A. Equal Opportunities

1. Aspire:

– Provide equal opportunities to all employees throughout your employment — including in recruitment, training, and promotion.

– Eliminate discrimination in the workplace — whether on grounds of disability, gender, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, religion or belief, age, national or ethnic origin, gender reassignment, part-time status or fixed-term status.

2. Any allegations of discrimination on any of those grounds will be treated seriously and dealt with confidentially and speedily.

3. We will not ignore, or treat lightly, grievances or complaints from members of a particular group on the assumption that they are over-sensitive about discrimination.

B Job adverts

1. It is our policy to take all reasonable steps to employ and promote employees on the basis of their abilities and qualifications without regard to any of the following: disability, gender, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, religion or belief, age, national or ethnic origin, gender reassignment, part-time status or fixed-term status or the number of years’ experience (unless we can justify this).

2. When advertising job vacancies we aim to attract applications from all sections of the community. To achieve that, we will as far as reasonably practicable:

– Ensure that advertisements are not confined to those areas or publications which would exclude or disproportionately reduce the numbers of applicants of a particular group.

– Avoid prescribing any requirements which would exclude a higher proportion of a particular group — unless those requirements are essential to the post.

– Avoid setting any rules about marital status or civil partnership status.

– Avoid any references to age, number of years’ experience or words implying a particular age requirement, in the job advert or candidate specification — unless we can justify this.

3. If a particular qualification is required, then:

– we will (if possible) state that a fully comparable qualification obtained overseas is as acceptable as a UK qualification; and

– if the requirement for that qualification may disadvantage any particular age group or section of the community, we will state that we will (if possible) accept an equivalent qualification.

4. If vacancies are filled by promotion or transfer, then we will publish them to all eligible employees in a way that does not restrict applications from employees of any group.

5. We will not recruit new employees solely on the recommendation of an existing employee.

6. If we advertise and recruit through recruitment agencies, then we will ensure that our instructions to the agency do not discriminate against any group or section of the community, ensuring that we attract applicants from all sections and groups of the community.

C Job descriptions and person specifications

1. We will make sure, as far as we are able to, that any job description or person specification does not contain any words or criteria that could infer that we require someone of a particular category or group in the community.

D Job applications and interviews

1. We will, as far as is reasonably practicable, remove references to age, date of birth, requests for photographs and information on periods and dates in job applications — unless it is absolutely necessary (for example, to establish a continuing work pattern).

2. All job applications will be treated equally and will be processed in exactly the same way.

3. The managers responsible for short-listing, interviewing and selecting candidates will be clearly informed of the selection criteria, and of the need for their consistent application. They will be trained and guided to ensure that their decisions are based on skill, capability and potential.

4. All questions put to applicants at interview will relate to the requirements of the job. If it is necessary to assess whether personal circumstances will affect the performance of the job (for example, if the job involves unsocial hours or extensive travel), then this will be discussed objectively, without detailed questions based on assumptions about any of the following: disability, gender, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, religion or belief, age, national or ethnic origin, gender reassignment, or domestic responsibilities.

E Selection criteria etc.

1. When assessing the suitability of a candidate for a particular post, no decisions will be taken which cannot be objectively justified in the particular circumstances. Instead, the selection of new staff will be based on the job requirements and the individual’s suitability and ability to do, or to train, for the job in question.

2. We will not disqualify an applicant because the applicant is unable to complete an application form unassisted — unless the applicant’s ability to complete the form is a valid test of the standard of English required for the effective performance of the job.

3. We give full and fair consideration:
– to applications for employment from disabled people.
– to providing disabled people with appropriate training, development and promotion prospects, equivalent to those suitable to other employees.

4. We will not, as far as we are able, refer to policies or contractual terms which may be discriminatory in our offer letter.

F Terms of employment, benefits, facilities and services

1. All terms of employment, benefits, facilities and services will be reviewed from time to time, to ensure that there is no unlawful discrimination on any grounds.

2. We will ensure that we do not provide additional benefits based on length of service with us (or in a particular post with us) of more than five years — unless the benefit can be justified on business grounds.

3. We are committed to the principle of equal pay for all our employees. We review all terms of employment in respect of pay with this in mind.