The Equality and Human Rights Commission has been working with smaller businesses to find out how best they can support those that don’t have in-house HR or Legal advice. As a result they have developed a series of guides tailored to the specific needs of small and medium sized businesses.

Workplace policies that prevent discrimination and protect and promote people’s rights to an inclusive and safe working environment can not only reduce costs but enable you to retain and attract the best staff and improve your productivity and performance.

The Commission's guide: The Equality Act: Guidance for Small Businesses is designed to help smaller businesses to understand key legal definitions set out in the Equality Act 2010 and offers practical advice in managing important business challenges. The guide is divided into 3 parts:

• Equality Act guide part 1: Understanding legal definitions of discrimination and unlawful behaviour in the Equality Act.
• Equality Act guide part 2: Your role as an employer under the Equality Act.
• Equality Act guide part 3: Your role as a service provider under the Equality Act.