Purpose

 

The purpose of this policy is to provide equality and fairness for all. In practice, this means that we will make every effort to ensure that there is no harassment or unjustified discrimination on the grounds of Protected Characteristics as defined in The Equality Act 2010. The Protected Characteristics cover:

 

• Age

• Disability

• Gender Reassignment

• Marriage and Civil Partnership

• Pregnancy and Maternity

• Race

• Religion and Belief

• Sex

• Sexual Orientation

 

Scope of Policy

 

This policy applies to all staff, participants, and visitors to CTS together with those contracted to work at or for CTS.

 

Our Commitment

 

• All staff, learners, and visitors will experience a safe environment free from discrimination, harassment, and bullying.

• We are committed to building a diverse and socially inclusive workforce that is responsive and appropriate to all our staff, learners, and visitors. By embracing differences in terms of people, skills, and cultures we can develop our creative thinking and arrive at winning solutions.

• We believe that ‘talent’ should be positively exploited, and people deliver their best when they feel valued, their opinions are welcomed and acted upon, they are included, and when their needs are recognised.

• CTS will accept no less than an environment that provides equality of opportunity, respects, and protects the dignity of individuals, and is free from discrimination, harassment, victimisation, or bullying of any kind.

• Breaches of this policy will be regarded as misconduct and could lead to disciplinary proceedings.

• This policy will be monitored and reviewed annually.

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Responsibilities

 

All CTS staff and learners have a responsibility to ensure that they do not ignore, trivialise, or condone discrimination, harassment, victimisation, and bullying by others of any kind and to ensure their own conduct conforms to the expected standards and reflects this Policy document.

 

Managers are responsible for:

 

• Ensuring that everyone is treated fairly and equally.

• Ensuring staff and participants are encouraged, supported, and enabled to reach their full potential.

• Implementing and supporting the aims of this policy.

 

Staff is responsible for:

 

• Implementing and supporting the aims of this policy.

• Promoting equality and diversity.

• Contributing to an environment free from intimidation and celebrates diversity.

 

Dealing with Complaints

 

If a learner, member of staff, or visitor believes that they have suffered any form of discrimination, harassment or victimisation CTS will take this very seriously. All complaints will be dealt with in accordance with the agreed procedures. Anyone who makes a complaint of discrimination will not be victimised and we will make every effort to ensure victimisation does not occur and that any complaints are dealt with promptly.

 

Learners can raise this matter through the Complaints Procedure.

 

Staff can raise this through the Grievance Procedure. Details are available from the staff handbook or the HR Manager.

 

Breach of the Policy

 

We will take seriously any breaches of this policy by staff, learners, and visitors. Any such instances will be investigated and where appropriate will be considered under the relevant disciplinary process for staff or learners. Regarding any breach of the policy by visitors we will take appropriate action in relation to the nature of the incident.

 

Facilities and Working Practices

 

Whenever reasonably practicable to do so, we will commit to making ‘reasonable adjustments’ to the working environment to give learners, employees, or potential employees with disabilities equal opportunities.

 

Learners

 

• All learners will be given equal consideration and will not be discriminated against on any grounds referred to in Appendix 1 of this policy.

• We welcome and support people with all disabilities, including specific learning disabilities, and will make reasonable adjustments and endeavour to meet specific requirements.

• All recruitment processes will be thorough, carried out objectively, and will only address the learner’s suitability for the programme for which they have applied.

• All members of staff who are in contact with learners are responsible for promoting Equality and Diversity and avoiding bias and discrimination in these areas.

• Learning materials should be non-discriminatory and accessible to all. If discriminatory material is used to make a point, the discriminatory nature should be pointed out by the staff member using the material.

• Learners will undertake an Equality and Diversity session as part of their induction and ongoing throughout their time on programme.

 

Staff

 

Training & Development

• All staff will have access to the same training regardless of their working arrangement.

• All new employees will attend a thorough induction programme that will cover their responsibilities as employees, the company’s responsibilities to them in respect of all aspects of their employment, training, development, equality, diversity, health, and safety.

• We provide a range of training and development opportunities to help employees develop and progress in their roles. All our training content and materials are free from discriminatory assumptions or language.

