Our Commitment:
Go LiveTheatre Projects (the charity) is committed to maintaining an Equality and Diversity EDI Policy in its employment practice and its provision of services.
This EDI Policy sets out our commitment to creating an inclusive environment for everyone who works within, volunteers for, and/or accesses our organisation and services. We are committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our wider workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination.
The charity does not engage in conduct prohibited under the Equality Act 2010 regarding the protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. This EDI Policy extends to all charity representatives, Trustees, full-time, part-time and temporary employees, freelance members of staff, work experience and university students, applicants for employment and volunteers.
Recognising, embracing and valuing difference leads to improvements for all, including: a more vibrant staff and volunteer population, a better working and volunteering environment, and the ability to attract and retain the very best people to support the charity’s mission.
Whilst we are fully committed to compliance with all relevant equality legislation, (including the Equality Act 2010, Codes of Practice and best practice guidance), this EDI Policy builds on the statutory position to ensure effective policies and practice that promote equality, diversity and inclusion.
Scope:
This EDI Policy is applicable to all employees, practitioners, contractors, volunteers, job applicants and Trustees.
Principles:
- We have a culture in which everyone is treated with respect, valued and rewarded for what they contribute, with zero tolerance for unfair discrimination at every level.
- We will ensure that all of our people who work or volunteer with us, as well as those who apply to work or volunteer with us, are treated fairly and are not discriminated against on any grounds, including those protected by the Equality Act 2010.
- We always take any discrimination/sexual harassment complaints seriously, respond sensitively and quickly and, if proven, ensure that the action taken is prompt and effective.
- In seeking to achieve a diverse workforce at all levels, we will ensure that no employee, job applicant or candidate for promotion will be disadvantaged or treated less favourably because of conditions or requirements that are not related to the job.
- Staff recruitment is openly advertised on a wide range of websites, such as Arts Council England’s Arts Jobs, as well as our own website and promoted on our social media, using communication channels and language that will both reach and engage under-represented groups.
- We endeavour to encourage people from any background and welcome those from underrepresented backgrounds to apply for any current vacancies.
- We are committed to creating a team which is representative of our society and to bringing together those with a variety of skills and experiences, to help shape what we do and how we work.
- We particularly welcome ethnically diverse and candidates with disabilities. All candidates with disabilities who demonstrate that they meet the essential criteria for any of our positions will be invited for an interview.
- Our volunteer recruitment uses messaging and advertising methods appropriate to our target audience, including under-represented groups.
- We will not tolerate any behaviour from any of our people which breaches our Equality Diversity Inclusion EDI Policy.
- Serious offences such as discrimination on protected grounds, including harassment, bullying, or victimisation, will be treated as gross misconduct and may lead to disciplinary action including dismissal from employment or volunteering service without notice.
- Every business case for change is subject to an equality review with the intention of identifying any positive, negative or neutral impact the proposal may have on people with protected characteristics (as defined in the Equality Act 2010). This includes employees who will be subject to the proposed changes or affected by them, service users, volunteers and/or supporters as applicable.
How we will do this:
We are committed to providing equality of opportunity for all, irrespective of:
- age
- caring responsibilities
- disability
- economic hardship / poverty
- gender reassignment / gender identity
- marriage or civil partnership status
- pregnancy or maternity
- race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin
- religion or belief
- sex
- sexual orientation
Our EDI Policy covers all aspects of our work, including decision-making, employment, recruitment, retainment, governance, premises, service-delivery, and volunteering. The charity is committed to implement this by:
- Pro-actively tackling discrimination or disadvantage, and aims to ensure that no individual or group is directly or indirectly discriminated against for any reason regarding employment, volunteering or accessing our services.
- Creating a EDI Committee made up of our service users, including our Youth Forum, FFN Forum, Key Schools, Creative Associates to inform our good practice
- Registering with Race Equality Matters
- Supporting Inc Arts #BAMEOver Statement, by no longer using the term BAME in our literature. Endeavouring to be specific when referring to the ethnically, culturally, gender, neuro diverse and individuals with physical disabilities. We will instead endeavour to use positive or neutral terminology for example ‘global majority’, ‘ethnically diverse’ and ‘individuals/people from underrepresented backgrounds’.
- To reassure individuals that we are an inclusive organisation, we encourage staff to:
- If comfortable, add their preferred personal pronouns to their email signatures, online labels and in-person introductions
- Where applicable, also add a brief audio description of their appearance
- use gender neutral language
- When referring to people with disabilities, use language that focuses on the individual’s abilities, rather than their disabilities. Example: NOT "the blind", USE "people who are blind"
- Purposefully consider individuals whose protected characteristic may limit their ability to access our programmes when scheduling activities and where possible, give alternate date/time options, e.g., not choosing dates that fall on religious holidays or time events that will exclude those with caring responsibilities.
- Make reasonable adjustments, where possible.
- Challenge unacceptable behaviour
- Model good and inclusive behaviour
If you feel you have been treated in a way that is contrary to this EDI Policy, our ‘Dignity at Work’ Policy provides a simple process to follow to address your concerns and reach a resolution. For staff guidance, please consult the Staff Handbook.
