Equal Opportunities Policy. Director of Corporate Services

Transcription

1 Equal Opportunities Policy Document Type Author Owner (Dept) Equal Opportunities Policy Director of Corporate Services Human Resources Date of Review October 2015

2 List of Contents Page No 1. Policy Statement Scope Principles of the Policy Responsibilities Managers Employees Individual we Support/Contractor/Third Party provider Harassment, Bullying and Victimisation Grievances Monitoring Review of Policy... 9 Page 2

3 1. Policy Statement The Mungo Foundation believes the skills, capabilities and talents of its employees are the key to success. The organisation benefits enormously from the diversity and variety of its workforce and is fully committed to maintaining and encouraging this diversity. The richer the mix of people, skills and cultures in the organisation, the greater the range of inputs, viewpoints and experiences. The Mungo Foundation is fully committed to being an equal opportunities employer, enriched by its diversity and opposed to all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination. The Mungo Foundation is committed to equal opportunities, which refers to the fair treatment of individuals at work with employment decisions being made on relevant, objective criteria. The organisation will not discriminate on the grounds of gender, race, disability, sexuality, religion, religious or philosophical belief, Trade Union membership or age. Diversity is about bringing together a rich mix of people with differing perspectives and from different backgrounds, and creating an environment in which those differences are valued. Diversity improves competitiveness by enlarging the potential for ideas and innovation. It is therefore key to the success of the organisation and part of the organisation s corporate social responsibility. 2. Scope This policy applies to all employees, prospective employees, volunteers and contractors of The Mungo Foundation. 3. Principles of the Policy The Mungo Foundation values inclusiveness and is committed to embedding equality and diversity at the heart of its work. The Mungo Foundation aims to be an organisation where individual differences are respected, where employees, volunteers, people who use it s services, their families and carers, are treated with dignity, on the basis of their merits, abilities and needs. Where everyone has a fair opportunity to fulfill their potential without suffering discrimination or disadvantage. Page 3

4 You will be treated fairly and with respect, you will be encouraged to develop your full potential, ensuring that your talents are fully utilised for the benefits of the organisation. You will also be expected to act within the guidelines of some basic behavioural principles. To this end, The Mungo Foundation has established the following guiding principles for managing equal opportunities and diversity: An ongoing commitment to diversity by ensuring that the relevant policies, practices and action plans are in place to reflect the underpinning equal opportunity legislation; The organisation is committed to creating an environment in which individual differences and the contribution of employees and volunteers are recognised and valued; The organisation is committed to providing you with a working environment that promotes dignity and respect for all; The organisation will support you to perform your work and develop your potential regardless of gender or sexual orientation, race or ethnicity, religion, age, disability, beliefs or trade union membership; Irrespective of gender or sexual orientation, race or ethnicity, religion, age, disability, beliefs or Trade Union membership the organisation is committed to: - Maintaining and improving employability through training and development, - The organisation is committed to working towards a truly inclusive community promoting a positive, approach towards disability, diversity, culture and equality; - The organisation aims to take into account the needs and views of different groups in the development, delivery and improvement of it s services and this includes it s approach to equality issues for people regardless of their gender or sexual orientation, race or ethnicity, religion, age, disability or beliefs; Page 4

5 - The organisation will monitor and benchmark equal opportunities and diversity, encouraging continuous improvement throughout the organisation; - The organisation is opposed to all forms of intimidation, discrimination, harassment, bullying and victimisation. The Mungo Foundation understands that having a truly diverse workforce goes beyond simply establishing a policy and monitoring a set of statistics, it is about a mindset and the way in which the organisation operates on a day-to-day basis. The organisation also recognises that a truly diverse workforce will benefit its understanding of the needs of service users, its access to a wide pool of talented employees and ultimately to improve its services. Therefore The Mungo Foundation is committed to the above principles, which will be applied in relation to the individuals we support, suppliers and contractors. 4. Responsibilities Throughout your career with The Mungo Foundation, you will be treated no less favourably, nor be disadvantaged by conditions, requirements or practices which cannot be shown to be just, fair and based on your ability. This will be reflected in the application of recruitment and selection, promotion, transfer, training and performance management, reward, Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures and termination of employment. Within the organisation we all have a responsibility to uphold the principles of the Equal Opportunities Policy, but some groups of individuals have particular responsibilities, which are outlined below. 4.1 Managers Managers should demonstrate the values of The Mungo Foundation in the way in which they work and how they interact with employees and individuals we support. An important part of this is the ability for every manager to demonstrate by their behaviour that they understand, believe in and demonstrate the principles of equal opportunities. Whilst managers should be able to demonstrate these behaviours in every aspect of their work, it is of particular relevance to the following: Page 5

