitment monitoring data / 16
Chart 1: Three-year experience of applicants short listed by ethnicity (2005-2007) / 16
Chart 2: Three-year experience of short listed applicants appointed by ethnicity (2005-2007) / 16
Table 3: Recruitment by grouped and detailed ethnicity, 2007 / 17
Table 4: Recruitment by grouped and detailed ethnicity, 2006 / 18
Table 5: Recruitment by grouped and detailed ethnicity, 2005 / 19
Appendix F: OU workforce monitoring data / 20
Table 6: Distribution of staff by ethnicity (2005-2007) / 20
Chart 3: Distribution of ethnic minority staff by grouped ethnicity (2005-2007) / 21
Table 7: Previous year workforce grouped ethnicity by location (2007) / 22
Table 8: Previous year workforce grouped ethnicity by unit (2007) / 23
Table 9: Previous year workforce grouped ethnicity by staff category (2007) / 24
Table 10: The percentage of staff on fixed-term or permanent contract by ethnicity (2004 – 2007) / 25
  1. About this Equality Impact Assessment

This equality impact assessment project was sponsored by the Director of Human Resources and led by the Deputy Director, Human Resources with a project team including staff from Human Resources and the Equality and Diversity office.

This impact assessment has been conducted using the following ethnicity classifications; Asian or Asian British, Black or Black British, Chinese and Other, Mixed, and White.

Queries about this report or comments about the content should be sent in writing to Satvinder Reyatt (Head of HR for Support Services), HR Division, The Open University, P.O. Box 75, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AL

  1. Scope of the policy/process

One of the OU’s strategic priorities is to diversify our staff base to reflect an increasingly diverse student body. This policy and associated processes are key to achieving this aim.

The policy is designed to provide a fair, robust and efficient recruitment and selection process which complies with current legislation and best practice. It operates within the framework of our equality and diversity policies to ensure job applicants at all stages of the process are treated solely on the basis of their merits, regardless of age, disability, family circumstance, gender, political opinion, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, trade union membership or other distinctions.

The recruitment and selection process at the University is devolved to units (other than advertising, issuing of the contract of employment, and post appointment stages).

Heads of units are responsible for ensuring that staff involved in recruitment and selection have received appropriate training (including equality and diversity awareness) before being a member of a selection panel. The unit is responsible for liaising with HR and ensuring appropriate procedures are followed.

  1. Equality relevance

The recruitment and selection policy and processes are considered to be highlyrelevant to race equality because there is the potential for discrimination to take place, particularly forms of indirect discrimination. In addition, the policy can make a significant contribution to the promotion of equality of opportunity for people of different ethnic groups by providing careers which enhance the capabilities and status of individuals in society.

4. Data, evidence and feedback used

Quantitative data is extracted from the staff database and analysed annuallyalongside appropriate benchmarks. This dataincludes the ethnicity of all staff, and the ethnicity of applicants, interviewees and appointees.

For the purposes of this assessment we have gathered the following data broken down by ethnicity:

Internal data

  • The profile of the internal staff workforce by unit and staff category.
  • The profile of the internal staff workforce by geographical location.
  • The profile of the internal staff workforce by contract type (fixed-term or permanent).
  • The profile of job applicants, shortlisted applicants and appointments made for the past three years.
  • Data on national and international status of job applicants.
  • Data on the location, unit and job category of job applicants.
  • Feedback on the workings of the policy, including complaints.
  • Knowledge of the pro-active initiatives already in place to positively promote a diverse workforce.
  • Staff turnover data.

External benchmarks

  • Census data 2001 and population growth estimates since that time.
  • HESA staff data for 2003/2004, 2004/2005, 2005/06 and 2006/07.
  • Highest qualifications of people of working age in Englandby ethnicity (2005).

We have considered the following sources of feedback:

  • Bartlett Scott Edgar report on the selection of staff in the OU. This report was prepared in 2002 and was based on internal and external focus group work and external benchmarking. Although this report was produced some time ago we felt that some of the feedback could still be relevant.
  • Comments from staff, managers, applicants and unions.
  • Consultation carried out in respect of the Race Equality Policy with members of the Community Ambassadors Leadership Programme (a programme led by the Milton Keynes Racial Equality Council).
  • Delegate feedback from the MK Connecting Employers with Local Communities conference (which was hosted by the OU in March 2007).
  • Race Equality Policy consultation exercise with local groups and organisations.
  • Complaints to the HR Division through the established complaints procedure for recruitment and selection processes.
  • HR Policy feedback button (an e-mail link for staff to comment on adverse impact of staffing policies and procedures).
  • Comments were requested via the HR Newsletter in an article reporting the recruitment and selection impact assessment.
  • A small number of comments received from Community Groups and Community Ambassadors within Milton Keynes which were offered following a written request for feedback on experiences of applying for positions and specifically on how this might be improved (a list of community group leaders was provided by Milton Keynes Racial Equality Council).

See appendices attached to this report for examples of supporting data.

