Equal Opportunity, Diversity & Inclusion Policy

Introduction:

T. Brown Group is an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace. We believe that a diverse and inclusive environment enhances our ability to attract and retain talented employees, leads to more creative and innovative thinking and ultimately results in a better service for our customers.

It is therefore our aim that all people should have equal chance and opportunity in life. This means that the company’s policy is to ensure that all employment policies, procedures and practices provide fair and equal treatment for all. No employee or applicant for employment will be treated less favourably than any other person or group on the grounds of:

  • Age,
  • Colour,
  • Ethnic or national origin,
  • Religion or belief,
  • Nationality,
  • Gender,
  • Gender reassignment (inclusive of transgender and non-binary),
  • Gender identity,
  • Disability,
  • Martial/civil partnership status,
  • Sexual orientation,
  • Pregnancy,
  • Caring responsibilities,
  • Trade union membership.

Scope:

The policy covers all T Brown Group employees and applicants for employment. It applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, promotion, compensation, benefits, training and renumeration. The term “employee” refers to an individual who has entered into, or works under a contract of employment with the Company.

Policy Aims:

The aim of this policy is to support the company in ensuring that all our employees are treated in a fair and inclusive manner in line with our values, employment legislation and are not subjected to prejudicial practice as a result of company activities.

Equality and Diversity Legislation:

The company. employees, contractors and agencies working for T Brown Group will be expected to work in accordance with the principles of equal opportunities and diversity and properly discharge their responsibilities in accordance with:

  • The Equal Pay Act (as amended) 1970
  • The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
  • The Human Rights Act 1998
  • Part Time Workers Regulations 2000
  • Fixed Employees Regulations 2002
  • The Civil Partnership Act 2004
  • Marriage (same sex couples) Act 2013
  • The Equality Act 2010

Definitions of Discrimination:

  • Direct Discrimination is when you treat someone less favorably than others for unlawful means, for example not employing someone because of their gender or disability. In very limited circumstances, an employer can claim that a certain religion or belief, gender or ethnicity is necessary for a role and this is considered to be a genuine occupational requirement.
  • Indirect Discrimination is when an employer has a policy, practice or procedure that applies to everyone but might disadvantage a particular group, and which cannot be justified in relation to the job.
  • Associative Discriminationis where an individual is directly discriminated against or harassed for association with another individual who has a protected characteristic (although this does not cover harassment because of marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity).
  • Perceptive Discriminationrefers to an individual who is directly discriminated against or harassed based on a perception that he or she has a particular protected characteristic when he or she does not, in fact, have that protected characteristic (although this does not cover harassment because of marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity).
  • Positive Discrimination is unlawful in the UK. Unlawful positive discrimination would be where an employer recruits a person just because that have a relevant protected characteristic rather than taking into account whether their skills and qualifications mean they can do the job.
  • Harassment is unwanted conduct that violates a person’s dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive working environment.
  • Victimisation is when you treat some less favourably or discriminate against them because they have pursued their rights relating to alleged discrimination.
  • Bullying is not part of the Equality Act 2012 but it is something that T Brown Group takes very seriously. Bullying is offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour, abuse or misuse of power through means that undermine, humiliate, denigrate or injure the recipient.

T Brown Group is committed to take positive action to eliminate all forms of discrimination to provide genuine equality of opportunity. Our policy and practice will be continually and regularly monitored by the Directors and senior managers to ensure its effectiveness.

Employment Practices:

The company will actively promote equal opportunity throughout the application of employment policies which will ensure that individuals are recruited, selected and promoted and receive treatment which is fair, equitable and consistent with their relevant aptitudes, experience, potential, skills and abilities. No applicant or employee will be placed at a disadvantage by requirements or conditions which are not necessary to the performance of the job, or which constitute indirect unfair discrimination.

All contractual service employment conditions will be reviewed to ensure they do not discriminate against any particular group and do provide for the varying needs of the entire work force.

Recruitment, Selection & Promotion:

T Brown Group will use fair equal opportunities practices and will monitor them to provide a positive environment within which employees can use and develop their abilities to the full benefit of the organisation & themselves.

The benefits we are looking to achieve are in recruiting staff from a wider net so that all sectors of the community have an opportunity to apply for vacancies and this we trust will improve our chances of attracting the best candidates first time. We hope to retain staff by enhancing morale and prospects, which can lead to a lower level of absenteeism and staff turnover.

The benefits for the business will come from a more positive image as an equal opportunities employer and this will promote business growth. The company uses open recruitment methods to assist in our implementation via local and national press advertisements, local colleges and job centres.

Training:

The company has publicised its policy by placing it on the staff notice boards advising of the policy during interview and to staff upon placement. We also use the equal opportunities statement in our advertising and other marketing material.

The company will provide suitable and relevant equal opportunity training to staff. The company will provide positive action to promote training for those who require it to enable them to enter areas of employment where they are under-represented.

Raising a Concern:

If an employee has a concern or complaint about discrimination, which could be something that they have experienced or witnessed, they should raise this with their line manager in the first instance, unless the matter relates directly to their manager, in which case the next level of management should be approached.

Employees may also wish to seek advice from the company HR Representative or the Employee Assistance Programme. Any concerns should be raised at the earliest opportunity, which will be kept confidential

Monitoring:

The company is committed to an efficient and confidential monitoring system to ensure effective implementation of all the company’s procedures and its Equal Opportunities Policy.

The policy will be reviewed on a company and a specific project or area basis and part of the review will be to monitor the job applicants and the various groups that they come from to see if we are attracting all the possible candidates from an area.

The company has records of the different ethnic groups currently employed and will use this information to identify under-representation and corrective action plans.

Overview:

The Group Managing Director is responsible for implementing and monitoring the operational effectiveness of the policy. It is the duty of each manager and individual employee to actively promote equal opportunity, diversity and inclusion within their own sphere of responsibility.

Every possible step will be taken to ensure that individuals are treated equally and fairly and that decisions on recruitment, selection, training, promotion and career management are based solely on objective and job related criteria.

Senior managers fully support this policy statement. All employees are responsible for playing their part in achieving its objectives.

DATE: 1 MAY 2023