6 Training and Development, Promotions and Transfers - Training and development needs will be based upon organisational and individual requirements. Your staff should be provided with equal and fair access to all training and development opportunities appropriate to their role, personal development and further career with The Mungo Foundation. This may include the opportunity to apply for and gain access to promotion and/or a transfer to another role within the organisation. Recruitment - To attract the most suitable candidates for the role, job advertisements will not be confined to areas or publications that would exclude or disproportionately reduce the number of applicants. The organisation will seek to address these through its recruitment strategies. When applicants apply for a job within The Mungo Foundation, applications will be matched against a job description and a person specification. Interviews will be based upon the job description and person specification. Taken together the job description, person specification and analysis of applications will form the framework for the selection procedure. If applicants have a disability they are encouraged to disclose the details of any disability they may have to the organisation at the application stage. This is to enable the organisation to make any reasonable adjustments to the recruitment and selection procedure. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role will be guaranteed an interview (See Recruitment and Selection Policy for further information). The same fair and objective selection criteria as applied to the recruitment and selection process applies equally to promotion or transfer opportunities. The Mungo Foundation may where appropriate, and in line with legislative guidance, take positive action during the recruitment and selection process. The Mungo Foundation will seek to ensure that everyone undertaking recruitment on behalf of the organisation has received training in Equality and Diversity. Page 6

7 Appraisals - Appraisal meetings are a planned time for you to meet with your staff individually to formally discuss their objectives, performance, development and career aspirations. These meetings should be conducted fairly and objectively, based upon their achievements and ability, taking into consideration any factors which may have an impact on these. Supervision Meetings - You should have supervision meetings with each member of your team on a regular basis, ideally every four to six weeks. These are informal meetings to discuss performance, to offer support, guidance and to provide feedback. These discussions will be subject to the same principles of fairness and objectivity, free of any unlawful or unfair discrimination, harassment or prejudice. Disciplinary and Grievance Procedure - As a manager you may be required to use either the Disciplinary or Grievance Procedure. If you are required to handle such situations you must ensure that you do not discriminate, either directly or indirectly, and handle these situations according to company policy, with any decisions you make based on evidence and free from unlawful or unfair discrimination, harassment or prejudice. Termination of Employment - From time-to-time members of your team may leave the organisation. There are a number of potential reasons for leaving an organisation, which may include resignation, retirement, dismissal or redundancy. As a manager you are required to handle these situations according to company policy, with any decisions you make being free from unlawful or unfair discrimination, harassment or prejudice. 4.2 Employees Every employee has a responsibility to understand the principles of Equal Opportunities which The Mungo Foundation is committed to and it is important that your behaviour at work reflects these values. If you have a question regarding the principles of Equal Opportunities in the first instance you should speak to your Line Manager who should be able to help you. Alternatively you can speak to a member of the Human Resources Team. Page 7

8 4.3 Individual we Support/Contractor/Third Party provider Every employee has a responsibility to every individual we support/contractor or third party provider to ensure that they are treated in accordance with the principles set out by the Equal Opportunities Policy. Similarly the individuals we support/contractors and third party workers have a responsibility to treat The Mungo Foundation s employees in the same way. Employees should not be exposed to harassment, bullying or victimisation of any sort whilst carrying out their work, whether on company premises or elsewhere, any equal should not subject anyone to harassment, bullying or victimisation. 5. Harassment, Bullying and Victimisation Harassment, bullying and victimisation can be defined as any unwanted conduct that has the effect of violating your dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading or humiliating or offensive environment. This type of behaviour is not conducive to enabling you to perform to the best of your abilities, and therefore the organisation is committed to eradicating such behaviour. In such circumstances it is not the intention of the perpetrator that is important when considering whether these actions have taken place, but your perceptions of the behaviour and the impact it has had on you. The Mungo Foundation has a separate Bullying and Harassment Policy if you believe you have been subjected to harassment, bullying or victimisation within the workplace, please refer to the policy for guidance on what steps you should follow. 6. Grievances If you believe that you have been treated less favourably on the grounds of gender, race, disability, sexuality, religion, religious or philosophical belief, Trade Union membership or age, you should raise the matter through the Grievance Procedure. 7. Monitoring The purpose of monitoring is to determine if the policy and actions it generates are working effectively. The Mungo Foundation will establish structures and techniques to monitor equal opportunities in, for example, ethnicity, race, gender and disability throughout the employment process. This information will only be collected to support Page 8

9 the organisation s aim of being an equal opportunities employer and will be consistent with the recommendations of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights. 8. Review of Policy This policy will be reviewed every 18 months or sooner if required in order to comply with legislative requirements. Page 9