EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY POLICY 1 - Equality And Diversity Policy

EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY POLICY

 

POLICY STATEMENT

  1. Adgiftdiscounts aims to be an exemplar organisation, demonstrating excellence in equality and diversity. We strive to be inclusive through respecting one another, promoting and achieving equality of opportunity, and valuing diversity, and providing an accessible, responsive service to our customers.

PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF POLICY

  1. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that our commitment to equality of opportunity and valuing diversity is reflected in all employment processes. The policy covers all Adgiftdiscounts employees, including those on fixed-term contracts and those working for Adgiftdiscounts on any basis.

  2. The term ‘discrimination’ is used throughout this policy to mean unfair and unlawful discrimination.

PRINCIPLES

  1. Equality and diversity is central to our daily working life at Adgiftdiscounts. We aim to prevent and remove unfair discrimination, harassment and victimisation wherever we encounter it in our work, to promote equality of opportunity in all that we do, and to value and respect differences. Relevant training and development is provided to employees to achieve this.

  2. All employees have a responsibility to challenge, report and/or directly dealing with discriminatory behaviour, unfair treatment, harassment or bullying at Adgiftdiscounts. Our Dignity at Work Policy outlines the process through which people can raise concerns.

  3. We recognise that people have preferences in relation to the world around them. However, every employee has a responsibility to ensure that decisions made at work are not affected by bias or prejudice. The Equality Act (2010), states that there are nine protected characteristics and that it is unlawful to discriminate against people because of those characteristics.

  4. Discrimination, harassment and victimisation are disciplinary offences which may lead to dismissal.

  5. Our policy will comply with and, where appropriate, exceed statutory requirements of the Equality Act 2010, as appropriate and in accordance with current good practice.

(Section removed — previously referred to Public Sector Equality Duty)

  1. Adgiftdiscounts is committed to becoming an organisation which understands the effects of disability, and provides effective support so that disabled employees are able to perform to the best of their ability. This means ensuring that they have the opportunity to discuss and request reasonable adjustments, and that managers will ensure that any agreed adjustments are put in place promptly. When considering reasonable adjustments, Adgiftdiscounts will consider how best to prevent substantial disadvantage.

OUTCOMES

  1. The outcomes of this policy are that:
    • Adgiftdiscounts acts in compliance with relevant statutory requirements, specifically the Equality Act
    • Adgiftdiscounts workforce better reflects the community we serve, and the working populations around our sites, at all levels
    • there are no significant differences in results of the People Survey between those with protected characteristics and those without
    • Adgiftdiscounts employees understand and respond effectively to the diverse needs of the communities we serve in order to promote equal access to our services.

MONITORING AND REVIEW

  1. Our management team will monitor the effectiveness of this policy to ensure we are achieving the stated outcomes above by reviewing:
    • in consultation with directors and numerous members of staff regularly
    • the implementation of all other Adgiftdiscounts employment policies
    • E&D workforce and customer data, through reports to the Leadership Team
    • the results of the people survey to determine whether there are significant differences between employees with protected characteristics

  2. A formal review of this policy will occur every three years unless there is a significant change in relevant legislation which triggers a review before then.

Adgiftdiscounts commitment to equality and diversity

Adgiftdiscounts will be an exemplar organisation, demonstrating excellence in equality and diversity issues across all areas of policy and practice, and influencing others through the high standards that we set. In all aspects of our work we will be:
• accessible
• inclusive
• responsive
• fair

Adgiftdiscounts Vision Statement will be realised through all of our staff working together to achieve:

  1. An understanding of the different needs of Adgiftdiscounts customers so that we are able to provide an accessible and responsive service to all who need it

  2. An open and inclusive culture within Adgiftdiscounts

  3. A good reputation for understanding and managing equality and diversity effectively.

Adgiftdiscounts Diversity Value and E&D Rights and Responsibilities

Diversity is one of the four organisational values, Adgiftdiscounts places great emphasis on E&D particularly as our values shape our behaviours. Our diversity value states:
We value people and their diversity and strive to be inclusive:
• We respect others, regardless of personal differences
• We listen to people to understand their needs and tailor our service accordingly, and
• We promote equal access to our service for all members of the community.