5. Assessment of impact

There has been continuous year on year growth of ethnic minority staff in the workforce. The most recent data shows a growth from 5.7% in 2005 to 6.1% in 2007, which is a slow down in growth from previous years. The ethnic minority population growth however is substantially higher, with an estimated growth of 3.8% in England between 2001 and 2003 for example, compared to a total population growth of just 0.4%. The ethnic minority population of the UK is currently estimated at more than 10%.

The proportion of ethnic minority staff in senior posts (Pro-Vice Chancellors, Deans, Professors and Heads of Administrative Units) continues to increase each year and rose from 2.9% (5) in 2004 to 4.5% (10) in 2007. There is therefore some evidence that ethnic minority staff are progressing within the OU. Staff development and progression is not the subject of this assessment so is not considered further.

Ethnic monitoring has revealed that the proportion of job applicants from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups was 17% in the year to March 2005, 19% in 2006 and 17.5% in 2007. The proportion of people from BME groups applying for work at the OU is therefore much higher than the proportion of people from BME groups in the UK population.

The same monitoring shows that the appointment rate for ethnic minority short listed applicants has improved considerably over the past three years. Improvements can be seen across all groups, with the exception of Black applicants, which remained stable. The appointment rate for Chinese and Mixed short listed applicants for example is on a par with White applicants.

In contrast, ethnic minority job applicants overall are almost half as likely to be short listed as White applicants. The short listing rate for Asian, Chinese and Mixed ethnicity applicants has improved over the past three years, but has worsened for Black applicants.

In addition, there is some evidence to suggest that ethnic minority staff are more likely to leave the OU. Three years of aggregated data showed that the voluntary turnover rate is considerably higher for Black and Asian staff, 23% (14 of 60) and 22% (21 of 95) respectively, than for White staff at 14.5%. A new system to capture exit data has been implemented which will help to understand the reasons for this.

The assessment has also revealed a number of other findings which need to be considered in our response:

  • There is significant variation in the profile of staff and the recruitment experience by location.
  • Overall, there is a higher representation of people from BME groups on fixed term contracts.
  • There are more people from BME groups in lower grades (with the exception of research staff).
  • The OU has a significantly less diverse academic workforce than that of other UK universities as a whole.
  • The OU receives a high number of international job applicants and there is some evidence that many of these are highly speculative in nature.

In summary, the assessment suggests that intervention is currently required at the short listing stage and not so much at the advertising or interview stages of the recruitment process, although the negative experience of Black applicants at the interview stage does need to be considered.

6. Promotion of equality

Actions already taken to promote equality include:

6.1New targets

New targets were agreed in 2007 as follows:

Internal Staff / Actual 2005 (%) / Actual 2006 (%) / Actual 2007 (%) / Target 2008 (%) / Target 2009 (%)
Percentage of internal staff from ethnic minority backgrounds / 5.7 / 5.9 / 6.1 / 7.1 / 8.0
Percentage of ethnic minority staff in senior posts* / 3.4 / 3.7 / 4.5 / 3.0 / 4.5

6.2Feasibility of meeting proposed targets

If voluntary staff turnover remains at around 5% each year as it has for the past two years, then to achieve an annual percentile increase of 0.5% ethnic minority staff, we will need to appoint one new ethnic minority employee for every 10 new white employees. As the proportion of ethnic minority staff has increased by this much each year for the past four years, there is good reason to believe that this trend will continue as a result of our existing processes and actions.

The target of 8% of workforce to be from ethnic minority groups by 2009 is particularly stretchingand will require additional action to be achieved. *The target for ethnic minority staff in senior posts has been met.

6.3Conference in partnership with Milton Keynes Racial Equality Council (MKREC)

To raise awareness of the OU as an employer we worked in partnership with MKREC to present a conference entitled ‘Connecting Employers with Minority Ethnic Communities’. This all day event took place in March 2007. The conference was aimed at 200 participants and was hosted by the OU. The Vice Chancellor gave the welcome speech at this event and presentations were given by local employers (including the OU) about employment with their organisations. A number of people from the community also talked about their experiences of employment and career progression. There were a number of exhibition stands at the event including one showing all current vacancies at the OU and staff were on hand to answer any questions about employment. An information pack on employment at the OU was given to each delegate - this included a questionnaire asking for views of the OU as an employer. Although the feedback from this event was limited the event raised the OU’s profile as a large local employer within the community.

6.4Learning and Development Resources

There are a wide range of resources and staff development activities to raise awareness of equality and diversity issues amongst staff. Examples of this are the Effective Recruitment and Selection courses and guide which specifically cover equality and diversity issues. As a minimum requirement every interview chair is expected to be trained in Effective Recruitment and Selection. The electronic ‘OU Knowhow’ system includes information relevant to equality and diversity (e.g. questioning techniques and giving feedback). Equality and Diversity training workshops are also run at regular intervals (some designed for all staff and some for managers).

