Nice to see that plans to indoctrinate the nation continue apace:
Businesses have been warned by a Government watchdog they must individually quiz every member of staff on gay rights - or risk being sued for discrimination.
Industrial relations quango Acas has spent thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money drawing up a detailed 18-question test to establish whether workers are being unfair to any homosexual colleagues. Employers are advised to use the so-called ‘audit tool’ on all staff, then check their answers against a special score sheet to ensure staff do not have a bad attitude. …
Questions range from knowing how many gays live in the UK, to whether the business displays a ‘rainbow flag’ - a symbol of homosexual rights - on the premises.’
Thus far, it is not yet compulsory for employers to administer the questionnaire, but I wouldn’t bet on it staying that way. Nothing like a little bit of ‘political education’ to have us all thinking as our masters would like. How long before a Government minister endorses the Acas approach?
And what happens if some hapless employee fails the test? ‘Diversity awareness training’, no doubt. Acas are laying on free ‘consultancy’ services for any employer who feels they are falling down in this area. For ‘free’ substitute ‘taxpayer funded’, and the picture becomes clearer.
Not quite Siberia, but we’re getting there.
December 27th, 2006 at 9:56 pm
Great spot. What noncesense.
December 27th, 2006 at 10:10 pm
The Daily Mail article is a little alarmist in tone. “Businesses have been warned by a Government watchdog they must…” quickly becomes “Employers are advised”, and, given the risk of adverse publicity/possible law suit that discrimination (of any kind) can bring, it’s advice they might want to consider.
December 28th, 2006 at 5:33 pm
How utterly ridiculous and what a waste of time and resources.
December 29th, 2006 at 7:30 am
So as not to be discriminatory, we need to know what percentage of the population is gay. I neither know nor care, it’s not any of my business and the government has no right to even suggest that it might be.
Apart from a few trouble making loons, I suspect that most gays would be as horrified at this as I am.
December 29th, 2006 at 9:47 pm
I think the public should have the right to vote up or down on nutty policy implementation like this. We could have an online poll.
December 30th, 2006 at 1:29 am
Having taken a look at the ACAS site and downloaded the audit documents, I can’t see what the fuss is about. It’s a tool to assist employers in ascertaining whether their gay/lesbian/bi- staff are likely to find themselves on the receiving end of bullying or teasing and, if the organisation has equal opportunities policies in place, whether the staff are aware of them. Sounds like an eminently sensible precaution against finding yourself on the wrong end of an action brought by a disgruntled former employee for discrimination or constructive dismissal and a good way of protecting yourself against malicious and ill-founded complaints.
To my mind, Matt rather understates it when he says the article’s somewhat alarmist in tone.