National Equality Standard

The NES has been developed and sponsored by Ernst & Young, supported by the Equality & Human Rights Commission (EHRC), the Home Office and the Confederation of British Industry and developed in partnership with the following UK and global companies:[2]

• BHP
• Bright Ideas Trust
• BT Group
• Cisco
• EDF Energy
• Green Park
• Lawn Tennis Association
• Linklaters
• Microsoft UK
• National Grid
• Nestlé
• Pearn Kandola
• Pearson
• Roast
• Royal Bank of Scotland
• Vodafone
• WPP[3]

The NES was launched in May 2013 at the British Museum and since then many businesses have signed up[4] and the Standard has received significant media attention and news coverage.[5]

Arun Batra is the CEO and founder of the NES. Prior to his position at Ernst & Young, he ran the Mayor's "Diversity Works" programme in London[6] and has recently been recognised as one of Britain's most influential Asians for leading the establishment of the NES.[7]

Arun is supported by Harry Gaskell, the managing partner of Ernst Young's UK & Ireland advisory Practice and Head of D&I, and the Chair of the Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion (enei).[8]Sir David Bell has been appointed as the Non-executive Chair of the steering committee that drives the development of the NES.[7]

Through the NES, companies are subjected to a robust EDI assessment which has been devised by the NES Board and EY.[9] The NES Assessment provides companies with a comprehensive quality review of their EDI policies and practices, identifies areas for improvement and provides implementation recommendations.[10] Each company that undertakes the NES undergoes a robust assessment against a defined set of criteria across 7 standards. Trained NES Assessors review documentation, ensure legal compliance, conduct comprehensive interviews and sample staff through in-depth surveys. The outcome is detailed inns a comprehensive report.[11]

The objectives of the NES are to provide an assessment tool which:

• Aims to significantly impact the way diversity and inclusion is integrated into everyday business activity across the country
• Provides a single reference point incorporating all elements of the Equality Act 2010
• Enables businesses to undertake a comprehensive assessment specifically focused on EDI
• Consists of best practice standards that can be applied to any business sector or size
• Provides a pragmatic solution to EDI that rewards ambition
• Supports the private sector by providing one recognisable holistic framework for industry good practice
• Enables companies to showcase their businesses as leaders in this field
• Bridges the gap between legal requirements and best practice[12]

The feedback from those undertaking assessments has been positive; Tina Southall, Director, Diversity and Inclusion at Vodafone Group Services described the assessment process in an interview:

“The assessment process was excellent. It really captured both the macro status but also important details. It consisted of an in-depth review of materials and a very professional and well structured audit. It provided thought provoking insights combined with pragmatic and actionable recommendations. The Standard has potential to drive a real change in Equality Standards.”[13]