6.5Targeted advertising

Throughout the year we placed general advertisements to raise awareness of the Open University as an employer with BME groups. Some examples of this are the Black History Month magazine, and the programme for the MOBO (Music Of Black Origin)awards.

6.6Expanding advertising areas locally to include areas with a higher representation of BME groups

A pilot exercise continues to run in HR where vacancies for HR staff are placed in Luton, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire. Evaluation is carried out through the HR Equality & Diversity Group. The pilot has not made a significant difference to the profile of HR recently, however in the past it has been successful in increasing the representation of BME staff in the OU Secretarial and Support Team. Units are encouraged to try this approach for their own vacancies.

7. Consideration of alternatives

A working group was set up during 2007 includingmembers of the HR Division and the Senior Manager Equality and Diversity, to consider actions to improve representation within the staff profile. Some of the outcomes from this meeting are summarised in the systems diagrams attached as appendices A and B. The Pro-Vice Chancellor Research and Enterprise also led a working session to consider alternative processes that could help to achieve a more diverse workforce.

The following possible actions were considered and a consultation process was carried out as to the likely effectiveness of the measures.

  • Development of an annual placement scheme to provide work experience for black and minority ethnic people for one year across some of the departments and grades where representation is currently low.
  • Identifying external funding opportunities to fund additional placements and/or apprenticeships.
  • Working with our advertising agency to analyse job advertisements and documentation to ensure that the OU is as attractive as possible to people from different ethnic groups.
  • Analysing and developing further the documentation we provide to ensure that potential job applicants are fully aware of our commitment to race equality and have adequate guidance to complete application forms to give them the best chance of being short listed.
  • Setting up a pilot scheme to provide feedback to individual applicants who do not achieve the required standard to be short listed in order to better prepare them for applying for further opportunities.
  • Setting up a pilot scheme to ensure that job application forms are completely de-personalised (removing name etc from main application) when being considered by short listing panels and evaluating the impact this has on short listing outcomes.
  • Providing detailed data to every Head of Unit about the success and failure rates of job applicants by ethnicity for the previous three years within their unit, asking for this information to be disseminated to all those involved in recruitment in the unit and encouraging greater scrutiny of short listing and interview panel decisions.
  • Providing briefings to HR Managers and Advisers to enable them to audit recruitment activity, particularly for units where black and minority ethnic staff are underrepresented.
  • Reviewing recruitment and selection processes and appointment panels to assess any impact these may be having on staff profiles.
  1. Formal consultation

A variety of sources of feedback have been considered to decide on possible action to be taken (see section 4). The draft impact assessment report was then widely publicised. A list of community group leaders was provided by the Milton Keynes Racial Equality Council and we wrote to these groups giving details of our findings and the actions which we were considering. We asked for their views about the potential effectiveness of these actions and for any comments which they (or their friends or associates) would like to make on the actions we were considering. We also asked for any general comments on our recruitment process from anyone who had applied for a job at the Open University or considered applying for one, and from anyone who had previously worked here. Milton Keynes Racial Equality Council also forwarded copies of this correspondence to Community Ambassadorswithin Milton Keynes(Community Ambassadors are a group of people who have received training set up by the Milton Keynes Racial Equality Council to participate on decision making groups in order to provide representation from different groups in the community). Unfortunately we only received three responses from these sources.

To obtain feedback from our current staff we publicised the draft report and asked for comments and views.

  1. Decisions and actions

When deciding which actions to take forward, in addition to the feedback and comments received, the economic downturn and the pending adverse effects on the University’s funding of ELQ (the government’s recent decision to stop funding students who are studying for a qualification at an equivalent or lower level to one they already hold),have been taken into consideration.

The following actions will be taken forward at this time:

  • Try to identify sources of external funding to fund additional placements and/or apprenticeships.
  • Work with our advertising agency to analyse job advertisements and documentation to ensure that the OU is as attractive as possible to people from different ethnic groups.
  • Review a small sample of posts to ensure that advertisements and documentation are attracting applicants who are suitable for the role. This will be achieved by further analysis of applicants who are not shortlisted.
  • Further analyse and developthe documentation we provide to ensure that potential job applicants are fully aware of our commitment to race equality and have adequate guidance to complete application forms to give them the best chance of being shortlisted.
  • Set up a small pilot scheme within HR to provide feedback to individual applicants (minority groups who are under-represented in the workforce i.e. applicants from BME groups, disabled applicants and men applying for support roles) who do not quite achieve the required standard to be shortlisted, in order to better prepare them for applying for further opportunities. Monitor applicant’s progress where possible.
  • Analyse feedback from a recent pilot within HR to depersonalise the application form before consideration by the shortlisting panel.
  • HR staff to work with Units to review recruitment data and activity for their units particularly for units where Black and Minority Ethnic staff are underrepresented.
  1. Monitoring arrangements

The Vice Chancellor’s Executive, Staff Co-ordinating Group, HR, Equality and Diversity Office and the Equality and Diversity Management Group monitor the following data on