Equal Opportunities

The Company is committed to providing equal opportunities in employment and to avoiding unlawful discrimination in employment and against customers. This policy is intended to assist the Company to put this commitment into practice. Compliance with this policy should also ensure that employees do not commit unlawful acts of discrimination.

The Company does not permit discrimination of any kind against any other person on grounds of the following protected characteristics:

  1. Colour

  2. Religion or belief

  3. Race or ethnic origin

  4. Nationality or national origin

  5. Sex

  6. Sexual orientation

  7. Gender reassignment

  8. Pregnancy

  9. Maternity

  10. Marital status including Civil Partnerships

  11. Age

  12. Disability

  13. or any other differences or perceived differences

TYPES OF UNLAWFUL DISCRIMINATION

Direct discrimination is where a person is treated less favourably than another because of a protected characteristic.

Indirect discrimination occurs when a provision, criterion or practice is applied which, whether intentional or not, adversely affects a considerably larger proportion of people of one race, sex, marital status etc than another and cannot be justified on grounds other than race, sex , marital status etc.

Associative discrimination is where an individual is directly discriminated against or harassed for association with another individual who has a protected characteristic.

Perceptive discrimination is where an individual is directly discriminated against or harassed based on a perception that he/she has a particular protected characteristic when he/she does not, in fact, have that protected characteristic (other than marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity).

The Company will avoid all unlawful discrimination in all aspects of employment and ensure that equal opportunity principles are applied in all its policies and in particular in the procedures relating to the recruitment, training, development, promotion of staff and allocation of work.

Every employee is required to assist the Company to meet its commitment to provide equal opportunities in employment and avoid unlawful discrimination.

Employees can be held personally liable as well as, or instead of, the Company for any act of unlawful discrimination. Employees who commit serious acts of harassment may be guilty of a criminal offence.

Acts of discrimination are disciplinary offences and will be dealt with under the Company's disciplinary procedure and may constitute gross misconduct resulting in instant dismissal.

Should any person feel that they have been discriminated against on the above grounds, they should report this matter in the first instance to their immediate Manager or to the HR Department.