What are the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010?

The Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination on the basis of nine protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. The Act makes both direct and indirect discrimination unlawful in the workplace.

What is unconscious bias?

Unconscious bias is the automatic, unintended assumptions we make about people based on characteristics such as age, race or sex. It rarely shows up as deliberate prejudice; instead it shapes everyday choices about who gets hired, heard, promoted or trusted. Recognising it helps staff make fairer, better-informed decisions.

Why does diversity and inclusion matter to financial services firms?

Beyond the legal baseline of the Equality Act 2010, a more inclusive firm makes better decisions and delivers fairer outcomes for customers, which is exactly what regulators expect a healthy culture to produce. Bias and exclusion also expose firms to legal claims, reputational damage and weaker decision-making over time.

Ethics & culture

Diversity, Equality & Inclusion

Build an inclusive workplace by explaining the Equality Act, tackling bias and discrimination, and showing how diversity supports better outcomes.

Duration: ~20 min Accreditation: CPD accredited (CII) Last updated: April 2026 Reviewed by: Margaret Hassett

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What is diversity, equality and inclusion and why does it matter?

Diversity, equality and inclusion describe how a firm treats people fairly and draws strength from their differences. The UK legal baseline is the Equality Act 2010, which protects people from discrimination on nine protected characteristics, including age, disability, race, sex and religion or belief, and outlaws both direct and indirect discrimination.

Who needs diversity, equality and inclusion training?

This training is designed for all employees and managers across the firm, because culture is built by everyone, day in and day out. Bias and exclusion surface in everyday choices about who gets hired, heard, promoted or trusted, so awareness has to reach beyond HR into every team and decision.

What does diversity, equality and inclusion training cover?

The training explains protected characteristics and the difference between direct and indirect discrimination in plain English. It helps staff recognise unconscious bias in their own everyday decisions and shows how inclusion supports a stronger culture and fairer customer outcomes. It also gives people the confidence to challenge discrimination and the knowledge of how to report it.

What does the regulator expect on diversity and inclusion?

Beyond the legal baseline of the Equality Act 2010, the FCA expects a healthy culture that produces fair customer outcomes, and treats diversity and inclusion as a driver of better decision-making and risk management. Bias and exclusion, if left unaddressed, expose firms to legal claims, reputational damage and weaker decisions over time.

What your team will learn

Identify protected characteristics and discrimination under the Equality Act 2010
Recognise unconscious bias and its effect on decisions
Explain how inclusion supports culture and customer outcomes
Recognise how to challenge and report discrimination

What's included

~20 min of focused, scenario-based learning
CPD accredited (CII)
Built-in quiz with a configurable pass mark
Reviewed and kept current with UK regulation
Time-stamped completion records for your audit trail

How it works

Assign it in seconds

Enrol a team, a role or your whole firm from the CityREPORTS dashboard, with automated reminders that chase completion for you.
Your team completes it

Learners work through the course at their own pace on any device, finishing with a short assessment that demonstrates understanding.
Evidence it to the regulator

Every completion is time-stamped and retained, so you can prove the right people did the right training at any moment.

Frequently asked questions

What are the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010?: The Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination on the basis of nine protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. The Act makes both direct and indirect discrimination unlawful in the workplace.
What is the difference between direct and indirect discrimination?: Direct discrimination is treating someone less favourably because of a protected characteristic. Indirect discrimination occurs when a policy or practice that applies to everyone puts people sharing a protected characteristic at a particular disadvantage, and cannot be objectively justified. Both are unlawful under the Equality Act 2010.
What is unconscious bias?: Unconscious bias is the automatic, unintended assumptions we make about people based on characteristics such as age, race or sex. It rarely shows up as deliberate prejudice; instead it shapes everyday choices about who gets hired, heard, promoted or trusted. Recognising it helps staff make fairer, better-informed decisions.
Why does diversity and inclusion matter to financial services firms?: Beyond the legal baseline of the Equality Act 2010, a more inclusive firm makes better decisions and delivers fairer outcomes for customers, which is exactly what regulators expect a healthy culture to produce. Bias and exclusion also expose firms to legal claims, reputational damage and weaker decision-making over time.