Equality and Diversity

There are many misunderstandings for employersChronic Fatigue Syndrome, it would no doubt be
and employees with regards to equality andconsidered a disability while it lasted, which can be
diversity and new laws that have been adopted insome time. You can't be sacked for having ME
the UK recently.and being away from work. Before the medical
Some Common Misconceptionsprofession recognised ME as a serious and
There are many misunderstandings for employersincapacitating disease, some employers thought
and employees with regards to equality andthe sufferer to be a malingerer.
diversity and new laws that have been adopted inSome employers believe that age discrimination
the UK recently.applies only to more experience people. Not so -
Acas the Conciliation and Advisory Service, whichrecruiters have been strongly advised how to
set up over 100 years ago in the UK to assistwrite their advertisements when looking for
and help mediate differences between workerssomeone with so many years experience for a
and management (rather old fashioned termsjob. The answer is do not mention length of
now), identified and discussed some of theseexperience. If a person is young, but completely
issues on its website recently. ACAS discussedcapable of performing a certain job, they have
age prejudice, pregnancy concerns and racethe right to be considered.
discrimination.The continuing argument goes on about equality in
When advertising for a fluent language speakerpay for men and women and while most
for language jobs, preferably a native, you mayWestern working societies do make sincere
not use the words mother tongue, regardless ofefforts to observe equality and diversity in the
the fact, for example, that a French person isworkplace, many countries do still fall down in their
likely to be the most fluent in French. Motherefforts. In the end it all comes down to care and
tongue is considered discriminatory. In thecommon sense. Care for each other and our
translation industry, mother tongue is a mustneeds and common sense about what is workable
when translating into the target (your own)and practical.Last night I saw an extraordinary
language, but the words target and source areshort film on the way to treat each other called
used, rather than native.'Binta & the Great Idea' ( Binta y la Gran Idea)-
It seems that disability is one issue that concernsone of the producers/distributors is the UN and if
employers and what determines a disability? If ayou have the opportunity, do see it.
person develops ME, the debilitating disease