It is important that people understand their rights, and their responsibilities to achieve our vision for E&D and to put our values into action. To do this effectively we expect the following behaviours:

  1. Valuing diversity through treating customers and people at Adgiftdiscounts as individuals.

  2. Constructively challenging or praising others to ensure the Adgiftdiscounts values are lived out as well as recognising unacceptable behaviour and taking appropriate action

  3. Demonstrating an understanding of the E&D Policy and participating in developmental activities relating to E&D

Glossary of terms stated in the Equality Act (2010)

Age
The Act protects people of all ages. However, different treatment because of age is not unlawful direct or indirect discrimination if the employee can justify it, i.e. if the person can demonstrate that it is a proportionate means of meeting a legitimate aim.

Disability
Under the Act, a person is disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

Gender reassignment
The Act provides protection for transsexual people. A transsexual person is someone who proposes to, starts or has completed a process to change his or her gender.

Marriage and civil partnership
The Act protects employees who are married or in a civil partnership against discrimination. Single people are not protected.

Pregnancy and maternity
A woman is protected against discrimination on the grounds of pregnancy and maternity during the period of her pregnancy and any statutory maternity leave to which she is entitled.

Race
For the purposes of the Act ‘race’ includes colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins.

Religion or belief
In the Equality Act, religion includes any religion. It also includes a lack of religion. Additionally, a religion must have a clear structure and belief system. Belief means any religious or philosophical belief or a lack of such belief.

Sex
Both men and women are protected under the Act.

Sexual orientation
The Act protects bisexual, gay, heterosexual and lesbian people.

Direct discrimination
Direct discrimination occurs when someone is treated less favourably than another because of a protected characteristic they have or are thought to have, or because they associate with someone who has a protected characteristic.

Discrimination by association
This is direct discrimination against someone because they associate with another person who possesses a protected characteristic.

Perception discrimination
This is direct discrimination against an individual because others think they possess a particular protected characteristic.

Indirect discrimination
Indirect discrimination can occur when you have a condition, rule, policy or practice that applies to everyone but particularly disadvantages people who share a protected characteristic. It can be justified if shown to be a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.

Harassment
Harassment is “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”.

Third party harassment
The Equality Act makes an employer potentially liable for harassment of their employees by people (third parties) who are not employees, such as customers or clients, when harassment has occurred on at least two previous occasions and reasonable steps were not taken to prevent it.

Victimisation
Victimisation occurs when an employee is treated badly because they have made or supported a complaint or raised a grievance under the Equality Act.

Discrimination arising from a disability
The Act says that treatment of a disabled person amounts to discrimination where:
• an employer treats the disabled person unfavourably;
• this treatment is because of something arising in consequence of the disabled person’s disability; and
• the employer cannot show that this treatment is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.

Failure to provide reasonable adjustments
This occurs when an employer fails to take reasonable steps to remove substantial disadvantage to a disabled person. This may include:
• adjusting practices
• removing physical barriers
• providing auxiliary aids.

Equal opportunities monitoring

  1. One of the stated aims of this policy is to remove discrimination wherever we encounter it in our work and to promote equality in all we do.

  2. As part of our commitment to equality and diversity, we undertake a comprehensive monitoring process to ensure that the above aim is fulfilled.

  3. Information on protected characteristics is collected at recruitment. If the applicant is employed, this is stored on the HR database; all other applicant data is logged anonymously and physical records destroyed.

  4. HR, People & Talent carry out regular monitoring exercises and report to the Leadership Team covering:
    • staff in post (quarterly)
    • recruitment data (six-monthly)
    • performance awards and ratings (annually)
    • learning and development participation (annually)

  5. These reports monitor ethnic origin, sex, disability, age, marital status, religious belief and (where possible) sexual orientation, part-time/full-time status and pay band. Where possible, gender reassignment, civil partnership/marriage and pregnancy/maternity may also be analysed.

All Equal Opportunities monitoring data is kept secure, confidential and compliant with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK GDPR.