The clock is ticking on the Equality Bill. Is your organisation ready for 2027?
On 25 March 2026, the Government confirmed its commitment to mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for all employers with 250 or more employees, one of the most significant new HR compliance requirements in a decade.
Draft legislation has been published, action plans will be mandatory, and named employer data will be made public. The question is not whether your organisation will need to report, but whether you will be ready when the time comes.
This half-day online conference gives HR, reward, and D&I professionals the legal grounding, practical frameworks, and real-world case studies they need to audit their data, engage their workforce, and build a credible action plan before the legislation lands.
What you will take away:
A clear understanding of what the draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill requires, and when.
Practical guidance on collecting ethnicity and disability data, including how to increase disclosure rates.
A 90-day data audit framework you can use immediately.
Lessons from UK voluntary reporters, including KPMG and Channel 4, alongside international precedents.
A roadmap for building your action plan and managing board and media scrutiny of your published figures.
This introduction, paired with your updated agenda and learning outcomes, creates a highly compelling case for why professionals need to book a ticket right now.
Recording: If you cannot attend the event live, we can send a link post-event to watch the recording. Cost: £195 +VAT - please contact registrations@bfi.co.uk.
CPD eligible - certificate of attendance provided, with hours and content confirmed for your professional body.
- The Equality (Race and Disability) Bill: What the draft legislation confirms, what is still pending, and the likely implementation timeline.
- Mandatory reporting metrics: The six measures employers must publish, including mean and median pay gaps, bonus gaps, and pay quartile distribution.
- Defining ethnicity and disability: How to apply the ONS framework for ethnicity and the Equality Act definition of disability, including neurodiversity.
- Data collection and disclosure rates: Strategies for increasing self-identification, handling non-disclosure, and managing the "small numbers" problem.
- Workforce breakdown reporting: The new requirement to disclose the proportion of employees who declined to share their demographic data.
- Mandatory action plans: How action plan requirements under the Employment Rights Act 2025 will extend to race and disability reporting.
- Legal and equal pay risks: How published gap data may interact with equal pay claims and existing Equality Act obligations.
- International and voluntary case studies: What Australia, South Africa, KPMG, Channel 4, and Business Disability Forum members can teach UK employers.
- HRIS and technology readiness: Assessing your current systems and engaging payroll and HR technology vendors.
- Narrative and reputational risk management: How to present published gap data credibly, including board briefing and media preparation.
09:30 to 09:40 | Chair's Opening Remarks: The Regulatory Moment
Welcome and scene-setting from the Conference Chair.
The transition from voluntary to mandatory reporting and what to expect from the morning.
09:40 to 10:25 | Opening Keynote: The Legal Landscape - Navigating the Government's Confirmed Mandatory Reporting Framework
The six mandatory reporting metrics and how they mirror/differ from gender pay gap reporting.
Defining disability and ethnicity: the Equality Act 2010, the ONS 18-category framework, and handling non-disclosure.
Mandatory action plans under the Employment Rights Act 2025.
Liability risks: navigating equal pay exposure and UK GDPR.
Audience Q&A (10 mins)
10:25 to 11:05 | Panel Discussion: The Data Deficit & The Small Numbers Problem
Why ethnicity and disability data is harder to collect than gender.
Conducting an HR system data audit and managing disclosure rates.
How to handle workforce breakdown when employees decline to share data, and the risk of identifying individuals.
Structural causes of pay gaps: job evaluation, bonus discretion, progression.
11:05 to 11:15 | Comfort Break
11:15 to 11:55 | Employer Spotlight: Lessons from Voluntary Reporters
- Building the internal business case for early/voluntary reporting.
- Overcoming poor initial disclosure rates and building psychological safety.
- How transparent reporting builds employee trust, even when a significant gap is published.
- Lessons learned and what they had to change structurally as a result.
11:55 to 12:40 | Closing Panel: The 90-Day Readiness Roadmap & Reputation Management
Encouraging disclosure: communication strategies that double self-ID rates.
Writing a meaningful narrative: how to handle a large gap figure and add genuine context without sounding defensive.
Linking reporting to structural HR policy reforms, not just aspirational commitments.
Stakeholder management: briefing the board, engaging trade unions, and preparing for media scrutiny.
12:40 to 13:00 | Ask the Experts: Final Open Forum
Chaired panel Q&A bringing all the morning’s speakers back on screen.
Questions submitted in advance and live via the platform.
Three key takeaways from the Chair and signposting to further BFI resources.
