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:[3]

• 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[4]

The NES was launched in May 2013 at the British Museum. Since then many businesses have signed up[5] and the Standard has received significant media attention and news coverage.[6]

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.[7] He has recently been recognised as one of Britain's most influential Asians for leading the establishment of the NES.[8]

Batra is supported by Harry Gaskell, the managing partner of Ernst & Young's UK and Ireland advisory Practice and Head of D&I, and the Chair of the Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion (ENEI).[9]Sir David Bell has been appointed as the Non-executive Chair of the steering committee that drives the development of the NES.[8]

Through the NES, companies are subjected to an EDI assessment which has been devised by the NES Board and EY.[10] The NES Assessment provides companies with a comprehensive quality review of their EDI policies and practices, identifies areas for improvement and provides implementation recommendations.[2] Each company that undertakes the NES undergoes assessment against a predefined set of criteria across seven standards. Trained NES Assessors review documentation, ensure legal compliance, conduct comprehensive interviews and sample staff through in-depth surveys. The outcome is detailed in a comprehensive report.[11]

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.”[12]