• We endeavour to create a learning environment in which all employees feel comfortable regardless of their Protected Characteristics.

• We facilitate regular appraisal and performance management reviews where all parties are encouraged to provide constructive feedback and evaluation.

 

Promotion Opportunities

• Promotion opportunities will be advertised to all staff. We will assess all applications for promotion on merit and will follow a thorough recruitment and selection process.

 

Recruitment

• All appropriately qualified applicants will be given equal consideration during the recruitment process and will not be discriminated against on any grounds referred to in Appendix 1.

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Monitoring 

 

Statistical information is collected and passed to Management to ensure adherence to this policy and to identify any shortfalls in Equality and Diversity.

• Equality and Diversity are discussed as part of the Quality agenda item at Management/Team meetings. Reports and recommendations are discussed.

• A record of all incidents and complaints is maintained by the respective Line Manager & HR. Action will be taken as appropriate.

• CTS will review this policy annually and ensure any updates are communicated to staff.

 

Appendix 1:    Glossary of Terms

 

Disability: A disabled person is described in the Equality Act 2010 as one who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

 

Diversity: Diversity is about recognising, valuing, and taking account of people's different backgrounds, knowledge, skills, and experiences, and encouraging and using those differences to create a productive and effective workforce.

 

Ethnicity: A strict definition of an ethnic group is a group regarded as a distinct community by virtue of certain essential characteristics – a shared history that distinguishes it from other groups and a cultural tradition of its own. Sikhs and GRT (Gypsy, Romani, and Traveller) Groups are examples. However, it has come to have a broader meaning, and the expression ‘ethnic monitoring’ is used in reference to groups defined by colour, race, or national origin as well.

 

Gender: The word 'gender' is often used in place of the word 'sex' inequality issues. 'Gender' does not appear in legislation but 'sex discrimination' and 'gender discrimination' are interchangeable.

 

Gender Reassignment: Gender reassignment is a personal, social, and sometimes medical, process by which a person's gender presentation (the way they appear to others) is changed. Not all transsexual people undergo medical supervision to change their gender. People who decide to live in the gender opposite to that assigned at birth, but do not undergo any medical procedures, are protected from discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.

 

Occupational Requirements: In limited circumstances, it will be lawful for employers to specify that job applicants must have, or must not have, a particular protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.

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This is known as an ‘occupational requirement.’ The requirement must be:

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• crucial to the post, and not just one of several important factors

• relating to the nature of the job in question, rather than the nature of the employing organisation

• a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.

 

Harassment: Behaviour that is unwelcome or unacceptable and which results in the creation of a stressful or intimidating environment for the victim amounts to harassment. It can consist of verbal abuse, racist jokes, insensitive comments, leering, physical contact, unwanted sexual advances, ridicule, or isolation.

 

Liability: Employers have legal liability for any act of discrimination (including harassment) carried out by their employees unless the employer can show that they have taken all reasonably practicable steps to prevent it.

 

Quotas: It is unlawful to select a person for a job based on their gender or race to achieve a fixed quota of employees of that gender or race

 

Protected characteristics: A protected characteristic is a group that is protected from discrimination under equality legislation. The Equality Act 2010 covers nine protected characteristics: age; disability; gender, reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; and sexual orientation.

 

Sexual orientation: Whether a person is attracted to people of their own sex, different sex, or both sexes. Assumptions and perceptions of a person's sexual orientation are also covered by law.

 

Targets: These can be percentages of underrepresented groups that employers aim to achieve in the makeup of their workforce as part of their equality action plan. It is unlawful to use a target as a reason for selecting someone, but it is lawful to take steps to get more qualified applicants from particular groups.

 

Transsexual: Transsexual is an adjective used to describe people who have such a powerful sense of discomfort with the gender of their body and subsequent social role – a condition called gender dysphoria – that they undertake a personal, social, and sometimes medical, transition to live in the gender identity of their personal conviction.

 

Victimisation: If a person has made or is making an accusation of discrimination in good faith, it is unlawful to discriminate against them for having done so, or because they intend to do so, or it is suspected that they intend to do so.