Asking your sexual orientation at work

[wakeupandsmellthecoffee]

Weird question I know but at work today boss was filling out new member of staffs form .
One of the questions was ie white hetrosexual femail
I know I haven't explained this properly .
It's just that I thought this is so wrong as it's no ones business what your preference is .
She said it was data and it was to make sure that they were employing fairly

I know how they're used in my company kim which is why I have a good understanding of equality impact, and would passionately defend it.

Perhaps andrew doesn't have much knowledge or experience of it, which causes him to be suspicious. Even the explanation given to the OP wasn't very good, because it didn't tell her how it's used and who sees it.

Some companies do that Chelsy, use the info and look at pay and level of rule etc

Role ffs not rule

What would be useful would be monitoring different levels of pay between different genders and different ethnic groups

That type of monitoring is done as part of equality impact.

If there's no "prefer not to say" option just leave the question out if you want to.

Salary monitoring is too piecemeal to be genuinely useful to employees.

The employers use it and it can be useful in larger companies to reveal inequalities and anonymous which they can then correct.

Are you involved in equality impact monitoring, Chelsy?

If the company you work for has to tender for it's work, they often have to say what percentage of the employees are women, ethnic minorities, etc
You can always refuse to say. It's asked once you've been employed and the information is kept by HR and is strictly confidential

A very small number of organisations working with vulnerable adults in a residential situation would ask the question because they cannot allow a male worker to work with vulnerable females, so to be fair they shouldn't allow females who prefer females in the same situation.
This is strictly monitored but is dependent on people not refusing to say and answering honestly.

Gods sake typing sense in this thing is impossible! Sorry.

This is a question on all our work surveys. I always select 'other'

Questions about sexual orientation, religion, or trans-gender status should not be asked even for statistical or so -called monitoring purposes

Rubbish. Provided it is not used to inform a recruitment decision or similar it is fine to ask this question. Organisations need this kind of information so that they can see if there are any patterns emerging indicating discrimination in some parts of the business which then allows them to take action to address any problems. It can also be useful as evidence if they are taken to tribunal for alleged discrimination.

kim147 If the employer sets a quota that is misuse.

But where there is an imbalance of power even to ask such intrusive questions as your religion and your orientation is abusive. If you think you must, you must; but no names on the form, include a prefer-not option; and shred them when you have counted them.

My employer asks for information on "protected characteristics" and I can say categorically it is used for above board purposes and not to discriminate. As a major employer in the area, it is right that it compares its workforce to local demographics and where significant discrepancies occur, it will review its recruitment practices - eg consider where it places adverts - or try and find whether it is perceived as having barriers to particular sections of society.

In my office 90% refused to answer the orientation and religion questions and 70% the race question. Not, I think, mainly in fear of misuse or discrimination but because they regard such matters as personal and private.

So the figures are worthless for tribunal or for monitoring purposes and it is JTB. Does anyone suggest that we should be required to answer?

Where has anyone suggested that you should be required to answer?

If you're not interested in the benefits of equality impact no one can make you concerned about it. I think it's rather sad though and I'd ask questions about the thos of an organisation where people were so entrenched in being obstructive.

ethos

sorry.

I'd also be somewhat interested in the demographic of all those people refusing to answer.

Do you want to go back to the days when equality wasn't monitored at all, and people from minorities were regarded with suspicion?

How can your race be regarded as a private and personal matter?

If the employer sets a quota that is misuse

Where has anyone suggested that should happen?

Incidentally how do you know that In my office 90% refused to answer the orientation and religion questions and 70% the race question?

The refusal rate was published.

Ilovesooty is scaring me. What have the demographics of people refusing to answer got to do with anything or anyone? It seems like the Stasi to me.

The refusal rate was published? I'm wondering how it was published, and what the company hoped to gain by doing so.

So do you want to return to the days when diversity wasn't monitored at all, and people from minorities were regarded with suspicion?