General Statement Overview

We are committed to equal opportunities and comply with current government legislation to oppose any form of direct or indirect discrimination, harassment or bullying of employees or job applicants on the grounds of: sex; ethnic or national origin, race, nationality, class, colour, sexual orientation, transsexuals, disability, marital or family status, religious beliefs, employment status; membership or non-membership of a trade union; HIV status or any other unjustifiable condition.

This policy applies to all aspects of employment including: recruitment and selection, promotion, training, placement, reward and recognition, transfer, redundancy, dismissal, grievance and disciplinary procedure.

It is important for all employees to understand that breaches of this policy may constitute serious misconduct liable to disciplinary action which may include dismissal.

  • Every employee has the right to dignity and respect. We will not tolerate bullying or harassment.
  • We will provide equal opportunities to all our staff.
  • If anyone breaks the conditions of our equal opportunities policy, this will be misconduct and could lead to disciplinary action.
  • Our policy has been agreed with employee representatives, and our senior managers fully support it.
  • We will monitor and review our policy every year.


The definition of discrimination

In a number of areas the law protects employees and discriminatory conduct or omissions are prescribed by Government legislation. There are specific concepts of discrimination which make it clear what is unlawful.

Direct Discrimination

The first area, which has become known as direct discrimination, occurs when an individual is treated less favourably than another person on any of the aforementioned grounds. It does not matter that you may believe you are acting in the interests of the individual or the employee if your less favourable treatment is on one of these grounds. This is because if you would not have treated a person who did not possess that characteristic in the same way this is direct discrimination.

Indirect Discrimination

Indirect discrimination occurs when a requirement or condition is applied to an employee that the employee finds he/she is not able to meet because of one of marital status, sex or race and which cannot be shown to be objectively justified. This means that if the requirement or condition has a disproportionate effect on the particular group it will be indirect discrimination; that is a considerably smaller proportion of one sex, those who are married or of one race can comply when compared to the other sex, single people or other racial groups.

Whilst this concept may appear technical it is of importance since the Company may incur liability if you, in the scope of the duties entrusted to you, apply requirements or conditions that are discriminatory against a particular group.

Reasonable adjustments

Disability discrimination does not have a concept of indirect discrimination because the legislation goes further and requires the Company to make a reasonable adjustment to seek to take away the disadvantage a disabled person may have in the workplace because of the disability. This means that the Company will consider alternative means by which a disabled person may be able to carry out the job or alternatively whether other steps may be possible.

Victimisation

Victimisation occurs where an individual is treated less favourably by fellow workers for asserting the above rights and this would not have happened if these rights had not been asserted.

1. Vision Statement:

  • Lemon Zest Creative Ltd is committed to promoting equal opportunities within the company (ìThe Company being Lemon Zest Creative Ltd.)
  • †The Company values diversity and encourages fairness and justice.
  • The Company wants equal chances for everyone in the company and free from discrimination and victimisation.
  • The Company will combat discrimination throughout the organisation.

2. In seeking to achieve this vision, The Company will strive to:

  • Encourage equality of opportunity for all people and actively promote good relations.
  • Eliminate any conditions, procedures and individual behaviour that can lead to discrimination even where there was no intent to discriminate, with particular regard to: Race; Gender; Disability; Sexuality; Age; Religion and Belief plus Employment issues.
  • Whilst recognising that individuals may experience disadvantage on more than one level.
  • Offer services fairly to all people, ensuring that anyone in contact with the Company is treated with respect, making provision for those groups within the community whose needs and expectations are less well met.
  • Comply with all legislation dealing with discrimination and the promotion of equality, following the codes of practice issued to support this legislation.
  • Ensure all employment policies procedures, guidelines and circulars reflect and reinforce The Companysí commitment to equality.
  • Ensure mechanisms are in place for responding to complaints of discrimination and harassment from employees and the public.
  • Make this policy known to all employees, job applicants.
  • Periodically review the Equal Opportunities policy.

3. Supporting Guidelines
The Equal Opportunities Policy is reinforced by government guidelines specifically relating to accessibility and The Companyís role as an employer.

