Full range of Seminars for 2011
Weave Consulting is offering a portfolio of seminars aimed at different industry sectors. All the seminars are designed to assist organizations to come in line with national and European policy and legislation concerning equality and diversity at the workplace, thus mitigating the risks of being faced with lengthy, costly and embarrassing proceedings.
The seminars additionally provide participants with concrete pro-active diversity management strategies and methods that can be easily be implemented in order to ensure compliance, whilst increasing efficiency, creativity and productivity amongst the workforce and vis a vis the clients of the organisation.
Diversity Awareness for Teachers
As the student population becomes more diverse in terms of racial and ethnic backgrounds; religious beliefs; expectations of pupils of different genders; and disability amongst other factors, teachers need enhanced sensitivity and cultural awareness to ensure that they create an environment within which ALL their students can equally thrive and achieve.
Moreover, teachers personally, together with the school administration, need to ensure that they are in line with the principles enshrined in the relevant policies and local and European legislation, to avoid tarnishing their reputation and end up in unnecessary and unpleasant administrative or legal proceedings, which often end up reported in the media.
This seminar is therefore aimed at arming teachers with the knowledge required to enhance their sensitivity towards these issues and with concrete strategies that they can utilize to ensure inclusive classrooms and curricula.
Preventing and addressing harassment in schools
Bullying and Harassment in general, together with sexual harassment, have perhaps always existed within any diverse mix, however it is generally agreed that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable within an educational setting. Not only, but harassment on the basis on gender, religion, race, age, disability and sexual orientation are strictly prohibited by law. Sexual harassment additionally constitutes a criminal offence and exposes both the school and the individuals concerned school to much embarrassment.
The aim of this seminar is therefore that of assisting educators to be able to detect the various forms of harassment when they occur, and to react responsibly, and in line with the relevant legislation. Participants will moreover be informed about methods that can be utilized to prevent such events from occurring, and thus be able to take a proactive approach rather than merely reacting following the occurrence of an incident.
Equality and Diversity at the Workplace
As demographics continue to shift, the face of the population, and hence of our workforce is in constant change. Our workforce has become truly diverse, in terms of gender, age, religion, race, disability, social class, political belief and sexual orientation, for instance. Those employers who do not recognize the importance of managing these differences in the most possible ways do not only risk of found to be non-compliant with the relevant legislation, but to lose productivity if tensions created by this diversity are not managed proactively.
The aim of this seminar is therefore to sensitize participants, particularly employees at managerial and supervisory levels, about the diverse characteristics which make up our workforce; to brief them about the requirements of the relevant legislation; and to present concrete strategies that can be utilized to implement effective diversity management to promote harmony and productivity amongst the workforce.
Equality and Diversity : Public Sector Policies and Procedures
For those coming from the public sector, the above course is designed to reflect the obligations emanating from the Public Service Management Code and other policies applicable specifically to public sector departments and entities.
Disability equality at the place of work
Disability equality legislation has now become well embedded within our legal framework. Moreover, stage agencies keep a watchful eye to ensure that such legislation is fully complied with, and assist persons wishing to make a claim for unfair treatment. The aim of such legislation is to ensure that workplaces are truly inclusive and do not discriminate, either directly or indirectly, against persons with one of the many forms of recognized disabilities.
The aim of this seminar is therefore to sensitize participants about the various forms of disability, including those that are clearly visible and those that are more ‘ hidden’; to brief them about the scope of the relevant legislation; and to present them with concrete strategies that can be adopted to ensure that persons with disability, including both employees and clients, are not discriminated by the organization.
Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) persons : A new concern for employers?
‘Gay rights’ are becoming increasingly important on the local and international political spheres. Legislation has been one of the drivers for the promotion of gay rights both within the workplace and in society at large. Additionally, the setting up of specific sections within political parties and trade unions is empowering persons to have their rights enforced at the place of work. Employers who do not comply with relevant policy and legislation are therefore exposing themselves to high risk.
This seminar is therefore designed to assist participants, particularly those at managerial and supervisory levels, to gain insight on the various facets of sexual orientation; to be briefed about the scope of the relevant legislation; and to understand concrete strategies and techniques that can be applied to deter discrimination at the place of work, both with regards their employees and their clients.
