Ofcom: An online resource to promote equal opportunities

On 1 November 2016, Ofcom launched an online resource providing practical advice on assessing and improving the way broadcasters promote equal opportunities. It comes under the form of a toolkit on the Ofcom website and is meant to put into practice the guidance produced by Ofcom with the Equality and Human Rights Commission from 2015, entitled "Think Outside the Box".

Divided into four parts, the toolkit explains the role of Ofcom in promoting equality and diversity, provides guidance (along with existing examples) for broadcasters to improve diversity inside their organisation and links to other websites and documents related to diversity policies.

The part that provides guidance on how to improve on diversity focuses on the following items:

• Getting started: the meaning and importance of equality and diversity in an organisation

• Monitoring and reviewing: ensuring that a strategy is reaching the goals set out in its equality policy and supporting action plan

• Recruitment and finding new talents: the commercial and creative benefits of diversity within the organisation

• Training inclusion and development: motivating all talent through an inclusive and fair workplace

Each of those items provides various information aiming to help broadcasters improve their internal equal opportunities policy.

Ofcom has also announced the upcoming launch of a new annual Diversity in Broadcasting monitoring programme, gathering a wide range of data on equal opportunities to get a more comprehensive picture of broadcasters' actions to promote and encourage diversity. It is planned to launch by the end of the year and to collect data in early 2017, in order for the collected data to be included in the first report on Diversity in Broadcasting before the summer of the same year.

• Ofcom Website : Broadcaster guidance and resources on how to improve on diversity

• Equality and Human Rights Commission 2015: "Think Outside the Box

Source: Ofcom Website