FCo Rural Estates Newsletter Spring 2022 - Flipbook - Page 22
8 – Embracing ESG in landed estates
Tabitha Juster
Although the acronym ESG (environmental, social and governance) is
very much of the moment, it crystallises concepts that have long been
growing concerns for businesses. Rural estates may not always use the
language of business to articulate their ideas, but they are businesses
nonetheless. They also occupy a highly visible role within a community,
as landlord, employer, charity, investor and more. Many estates will view
themselves as forces for good in that community and their commercial
interests will depend in part on remaining so.
Rural estates are very aware of the role they play in the environment (the ‘E’ in ESG), but
this article is about something else: equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). Again, this
is a modern formula, but also an aspect of matters of perennial concern for an estate:
its social role (the ‘S’ in ESG) and good governance (the ‘G’). It is not possible to cover
everything, but the points below will assist estates to reflect on their identity and culture
and help identify steps they may wish to take for the future.
Your estate’s starting point on EDI
Different estates will be at different stages in their thinking on culture and diversity issues,
and it can be helpful to first take stock of where your estate is starting from. This might
include analysing diversity data across aspects of your estate’s business (recruitment,
disciplinary / grievances etc). You might use surveys to assess how employees think the
estate is doing on diversity matters. The estate’s values will also be relevant to its culture.
Values will be set from the top down and must be lived at all levels of the organisation. Are
they clearly articulated and capable of being understood by employees? Are they relevant
and in line with modern day values?
Recruitment
More so than ever, employers are alert to inequalities in the workforce. The exercise above
will clarify what inequalities and diversity issues might exist in the context of your estate
and what steps might be appropriate to tackle them. You might start with a review of your
recruitment practices. The recruitment process is the first opportunity for the estate to
send a clear message about who they are to applicants and the wider world. As such,
ensuring that recruitment practices are fair is key. Reviewing your practices might include:
•
checking selection criteria / job descriptions for direct / indirect discrimination on
the grounds of any of the nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010
(age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and
maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation),
•
ensuring any equal opportunities statement is put into practice, and
•
reflecting on how to eradicate bias at the recruitment stage, for example accepting
name blind CVs and ensuring more than one person is on an interview panel.
Positive action
Positive action enables employers to take steps to improve equality for employees who
share a protected characteristic, without opening themselves up to discrimination claims.
Employers can take action to tackle a disadvantage, different need or disproportionately
low participation experienced by people with a protected characteristic, provided it is
a proportionate means of achieving one of the aims in the legislation. Positive action is
voluntary, and where an employer takes steps that satisfy the conditions, they may be able
to rely on it to defend a claim of unlawful discrimination.
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Rural Estates Newsletter
Spring 2022