An equal opportunity
Trevor Phillips, chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, is on the prowl; sitting on Andrew Marr's sofa yesterday and writing in the FT this morning. And the points he makes are interesting, given all I've written recently about the need for accountancy firms to increase their monitoring, disclosure and advancement of equal opportunities in their workplaces.
The commission intends to publish data showing which companies are leading the diversity agenda and will aim 'through awards and perhaps the Kitemark-type scheme proposed by the government to identify organisations that are ahead of the pack.'
And Phillips dangles a more valuable carrot than a piece of Perspex: 'We will help introduce rules that will ensure companies that take a equality seriously gain a bigger slice if Britain's £160bn annual public procurement budget.'
And it's what he explicitly rules out that should provide encouragement. There will be no quotas and as few lawyers as possible involved in the process.
It's all refreshing stuff. And while I'm sure others are in Philips' sights, wouldn't it be nice if accountancy firms led the way?
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