Anti-discrimination in Insurance and Financial Services
The drive to promote equality and eliminate discrimination has now moved beyond the workplace, and is slowly being extended to the provision of goods and services in general, particularly financial services. This can be seen through the adoption of specific legal instruments seeking to eliminate discrimination in the provision of such services. Persons who feel aggrieved can additionally seek free redress through free assistance by state entities.
Financial services providers therefore need to be au courant with the requirements of the relevant legislation, to ensure that they develop and sell products which are in full conformity with the provisions of the said legislation.
This course is therefore designed to provide participants with an understanding of what constitutes discrimination, whether direct or indirect; to brief them about the scope of the relevant legislation and the duties applicable to them in order to fully comply with such legislation; and to present concrete tools and techniques to develop and sell products without discriminating either directly or indirectly against their clients and employees.
Preventing sexual harassment at the Workplace
Recently enacted legislation prohibits sexual harassment at workplaces and educational establishments, and imposes a responsibility on management to prevent such sexual harassment.
Sexual harassment can range from minor cases of disrespect to more serious acts requiring the intervention of public authorities.
Sexual harassment at work is a crime that could be punishable with imprisonment of up to 6 months and/or a fine of over € 2300. Moreover, a claim of sexual harassment can seriously dent the reputation of an organization and all those involved, and can have serious repercussions on both professional and family life.
This course is therefore aimed at providing participants with a clear understanding of what constitutes sexual harassment, and to present them with effective management strategies designed to prevent sexual harassment, and to mitigate the consequences of such scenarios if and when such cases do arise.
Sexual Harassment : Public Sector Policies and Procedures
For those coming from the public sector, the above course is designed to reflect the obligations emanating from the Public Service Management Code and other policies applicable specifically to public sector departments and entities.
Mainstreaming Gender equality in Business Processes
The term gender equality has now extended beyond merely preventing discrimination between persons of different sexes, towards ensuring that workplaces are equally conducive not only to men and women on an equal footing, but also to those with or without family responsibilities, for instance. The fact that the legal meaning of gender equality includes both direct and indirect forms of discrimination, a clear understanding of the implications of this definition is required by employers who want to ensure that they not only comply with the relevant legislation, but who also want to reap the full potential of ALL their employees, in order to increase performance and productivity. Gender mainstreaming is a strategy which organizations can utilize to reach this goal.
Participants will therefore be briefed about the scope of gender mainstreaming strategy, the tools that can be applied to implement this strategy, and presented with scenarios within which such a strategy can be applied.
Diversity and the Media
Media organizations carry a huge responsibility in terms of the effect that they have on the collective psyche. It is for this reason that local legislation places an onus on media organizations to promote equality and to prevent portrayals which promote stereotypes and discrimination. Without a clear understanding of what constitutes direct and indirect discrimination, and the responsibility which the relevant legislation places upon them however, media organizations are exposing themselves to falling foul with the law and risk being faced by proceedings by state entities.
This seminar is therefore designed to assist media organizations to understanding the implications of the term ‘equal treatment’ in relation to various grounds, including gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age and political belief. Moreover, participants will be briefed about the scope of the relevant legislation. Additionally, participants will be presented with concrete methods that can be applied to produce more inclusive products and services.
Addressing Discrimination in the Hospitality Industry
Whilst showing that the face of the workforce is increasingly becoming more diverse in terms of gender expectations, age, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, political belief and social class amongst other factors, research also shows that harassment and discrimination within the hospitality industry is very widespread. This poses a real concern for those employers within the hospitality industry who wish to increase productivity amongst their workforce, and who wish to attract and retain the best talent to fill the posts within their organization.
This seminar is therefore designed for those managers within hotels and restaurants who wish to learn more about diversity itself, and the practice of diversity management as a tool to increase productivity and efficiency within the organization. In this regard, participants will not only be briefed with the requirements and scope of the relevant legislation, but they will also be presented with concrete methods that can be applied to ensure that diversity is managed proactively and effectively.
All courses are delivered in house, and include interactive question and answer sessions as well as workshops where the participants can experiment with applying the information presented, under the guidance of the tutor Dr Roberta Lepre.
Weave Consulting is additionally offering its client the possibility of booking a 90 minute consultation for the price of € 65 (excl. VAT)
For more information to to reserve a seminar please contact us via email or by calling us on 00356 2138 2353/00356 9983 5301.