Equal Opportunities ñ Accessibility Guidelines
Lemon Zest Creative Ltd exists to maximise the well being of its employees. The companys aim is to give everyone equality.

a) Vision Statement:

  • The Company will take all reasonable steps to ensure its employment arrangements are accessible.

b) In seeking to achieve this vision, The Company will strive to:

  • Facilitate physical access into the building it is located in. If not, additional features will be added to improve access into the present building where possible. If unable to, it will provide a reasonable alternative method of making the employment available to all groups.
  • Monitor and evaluate accessibility in order to make improvements. In particular using consultation to understand the needs and expectations of potential users and the workforce.
  • Use communication methods that are appropriate and sensitive where possible.
  • Improve the accessibility of employment arrangements or physical features of the workplace to meet the needs of staff and applicants with disabilities or other needs.

Employment Training and Organisational Development ñ Guidelines

a. Statement of Principles
Lemon Zest Creative is committed to ensuring that all its employment policies, procedures, guidelines and circulars will reflect and reinforce The Companysí commitment to equality.

The Company will through its policies and training seek to create a:

  • Prejudice-free and supportive working environment.
  • Workforce which reflects the diversity of the local population, ensuring that people from all sections of local population have equality of opportunity to obtain employment in all areas and levels of The Company.

b. Recruitment and Selection, the Company will strive to:

  • Ensure that all employees are recruited and promoted on the basis of ability and other objective relevant criteria.
  • Work towards ensuring that through recruitment that its workforce better represents the community it serves.
  • Be committed to equality of opportunity for all people and protect against all forms of discrimination, with a particular regard to: Gender; Race; Disability; Religious and Belief; Age; Sexuality.
  • Ensure that it communicates job opportunities to all sections of the community. We will scrutinise the recruitment process to ensure that we do not discriminate or discourage applications from any section of the community.
  • Ensure that all its employees who are part of the recruitment selection panel are trained on equalities issues.
  • Work with disadvantaged sections of the community in support of recruitment.
  • Use appropriate legislation as a framework for action to support the recruitment process in a positive way.
  • Collect and use recruitment information to support a fair and effective recruitment process.

c. Training and Organisational Development, the Company will:

  • Seek to ensure that all employees are developed by the provision of appropriate and accessible learning opportunities in line with organisational needs.
  • Provide training that complies with The Companys Equalities Policies.
  • Include equalities training as part of its induction programme.
  • Include equalities training as part of its management development programme.
  • Provide equalities awareness training as part of its corporate training and organisational development programme.

d. Monitoring and Evaluation, The Company will:

  • Continually monitor its workforce profile against the community profile to work towards a workforce that is reflective of the community it serves.
  • Specifically monitor recruitment, promotion, and training opportunities and take up of training, pay, grievance, disciplinary and exit from employment.
  • Continue to review its monitoring processes to comply with changes in legislation.

Equal Opportunities policy ñ Supporting statements

Race Equality:

Lemon Zest Creative Ltd is committed to promoting a cohesive society and eliminating unlawful racial discrimination. The Company will promote equality of opportunity and good relations between people of different racial, national and ethnic groups.

Disability Equality:

Lemon Zest Creative Ltd will not treat a person less favourably directly or indirectly on the basis of his/her disability and will promote equality of opportunity for people with disabilities.

Gender Equality:

Lemon Zest Creative Ltd will not treat a person less favourably directly or indirectly due to gender or marital status.

Equality of Employment:

Lemon Zest Creative Ltd will through its policies and training seek to create:

  • A prejudice free and supportive working environment
  • A workforce which reflects the diversity of the local population ensuring that people from all sections of the community have equality of opportunity to obtain employment in all areas and levels of The Company. This will include working with disadvantaged sections of the community to support and encourage recruitment. (See Employment and Training Guidelines).

Accessibility:

The Company will ensure its employment arrangements are accessible. (See Accessibility Guidelines).

Sexual Orientation:

Lemon Zest Creative Ltd will not discriminate directly or indirectly on the grounds of sexual orientation.

Gender Reassignment:

Lemon Zest Creative Ltd will not discriminate directly or indirectly on the grounds of gender reassignment.

Religion and Belief:

Lemon Zest Creative Ltd will not discriminate directly or indirectly on the grounds of religion or belief. (This is defined as any religion, religious belief or similar philosophical belief. It excludes philosophical or political beliefs unless those beliefs are similar to a religious belief, e.g. the belief has a profound affect on the personís way of life.)

Age:

A personís age will not lead to unfair discrimination.

