The equality legislation framework has developed significantly since its inception in the 1970s, and the past decade has seen the introduction of the public sector duties from 2001 onwards, and most recently, the passage into law of the Equality Act.
These legislative developments have come to play a key role in shaping employment policies for all employers, and many large employers now set out explicitly to achieve and sustain high levels of labour market participation from the different equality target groups. Citizenship is closely related with participation in the labour market and equality of opportunity in employment contributes substantially to social cohesion. At an organisational level equality policies and legislation have significant implications for the management of human resources in the workplace. They require the development of leadership capabilities to deliver fair and inclusive employment practices as part of organisations’ corporate social responsibility.