Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy
The organisation is committed to providing equal opportunities in all aspects of employment, including recruitment, training, promotion, pay, benefits and reward. The organisation will strive to avoid unlawful discrimination in the work environment. Compliance with the Employee Handbook should ensure that employees do not commit unlawful acts of discrimination.
Legislation
The organisation is fully aware of its responsibilities as an employer and acts in accordance with the
Equality Act 2010.
Equal Opportunities
Equal Opportunities refer to the elimination of unlawful and unfair discrimination because of
“protected characteristics” such as age, sex (including gender reassignment, marital and civil partnership status, and sexual orientation), disability, race, religion or belief. It is the development of practices that promote fair and equal chances for all to develop their full potential in all aspects of life and the removal of barriers of discrimination and oppression experienced by certain groups.
Diversity
Diversity is based on the concept of recognition of differences. These include age, gender, gender identity, race, which also includes colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, disability, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, religion or belief, political belief, or socio-economic background.
Discrimination
The organisation will not tolerate unfair or unlawful discrimination in any aspect of staff activity within the organisation, whether direct or indirect.
Direct Discrimination consists of treating a person more or less favourably than another would be treated in similar circumstances, on the basis of one or more of the factors listed as grounds which are considered not relevant to good educational or employment practice.
Indirect discrimination occurs where a provision, criterion or practice is applied which puts a person or persons of a particular age, sex, disability, race, religion or belief at a disadvantage when compared with others and which the organisation cannot show is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.

Harassment
Harassment occurs when a person receives unwanted conduct on the grounds of age, sex, disability, race, religion or belief which has the purpose or effect of violating a person’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for him/her.
The organisation is committed to the use of non-discriminatory language in its internal and external documents, official correspondence, publications and other communications.
All employees of the organisation are expected to ensure that their written and spoken material does not contain discriminatory language or any other language that may cause offence to others. Rather than adopting a prescriptive approach to the use of language, the organisation asks that its staff exercise good judgement. In particular, they should be aware of inappropriate references to age, sex, disability, race, religion or belief.
Promoting Good Practice
The organisation will take active steps to promote good practice. In particular it will seek to:
 promote equality of opportunity;
 promote good relations between people of different racial groups;
 have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination on grounds of age, sex (including gender reassignment, marital and civil partnership status, and sexual orientation), disability, race, religion or belief;
 ensure fair treatment in the way the organisation provides or procures services;
 promote an inclusive culture through the development of best practice, policies, and training;
 ensure that all members of staff are trained and graded on the basis of their abilities and the requirements of the job and are employed and retained in a non-discriminatory manner;
 ensure fair treatment for all staff;
 ensure fair treatment for individuals seeking redress through the organisation 's complaints and grievance procedures;
 offer staff opportunities to develop knowledge, skills and approaches to meet their professional responsibilities;
 monitor the effects of practices and procedures in order to assess whether equal opportunity is being achieved;
 make reasonable adjustments to its standard working practices to overcome substantial disadvantages caused by a protected characteristic;

 take action under the organisation’s disciplinary procedure against any employee who is found to have committed an act of improper or unlawful discrimination; and
 take positive action wherever reasonable and practicable to support this policy and its aims.
Employee Responsibility
It is your responsibility to ensure your own conduct conforms to the expected standards and reflects the policies in the Employee Handbook.
The aim of the Employee Handbook is to encourage harmony and respect amongst individuals so as to promote good working practices with a view to maximizing the performance and the return to the organisation and its employees.
If equal opportunities are not applied then valuable talent and potential are wasted. Moreover when unfair discrimination, harassment or victimization takes place they bring about a climate of fear, insecurity and poor work performance. As well as being illegal it affects profitability and morale. It is therefore vital that you understand your responsibilities.
Equal opportunity is taken very seriously by the organisation and failure to apply these policies or evidence of discrimination, harassment or victimization will result in disciplinary action which may include your dismissal.
1. Dignity at Work Policy
The organisation is committed to maintaining and promoting a working environment within which its employees treat each other with dignity and respect. The organisation recognises that investing in employee well-being makes good business sense, not only in terms of improving performance, raising morale and reducing stress, but also in making the organisation an attractive place to work and improving overall performance.
The organisation recognises its statutory duty, through its Equal opportunities and diversity policy, to ensure that employees are not discriminated against on the basis of any protected characteristic including age, sex, gender reassignment, marital and civil partnership status, sexual orientation, disability, race, religion or belief. It further recognises that this duty is of wider application and includes all employees regardless of their status, contractual relationship with the organisation, or length of service.
The organisation undertakes to ensure that procedures are in place to enable allegations of harassment and bullying to be investigated and considered in a fair, timely and sensitive manner. At all times the organisation will have regard to the need for such allegations to be dealt with in a way that ensures an impartial investigation and hearing for all parties.