We will ensure we do not discriminate on any of the above grounds when we recruit (job applicants, staff and volunteers), when we promote internally, when we allocate training, when we conduct appraisals, when we choose selection criteria for redundancy or when we make any other decisions about employment. We oppose and avoid all forms of unlawful discrimination. This includes:
- pay and benefits
- terms and conditions of employment
- dealing with grievances and discipline
- dismissal
- redundancy
- leave for parents
- requests for flexible working
- selection for employment, promotion, training or other developmental opportunities
We will:
- ensure that all staff, volunteers and trustees are aware of the duty on them to treat colleagues with dignity at all times, and never to discriminate against or harass anyone associated with the charity in any capacity
- take seriously complaints of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination by fellow employees, volunteers, customers, suppliers, visitors, the public and any others in the course of the organisation’s work activities.
We all have a personal responsibility to:
- read and understand this EDI Policy and act in a manner that is consistent with our values and behaviours at all times
- complete mandatory equality and diversity training when starting volunteering with us, as well as completing refresher training on a periodic basis
- report any instances of behaviour that is contrary to this EDI Policy or the Dignity at Work Policy to your manager or another manager you feel comfortable with
- understand there could be legal implications personally (as well as for the charity), and that we could be held criminally liable for acts of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination against anyone associated with the charity.
- understand that our responsibility extends to social events and contact with colleagues outside of the workplace if they are considered to fall within the course of employment, volunteering or other connection to the charity.
Definitions:
Equality can be described as breaking down barriers, eliminating discrimination and ensuring equal opportunity and access for all groups both in employment, and to goods and services; the basis of which is supported and protected by legislation. Equality is about valuing a person ‘as an equal’ and treating people according to their needs and characteristics to achieve an equal or fair outcome – it’s not necessarily about treating everyone the same.
Diversity is defined as celebrating differences and valuing everyone. Each person is an individual with visible and non-visible differences and by respecting this, everyone can feel valued for their contributions which is beneficial not only for the individual, but for the wider organisation.
Inclusion is providing a space where everyone has equal access to opportunities and resources, and where everyone feels valued and accepted.
The prohibited conduct under the Equality Act 2010 includes:
Direct discrimination occurs where a person is treated less favourably because of one or more of the protected characteristics set out above. For example, rejecting an applicant on the grounds of their race because they would not "fit in" would be direct discrimination.
Indirect discrimination occurs where an apparently neutral provision, criterion or practice is applied equally to all groups of people, but puts a particular group sharing a protected characteristic at a disadvantage when compared with other people. For example, a requirement to work full time may put women at a disadvantage because they generally have more childcare commitments than men. Such a requirement would need to be objectively justified.
Discrimination by association is a type of direct discrimination. It occurs where a person is treated less favourably because they associate with someone who possesses a protected characteristic.
Perception discrimination is also a form of direct discrimination against an individual because others think they possess a particular protected characteristic. It applies even if the person does not actually possess that characteristic. If you discriminate against people because you think they are transgender or LGBTQIA+, for example, then they will be protected even if they do not have these protected characteristics.
Harassment can be described as unwanted behaviour, including for example, emails, remarks or gestures, which are intended or have the effect of violating a person's dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for that person. This can be related to gender, sexuality, race, religion or other “protected characteristics” and it includes, but is not limited to, sexual harassment.
Sexual harassment may be both an employment rights matter and a criminal matter, such as in the case of allegations of sexual assault. In addition, harassment under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 – which is not limited to circumstances where harassment relates to a protected characteristic – is a criminal offence.
Victimisation broadly refers to derogatory treatment directed towards someone who has made or is believed to have made or supported a colleague’s complaint under the Equality Act. It can also include situations where a complaint hasn't yet been made, but someone is victimised or treated unfairly because it's suspected they might make one.
Monitoring:
We monitor the diversity of our workforce measuring and reviewing information, such as age, disability, ethnic background, gender, religion or belief and sexual orientation in encouraging equality and diversity, and in meeting the aims and commitments set out in this EDI Policy.
Monitoring will also include assessing how the EDI Policy is working in practice by reviewing any complaints brought under the Dignity at Work Policy. Review employment practices and procedures when necessary to ensure fairness, and also update them and the EDI Policy to take account of changes in the law.
Breaches of this EDI Policy:
Whilst the aim of the EDI Policy is prevention, if you believe you have been the subject of discrimination, harassment or victimisation, you are encouraged to report it. To do this you should use the procedure detailed in the Dignity at Work Policy.
Any such proven breaches of EDI Policy will be regarded as misconduct, except for serious offences such as discrimination on protected characteristic grounds – serious offences including harassment, bullying, or victimisation which will be treated as gross misconduct and may lead to disciplinary action, including dismissal from your employment or volunteering without notice.
Exceptions to this EDI Policy:
Discrimination by or against a member of staff, agency staff, contractors, sessional/casual workers, volunteers, job applicants and Trustees is generally prohibited unless there is a specific legal exemption. Though we will not actively use the term BAME, it may be used by funders and other organisations.
There are certain circumstances when organisations might be within their legal rights to treat an individual less favourably and where these instances will not be counted as discrimination.
For example, a refuge for Indian women who are victims of domestic violence. In this case, we might be justified in wanting to employ only Indian women workers on the grounds that the female victims in the refuge would find it less difficult to communicate with and relate to workers of the same racial group.
For advice about whether such exceptions are applicable, you should contact your line manager or Head of Access.
Further information and related policies:
- Dignity at Work Policy
- Disciplinary process in Staff Handbook
Contact details:
Sita McIntosh, Chief Executive, [email protected]
This is a controlled document. It should not be altered in any way without the express permission of the EDI Policy owner or their representative. On receipt of a new version, please destroy all previous versions. If you are reading a printed copy of this document, you should check to ensure that you are using the most current version.
Ratified by the Trustees on August 2022