13:00 | End of Conference
- Zara Nanu MBE, founder of Gapsquare and author of an upcoming book on fair pay in the age of AI, joining our data deficit panel
- Christos Tsaprounis, People and Culture Director at Auto Trader, sharing the Auto Trader voluntary reporting journey as a case study
- Kadie Philp, Pay Equity Commissioner, Government of Ontario, bringing an international comparative perspective on mandatory pay equity reporting
This conference is designed for:
- HR Directors, HR Managers and HR Business Partners responsible for compliance and workforce reporting
- D&I, EDI and People Analytics leads building the data infrastructure for pay gap reporting
- Reward and Compensation Managers who will own the reporting methodology and gap analysis
- Legal, Employment Law and Company Secretary teams advising on obligations and risk
- Senior HR practitioners in organisations with 200 or more employees who need to prepare now, ahead of the 250-employee threshold
Particularly relevant for employers in financial services, professional services, retail, healthcare, higher education and the public sector, where ethnicity and disability pay gaps are under active scrutiny.
By the end of the conference, delegates will be able to:
- Explain the mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting framework, including the six reporting metrics, workforce breakdown requirements and action plan obligations
- Identify the key differences between ethnicity and disability reporting and the existing gender pay gap reporting regime, and understand where greater complexity arises
- Conduct an initial data audit to assess their organisation's current readiness, identify disclosure rate gaps and prioritise remedial action
- Apply proven communication strategies to increase employee self-identification rates while maintaining psychological safety and GDPR compliance
- Draft a credible action plan that links reported pay gap data to structural HR policy reforms
- Manage internal and external stakeholder expectations including board, unions and media, ahead of mandatory publication of employer-level data
What does BFI specialise in?
BFI provides expert-led training in HR compliance, employment law, immigration for employers, union relations, workplace inclusion, and AI and talent solutions.
Who typically attends your courses?
Attendees include HR managers, legal teams, compliance officers, operations leaders, and public sector employers.
Are your trainers practitioners?
Yes. All trainers are experienced specialists; we feature practitioners from the public and private sectors as well as lawyers, policy advisers, former regulators, and consultants.
How do I book a course?
Choose an event on the website and click Register. You can pay online with a credit card or request an invoice.
Do you accept purchase orders?
Yes. Public and private-sector organisations may use PO numbers. These can be added during the registration process, or can be retrospectively added to am invoice if the place has been booked already.
We need to set you up as a Supplier, can you complete a form or send me over your company information?
Yes, we can do either; please contact us via info@bfi.co.uk
Can I get a PO number added to our invoice?
Yes, please send details through to info@bfi.co.uk or reply to us using your confirmation email
Do you offer group discounts?
Yes. Discounts for multiple bookings are automatically applied at checkout. For groups of over ten, it may be more cost-effective to run the course in-house. Call 01983 861133 for details
Can I transfer my place to another date or colleague?
Yes. Substitutions are free, and transfers are typically allowed within a set timeframe.
What is your cancellation policy?
BFI follows standard UK training-industry cancellation terms.
How are online courses delivered?
Training is delivered live via Zoom with interactive Q\&A and case-based discussion.
Will I receive slides and supporting materials?
Yes. Attendees receive slides, templates (where relevant), and many other useful documents and links.
Will I receive a copy of the event recording?
Our monthly subscription and webinar clients receive recordings of the live sessions; otherwise we do not record our courses to encourage confidential discussion and questions under the Chatham House Rule
What time zone are online events delivered in?
All events are delivered in UTC / London time unless otherwise stated
What is included in in-person events?
Full-day training includes refreshments, full documentation which is emailed prior to the event and networking opportunities.
Are your venues accessible?
Yes. All venues are fully accessible.
Is your training CPD certified?
All our courses are either CPD accredited or CPD eligible, so every certificate of attendance can count towards your CPD requirements. Look out for the CPD badge on each course page to see which applies.
Can I ask questions about my organisation’s situation?
Yes. Trainers answer questions during the session and can respond afterward.
Will the training help us prepare for an audit?
Yes, on our audit courses you will learn what triggers visits, what officers look for, and how to evidence compliance.
Will I receive a certificate?
Yes. All attendees receive a digital certificate of course completion.
Do you offer private or in-house training?
Yes. All courses can be tailored for your team. Visit https://bfi.co.uk/team-training/
Can I ask questions about my organisation's situation?
Yes. Our trainers answer questions live during sessions and can follow up briefly afterwards, but we don't offer ongoing case-by-case advice by email. If you need dedicated support on a specific situation, we offer paid consultancy - contact us to find out more.
Do you offer consultancy?
Yes. BFI offers policy reviews, audit preparation, HR compliance support, and workforce advisory services.