The organisation recognises that employees who feel that they have been treated with a lack of respect, harassed or bullied within the meaning of this Policy are entitled to pursue their case in a safe and non-threatening environment.
The organisation will ensure that all its employees are aware of this policy and their obligation to respect the dignity and diversity of their colleagues and, in particular, not to engage in behaviour that may be interpreted as harassment, bullying or showing lack of respect.
A party or witness acting under any stage of this Policy who knowingly makes a statement that is untrue, malicious, frivolous or in bad faith may be subject to the organisation Disciplinary Procedure.
At all stages of this procedure the complainant, (person who brings a complaint against another person), the person against whom the complaint has been made and any witnesses have the right to be accompanied by a colleague or other representative.
Definitions
Bullying may be characterised as offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour, an abuse or misuse of power through means intended to undermine, humiliate, denigrate or injure the recipient.
Harassment, in general terms, may be defined as unwanted conduct from the employer or another worker which is related to age, sex, gender reassignment, marital and civil partnership status, sexual orientation, disability, race, religion, belief or any personal characteristic of the individual, and has either the effect or the purpose of violating a person’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment. It may be persistent or an isolated incident. The key is that the actions or comments are viewed as demeaning and unacceptable by the recipient.
Employee Responsibility
Employees are responsible for:
 ensuring that they are familiar with the content of this policy and its procedures and that they behave in accordance with this policy;
 not encouraging, participating in or condoning the harassment, bullying or victimisation of others;
 promoting an inclusive culture in which colleagues or peers are not subject to harassment, bullying or victimisation by challenging these forms of behaviour or reporting situations in which they occur to the line-manager of the person involved; and
 responding courteously and positively to all requests to cease or amend behaviour perceived as harassment, bullying or victimisation.

Line Manager Responsibility
Line Managers are responsible for:
 ensuring staff are aware of the policy and incorporating it within their induction programmes;
 promoting the aims of the policy;
 investigating complaints sympathetically and impartially;
 managing disciplinary and other issues as they arise; and
 keeping a watching brief on those who have been the victims of harassment, bullying or victimisation including, where appropriate, putting in place appropriate support mechanisms including (not exhaustively), paid counselling and reasonable paid time off from work to aid recovery (as distinct to monitored sick pay procedures where the incident(s) have resulted in sick leave, for example).
Alleged Breaches of Dignity at Work
When seeking to resolve cases of an alleged breach of this policy, the organisation is committed to achieving a fair and workable solution at the lowest level possible (informally). If possible, all parties to any dispute have an obligation to seek resolution at the lowest level possible that is compatible with the principles outlined in this policy, unless the nature of the complaint requires formal action following an investigation.
Employees should draw the attention of their line manager to suspected discriminatory acts or practices. Employees must not victimise or retaliate against an employee who has made allegations or complaints of discrimination or who has provided information about such discrimination. Such behaviour will be treated as potential gross misconduct in accordance with the organisation’s disciplinary procedure.
In the event that the person whose behaviour is alleged to be unacceptable, should make a counter allegation, this will be treated separately.
The formal grievance procedure should be followed only where it is impossible to find a resolution through informal procedures.
Disciplinary action may be taken against any individuals who are found to have brought complaints knowingly based on false information or with malicious intent.