This policy sets out the commitment Higgidy has to recognising and encouraging equality and diversity, and sets out our aim to ensure that all team members, prospective team members, agency workers, clients, customers, contractors and suppliers are treated fairly, with dignity and respect and to avoid unlawful discrimination.
This policy should be read in conjunction with the Higgidy Dignity at Work Policy, which covers bullying, harassment and victimisation, and how complaints of this type will be dealt with.
Higgidy aims to employ a diverse workforce because we value the individual contribution of all of our team, irrespective of race, sex, gender reassignment, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, age, disability, or marriage or civil partnership status.
We strive to ensure a working environment which is free of discrimination, harassment and victimisation and where all team members are treated with dignity and respect. It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure their own behaviour reflects the Higgidy values and supports us in achieving this.
We aim to ensure that everyone can achieve their full potential and that all decisions are taken without reference to irrelevant or discriminatory criteria. We have adopted this policy as a means of helping to achieve these aims. Compliance with this policy should also ensure that team members do not commit unlawful acts of discrimination.
For avoidance of doubt, any examples which are detailed in this policy are for illustrative purposes only and the list of examples is non-exhaustive.
It is unlawful to discriminate directly or indirectly in recruitment or employment because of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, pregnancy, maternity, race, sexual orientation, religion or belief, or because someone is married or in a civil partnership. These are known as “protected characteristics”.
Discrimination after employment may also be unlawful, e.g. refusing to give a reference for a reason related to one of the protected characteristics.
Higgidy will avoid 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 limited to those requirements that are necessary for the effective performance of the job. Candidates for employment or promotion will be assessed objectively against the requirements for the job, taking account of any reasonable adjustments that may be required for candidates with a disability. Disability and personal or home commitments will not form the basis of employment decisions except where necessary.
We will monitor the ethnic, gender and age composition of our teams and the number of people with disabilities within these groups, and will consider and take any appropriate action to address any problems that may be identified as a result of the monitoring process. Information provided by job applicants and employees for monitoring purposes will be used only for these purposes and will be dealt with in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.
Higgidy will provide training in Equal Opportunities to managers and others likely to be involved in recruitment or other decision making where equal opportunities issues are likely to arise.
If a team member considers that they may have been unlawfully discriminated against, they should use the Grievance Procedure to make a complaint. We will take any complaint seriously and will seek to resolve any grievance that it upholds. Team members will not be penalised for raising a grievance, even if the grievance is not upheld, unless the complaint is both untrue and made in bad faith. Use of the Grievance Procedure does not affect a team members right to make a complaint via an employment tribunal. Complaints to an employment tribunal must normally be made within three months beginning with the act of discrimination complained of. If there are any parts of this policy that are unclear or if there are any incidents or practices occurring in the workplace which team members feel breach this policy, these should be brought to the attention of the Higgidy Leadership Team as soon as possible.
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