Equal Opportunities
1. The Company is committed to the fair treatment of its employees, job applicants, purchasers of the Company’s goods or users of its services and suppliers regardless of race, colour, ethnic or national origins, gender, religion, creed or belief, sexual orientation, marital status, responsibilities for dependants, age, disability or offending background.
2. The Company actively promotes equal opportunity for all with the right mix of talent, skills and potential and welcomes applications from a wide range of candidates, including those with criminal records. The Company selects all candidates for interview based on their skills, qualifications and experience.
3. The aim of this policy is:
3.1 to ensure that all employees, job applicants, purchasers of the Company’s goods or users of its services and suppliers will receive equal treatment regardless of race, colour, ethnic or national origins, gender, religion, creed or belief, sexual orientation, marital status, responsibilities for dependants, age, disability or offending background;
3.2 to prevent harassment in the workplace; and
3.3 is specifically addressed at sexual and racial harassment, harassment on the grounds of religion, creed or belief, age, disability, sexual orientation and bullying.
Recruitment and promotion
4. Advertisements for posts will give sufficiently clear and accurate information to enable potential applicants to assess their own suitability for the post. Information about vacant posts will be provided in such a manner that does not restrict its audience in terms of age, gender, marital status, disability, sexual orientation or religion or belief
5. All vacancies will be circulated internally including to those on maternity leave, adoption leave and paternity leave.
6. All descriptions and specifications for posts will include only requirements that are necessary and justifiable for the effective performance of the job.
7. Recruitment literature will not imply a preference for one group of applicants unless there is a genuine occupational qualification that limits the post to this particular group, in which case it must be clearly stated.
8. All selection will be conducted against defined criteria and will only deal with the applicant’s ability to do the job. Where it is necessary to ask questions relating to personal circumstances, these will be related purely to job requirements and will be asked of all candidates.
Employment
9. The Company will not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, ethnic or national origins, gender, religion, creed or belief, sexual orientation, marital status, responsibilities for dependants, age, or disability in the allocation of duties between employees employed at any level with comparable job descriptions.
10. The Company will put in place any reasonable measures and or adjustments within the workplace for those employees who become disabled during employment or for disabled appointees.
11. All employees will be considered solely on their merits for career development and promotion with equal opportunities for all.
Training
12. Employees will be provided with appropriate training as necessary in accordance with the Company’s training and development policy regardless of their race, colour, ethnic or national origins, gender, religion, creed or belief, sexual orientation, marital status, responsibilities for dependants, age, or disability.
Harassment and victimisation
13. Harassment is particular behaviour by one person which another person finds unacceptable or unwelcome or is unwanted conduct that has the purpose or effect of violating another person’s dignity, or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for him.
Examples of harassment:
• physical contact;
• verbal or non verbal conduct;
• victimisation including but not limited to unjustified criticism that occurs on more than one occasion, punishment imposed without reasonable justification and changes in the duties or responsibilities of the employee to the employee’s detriment without reasonable justification;
• name calling;
• abusive language;
• mockery;
• jokes; and
• bullying or intimidation of a general nature or that specifically is targeted at someone because of their religion, creed, or belief, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability or ethnic origin.
14. These examples are not exclusive or exhaustive and conduct of a similar nature may be dealt with under this procedure.
15. The Company will treat all allegations of harassment seriously.
16. You have a personal responsibility and duty to ensure the practical application of this policy and to help promote a working environment consistent with a policy of equal opportunity for all employees. You have a responsibility to ensure that you do not discriminate against or harass employees, job applicants, purchasers of the Company’s goods or users of its services and suppliers during the course of your employment. You should report any discriminatory action or act of harassment of which you are aware to the person named on the Term Sheet.
17. If you believe that the Company has applied inequitable treatment to you within the scope of this policy, or you are the subject of harassment, you should firstly attempt to resolve the matter informally, if appropriate, by raising the matter with the alleged discriminator or harasser and involving the person named on the Term Sheet if necessary.
18. If it is inappropriate to try to resolve the matter informally or such attempts have failed then you should raise the matter formally in accordance with the Company’s grievance procedures.
Enforcement of this policy
19 Disciplinary action will be taken in accordance with the Company’s disciplinary procedures against any employee who acts in breach of this policy.
20 Consistent application of this policy will assist in the creation of the right environment for its success and it is for each employee to make his or her own contribution to ensure that this success is maintained.
21 The Management is responsible for the implementation of this policy and ensuring compliance with it. This policy will be monitored by the Company to judge its effectiveness. If changes are required, the Company will implement them
Monitoring
22. The Company will review this policy from time to time and may amend or modify any part thereof in in the light of revised guidance and or best practice.