Equality Policy And Action Plan

The purpose of this policy is to ensure equal opportunities for all workers, job applicants, clients and customers, irrespective of characteristics protected under legislation: ethnicity, colour, race, nationality or ethnic origin, marriage or civil partnership, gender or gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, age, religion or belief, disability, and sexual orientation. We value a diverse customer base and the individuality and creativity that every worker potentially brings to the workforce.

Operating principles

We are committed to observe as far as possible to the Equality and Human Rights Commissionís Codes of Practice for

  • Employment
  • Equal Pay, and
  • Services, Public Functions and Associations.

We will comply with the following Acts and their subsequent amendments; Human Rights Act 1998, Part Time Working Regs 2000, Employment Act 2002, Equality Act 2010. Workers, job applicants, visitors, clients and customers will be treated fairly, openly and honestly, and with dignity and respect.

No job applicant or worker will receive less favourable treatment on grounds of a characteristic protected under equality legislation. Equality of opportunity is about good employment practice and makes sound business sense.

Steps will be taken to make sure all business practices ensure equal opportunities. Recruitment, training and promotion opportunities will be made as widely available as possible.

Selection criteria for employment, training and promotion opportunities will be entirely related to the job. Employment decisions on recruitment, promotion and training will be based on merit. Everyone has the right to work and do business in an environment free of unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and third party harassment.

We will not tolerate such behaviour under any circumstances. Any worker or trainee who believes he or she is being discriminated against, victimised or harassed should raise the matter through the companyís complaints procedure.

Disciplinary action, including dismissal, may be taken against any worker found responsible for harassment, discrimination or victimisation.

We will ensure that all our workers, customers and clients are aware of the policy, and that they understand that they are responsible for observing it.

Our equality action plan outlines the steps we will take to give effect to this policy. We will monitor the action plan and review the progress we have made each year, to make sure the policy is achieving its aims.

Equality Action Plan

Julian Ashton ñ Managing Director is responsible for the equality policy and for putting the equality action plan into practice.

We will circulate our equality policy to job applicants and all workers, and their representatives, by enclosing copies in induction material and application packs, and by placing them on our website and on company notice boards.

We will make sure the equality policy applies to all our activities.

We will monitor the equality policy, for example, by collecting and analysing information about the age, disability, gender and ethnic background (an equality profile) of job applicants and all workers, at each level in the company.

If we find under-representation of any particular group (e.g. disabled people, people from ethnic minorities or people of a certain gender or age), we will:

  • Include a statement in our job advertisements, positively encouraging people from those groups to apply;
  • Make sure our job advertisements reach them;
  • Consider using minority and specialist media for our job advertisements;
  • Consult specialist agencies, such as Job Centre Plus, for advice;
  • Make sure the criteria for selection are entirely job-related;
  • Review and revise the companyís policies, practices and procedures; and consider taking positive action to provide training specifically for under-represented groups.

We will make sure all our workers know and understand our harassment policy and complaints procedure, by: circulating the policy and procedure to all staff and displaying both on company notice boards; and holding staff meetings to explain and discuss the policy.

Senior managers and other staff involved in recruitment and handling complaints will receive training in equality and the law on discrimination.

We will ensure fair and equal access to goods, services, facilities, premises and information to meet the needs of our customers in line with the requirements of law.

We will consider using external agencies to support and advise us on equality matters.

Our aim is to serve all members of the community. If people from particular group with characteristics protected by equality legislation are disproportionately under-represented among our customers, we will develop marketing and other strategies to reach them.

Workforce Equality Monitoring

All select list companies will be asked to provide a profile of their workforce by gender, ethnicity and disability following addition to the select list. Companies with 250 or more permanent staff will be asked to complete profiles of their top paid 5% of staff. The companyís workforce profile will be analysed against an appropriate labour market equality profile. Where there is evidence of under representation of a particular group in the workforce, the Councilís Equality Officer may contact the company to identify what action it is taking to address the under representation and offer guidance on good practice. Additional workforce profiles may be requested at least once a year.

Complaints

Any complaints of discrimination and/or breaches of this Equal Opportunities Policy should be reported to the Managing Director, Julian Ashton preferably by email julian@lemonzest.co.uk or letter.

Lemon Zest Creative Limited is a private limited company, registered in England and Wales with number 5080428 whose registered office address is at Royal Bank of Scotland Chambers, Market Street, Leigh, Lancashire, WN7 1ED.