Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy

Purpose

The Company are committed to championing and promoting equality, diversity, and inclusive practices within its business, with the intention of eliminating unlawful discrimination.

Each member of our workforce has the right to be fairly treated and we aim to create an inclusive environment that celebrates and values everyone within it, regardless of cultural or individual differences.

The aim of this policy is to establish clear guidance regarding equality, diversity and inclusion to ensure our commitments are in line with the Equality Act 2010. We expect all our stakeholders to be accountable for their actions and behaviours in relation to the principles outlined.

Scope

This policy applies to employees, contractors, agency staff and other stakeholders that are engaged to work for the Company.

Principles

The Company will seek to avoid any form of unlawful discrimination in all aspects of employment including recruitment, promotion, opportunities for training, pay and benefits, discipline, and selection for redundancy.

• Person and job specifications will be two of the requirements that are necessary for the effective performance of the job. Candidates for employment or promotion will be assessed objectively against the job criteria, taking account of any reasonable adjustments that may be required for those with a disability.
• We will endeavour to ensure that personal or home commitments will not form the basis of employment decisions, except where necessary to establish whether an applicant can carry out a function that is essential to the job.
• We will guarantee interviews for candidates with Disabilities who meet the minimum requirements outlined in the Job Description.
• The Company will consider any possible indirectly discriminatory effect of its standard working practices, policies and systems.
• The Company aims to ensure employees at all levels of the organisation are trained in the Company Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy and the Dignity at Work Policy and procedures.
• We will ensure a commitment to equality and diversity in our commissioning and procurement arrangements and expect suppliers and contractors to fully comply with this policy.

Protected Characteristics

The Equality Act 2010 is concerned with discrimination and harassment in respect of nine protected characteristics: age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; and sexual orientation.

The Company will provide opportunities for employees to attend training that will help support the promotion of inclusive practices to tackle stigma around Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

Types of Discrimination

Direct Discrimination

Direct discrimination occurs when someone is treated less favourably than another person because of a protected characteristic. For example, rejecting a job applicant because of their religious views or because they might be gay.

Indirect Discrimination

Indirect discrimination is a provision, criterion or practice that applies to everyone but adversely affects people with a particular protected characteristic more than others and is not justified. For example, requiring a job to be done full-time rather than part-time could adversely alienate those who have childcare commitments, giving an unfair advantage in comparison to those who don’t have any, therefore we must justify the reasoning for the position to avoid discriminatory practices.

Harassment

Harassment includes sexual harassment and other unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic, which has the purpose or effect of violating an individual’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for that individual.

Victimisation

Victimisation occurs when an employee is subjected to a detriment because they have made or supported a complaint or raised a grievance under the Equality Act or because they are suspected of doing so.

Dignity at work

The Company has a separate Dignity at Work Policy and procedure concerning issues of bullying and harassment on any ground, which can be accessed on the company intranet or by contacting a member of the HR Team.

Equal Pay

The Company recognise that to achieve equal pay for employees undertaking equal work, a rewards system which is transparent should be operated based on objective criteria and free from gender bias.

To meet these commitments, the Company shall:

• Regularly audit existing pay and reward mechanisms for all our employees, whilst analysing and identifying reasons for any significant gender variations.
• Ensure that future pay and reward packages which are developed are assessed to eliminate any direct or indirect gender bias.
• Provide guidance to managers involved in making decisions about pay and benefits.

Equal Work

The Company believes that all employees regardless of gender should receive equal pay for the same, broadly similar, ‘like’ work, or work rated as equivalent and for work of equal value, see below:

• To be in engaged in like work means the individual and their comparator of the opposite sex are doing the same work or work of a broadly similar nature without differences of practical importance.
• Work is rated as equivalent if an evaluation gives an equal value to the job in terms of demands made on the employee.
• To be engaged in work of equal value means that the jobs done by the individual and the comparator are different but can be regarded as having equal value or worth, based on the nature of the work performed, the training or skills necessary to do the job, the conditions of work and/or the decision making that is part of the role.

Monitoring

The Company will monitor the ethnic and gender composition of the existing workforce and of applicants for jobs, (including promotion) and the number of people with disabilities within these groups and will consider and take any appropriate action to address any problems which may be identified because of the monitoring process.

Positive Action

The Company may use appropriate lawful methods, including lawful positive action, to address the under representation of any group which the Company identifies as being underrepresented in these types of job. The Company may choose to favour a candidate from an under-represented minority in cases where two candidates for a job or for promotion are equally well qualified.

Grievances

If you consider that you may have been unlawfully discriminated against, you may use the Company grievance procedure to make a complaint. If your complaint involves bullying or harassment your grievance will be dealt with in line with the Dignity at Work Policy. This is except for third party harassment (e.g. from customers, suppliers, vendors or visitors) which will be dealt with entirely under the Grievance Policy. The Company will take any complaint seriously and will seek to resolve any grievance.

The person making the complaint and anyone who has supported him or her in making the complaint or given evidence in relation to such a complaint has the right not to be victimised. Disciplinary action will be taken if the Company has good reason to think that victimisation has occurred.

If a complaint is made which is not upheld and the Company has good grounds for believing that the complaint was not made in good faith, the Company will take disciplinary action against the person making the false complaint.