Introduction
Rinova Ltd recognises that in society, specific groups and individuals experience discrimination, harassment, and victimisation on grounds of age; disability; gender reassignment; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex and sexual orientation; marriage or civil partnership status. Rinova Ltd believes that everyone should have equal opportunities to be educated, work, receive services and operate in society and will work to:
- Remove or minimise disadvantages suffered by people due to their protected characteristics
- Take steps to meet the needs of people from protected groups where these are different to the needs of others
- Encourage people from protected groups to participate in activities where their participation is proportionately low
Rinova Ltd is committed to promoting equal opportunities and preventing discrimination, harassment, and victimisation within the company and to those acting on our behalf
Our commitment to promoting the principles of fairness and equal opportunities as detailed in the Equality Act 2010 (and the Public Sector Equality Duty) will be expressed through the development, promotion, and maintenance of policies and practices relating to management, staffing, service provision and delivery.
General Statement of Policy
We believe that the implementation of equal opportunities policies stimulates a healthy and more productive atmosphere and creates a better quality of life for all concerned. As an organisation working in London with people from many backgrounds, we celebrate this diversity of community and the cultural enrichment from which we all benefit.
We recognise that, due to factors of discrimination and disadvantage, we have a responsibility to take positive steps in order to make our commitment to equal opportunities a real one and will work to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation or other conduct prohibited by the Act.
Our statement of policy on equal opportunities provides the necessary guidance to everyone connected with our work, to implement our policy. Equal opportunities practices are at the forefront of our concerns and will continually be the source of discussion, evaluation, and review at team meetings. The policy will also be communicated to all staff, participants, and those who act on Rinova Ltd’s behalf using appropriate methods.
All members of staff employed by Rinova Ltd, and all applicants for employment or training will be provided equal opportunity.
All key personnel involved in management, training, selection and dealing with the public shall be experienced in the area, or if necessary be given training and guidance in the law, their own personal liability under the law and the nature of discrimination.
We believe that by putting equal opportunities into action we will benefit, not only of an ethical approach to our work and compliance with the law, but also enjoy a number of other advantages including:
- Investing in our staff to motivate and empower them to achieve their full
- Making full use of the talents across the team to ensure the best return on investment in recruitment and training
- A broadening of the “talent base” which develops people’s abilities faster and further and opens up the potential for new and flexible approaches
- An improvement in the external view of our activities, so talented people will want to join us
In this policy we include any employee, trainee, associate, or volunteer whether full-time, part-time, or on temporary employment, who acts on our behalf.
Definitions
In this policy ‘discrimination’ means where a person is treated less favourably on grounds of age; disability; gender reassignment; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex and sexual orientation; marriage or civil partnership status, as defined in the Equality Act 2010.
In this policy ‘indirect discrimination’ means the imposition of a requirement or condition which is applied or would be applied equally to all persons but:
- which is such that the proportion of persons from certain groups that can comply with it is considerably smaller than the proportion of persons not of that group who can comply with it
- which cannot be shown to be justifiable irrespective of the status of the persons to whom it is applied
- which is to the detriment of the individual concerned because he/she cannot comply with it on grounds detailed in this policy
Supervision and Development
Appropriate supervision, training and development shall be provided to enable staff to perform their jobs effectively and to provide a service and support to apprentices and trainees from across the widest possible backgrounds. Such supervision will make provision, where necessary, for individuals returning work following a break for domestic reasons and ensure full accessibility to be accommodated for disabled people where required.
Our design procedures shall ensure that all training materials developed by us or used on our programmes shall be free from undue bias and stereotypes and shall promote an anti-racist, anti-sexist message that promotes equal opportunities for all.
All staff, including associates, involved in supporting learners or trainees shall be ensure that support is given an objective basis, and that sensitivities to disability, culture and gender are incorporated in full.
Staff Recruitment and Promotion
Applicants for posts shall be given as much clear and accurate information about posts through advertisements, job descriptions and interviews to enable them to assess their own suitability for a post. Information about posts shall also be placed and prominently displayed where it may reach individuals of all groups. Vacancies shall be given as wide an internal circulation as possible to staff who are likely to possess appropriate qualifications or have relevant experience.
- All applicants shall be informed that we encourage equal opportunities and operate an equal opportunities policy
- All role specifications for posts shall include only requirements that are necessary and justifiable for the effective performance of the job
- All interviews shall be thorough, conducted on an objective basis and shall deal only with the applicant’s suitability for the job and ability to fulfil the job requirements
- Where it is necessary to assess whether personal circumstances will affect performance of the job (for example, where it involves unsociable hours or extensive travel), this should be discussed objectively without detailed questions based on assumptions about marital status, children, disability and domestic obligation
Monitoring
Statistical information on race, gender and disability shall be maintained on all programmes and submitted to client organisations on a regular basis. These submissions are used as the basis for management meetings which track the progress of the Equal Opportunities Policy.
All aspects of policies and procedures shall be kept under review to ensure that they do not operate against equal opportunities.
Where it appears that any employees, trainees, or other persons who fall within the scope of this policy are not being offered equal opportunities, the circumstances will be investigated by the Director or his / her nominee. Appropriate action will be taken, where necessary, to redress the effects of any practice which may be found to have unjustifiably limited the provision of equal opportunities.
The Director is responsible for the monitoring, implementation, and review of the Equal Opportunities Policy.
