Equal Opportunities Policy

COPE is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all employees, freelancers, contracted staff, and applicants.

It strives to ensure that its workforce is truly representative of all sections of society and that everyone feels respected and able to give their best.

Page contents

–– Policy statement

–– Who is covered by the policy?

–– Who is responsible for this policy?

–– Scope and purpose of the policy

–– Forms of discrimination

–– Disability discrimination

–– Recruitment and selection (employees and contracted staff)

–– Fixed term employees

–– Part time work

–– Termination of employment

–– Breaches of this policy

–– Monitoring and review of the policy

Policy statement

It is COPE’s policy to establish and maintain a working environment in which all individuals are afforded an equal opportunity to make best use of their skills, free from discrimination or harassment, and in which all employment decisions are made without regard to age, disability, gender identity, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic under the law.
Where reasonable and appropriate, we will take steps to accommodate the requirements of different religions, cultures, and domestic responsibilities.
All staff have a duty to act in accordance with this policy and treat colleagues with respect and dignity at all times, and not to discriminate against or harass other members of staff, visitors, clients, customers, suppliers, or volunteers regardless of their status. Your attention is drawn to our separate Anti-harassment and bullying policy (being reviewed).
This policy does not form part of any employee or volunteer’s contract of employment or term, and may be amended at any time.

Who is covered by the policy?

This policy covers all COPE employees, consultants, freelancers, contracted staff, part time and fixed term employees, and applicants.

Who is responsible for this policy?

The Board of Trustees have overall responsibility for the effective operation of this policy and for ensuring compliance with applicable laws. Day-to-day operational responsibility has been delegated to the Executive Officer.

All managers must set an appropriate standard of behaviour, lead by example, and ensure that those they manage adhere to the policy and promote our aims and objectives with regard to equal opportunities recruitment and best practice for selection when necessary. Managers will be given appropriate training on equal opportunities awareness and equal opportunities.

Scope and purpose of this policy

This policy applies to all aspects of our relationship with our paid workforce. This includes job advertisements, recruitment and selection, training and development, opportunities for promotion, conditions of service, pay and benefits, conduct at work, disciplinary and grievance procedures, and termination of employment.

Forms of discrimination

COPE aims to provide equality and fairness for all staff and not to discriminate because of so-called ‘protected characteristics’ (ie, age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, or sex and sexual orientation). We oppose all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination, including:

Direct discrimination, which as defined in this policy occurs where someone is treated less favourably because of one or more of the protected characteristics set out above (eg, rejecting an applicant on the grounds of their race because they would not “fit in” would be direct discrimination).
Indirect discrimination, which for the purpose of this policy occurs when someone is disadvantaged by an unjustified provision, criterion, or practice that also puts other people with the same protected characteristic at a particular disadvantage (eg, a requirement to work at unusual hours on short notice may put individuals with childcare commitments at a particular disadvantage; such a requirement will need to be objectively justified).
Harassment related to any of the protected characteristics is prohibited. Harassment is unwanted conduct that has the purpose or effect of violating someone’s dignity, or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment for them. Harassment is dealt with further in our Anti-harassment and Bullying Policy (being reviewed).
Victimisation is also prohibited. This is less favourable treatment of someone who has complained or given information about discrimination or harassment, or supported someone else’s complaint.
Disability discrimination can include both direct and indirect discrimination as defined in this policy, and is any unjustified less favourable treatment because of the effects of a disability. Failure to make reasonable adjustments to alleviate disadvantages caused by a disability is also a form of disability discrimination.

Disability discrimination

If you are disabled or become disabled, we encourage you to tell us about your condition so that we can support you as appropriate.
If you experience difficulties at work because of your disability, you may wish to contact your manager to discuss any reasonable adjustments that would help overcome or minimise the difficulty. Your manager may wish to consult with you and your medical adviser(s) about possible adjustments. We will consider the matter carefully and try to accommodate your needs within reason. If we consider a particular adjustment would not be reasonable, we will explain our reasons and try to find an alternative solution where possible.

Recruitment and selection (employees and contracted staff)

We aim to ensure that no job applicant suffers discrimination because of any of the protected characteristics above. Our recruitment procedures are reviewed regularly to ensure that individuals are treated on the basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Job selection criteria are regularly reviewed to ensure that they are relevant to the job and are not disproportionate. Shortlisting of applicants should be done by more than one person wherever possible.
Job advertisements should avoid stereotyping or using wording that may discourage groups with a particular protected characteristic from applying. Where possible, they should include an appropriate short policy statement on equal opportunities and a copy of this policy can be sent on request to those who enquire about vacancies.
We take steps to ensure that our vacancies are advertised to a diverse labour market. Where appropriate, COPE may approve the use of lawful exemptions to recruit someone with a particular protected characteristic (eg, where the job can only be done by a woman). The advertisement should specify the exemption that applies.
Applicants should not be asked about health or disability before a job offer is made. There are limited exceptions for example: (a) questions necessary to establish if an applicant can perform an intrinsic part of the job (subject to any reasonable adjustments); (b) questions to establish if an applicant is fit to attend an assessment or any reasonable adjustments that may be needed at interview or assessment; (c) positive action to recruit disabled persons; and (d) equal opportunities monitoring (which will not form part of the decision making process).
Applicants should not be asked about past or current pregnancy or future intentions related to pregnancy. Applicants should not be asked about matters concerning age, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or gender reassignment.
We are required by law to ensure that all employees are entitled to work in the UK. Assumptions about immigration status should not be made based on appearance or apparent nationality. All prospective employees, regardless of nationality, must be able to produce original documents (such as a passport) before employment starts, to satisfy current immigration legislation. The list of acceptable documents is available from the UK Border Agency.
To ensure that this policy is operating effectively, and to identify groups that may be underrepresented or disadvantaged in our organisation, we monitor applicants’ ethnic group, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, and age as part of the recruitment procedure. Provision of this information is voluntary and it will not adversely affect an individual’s chances of recruitment or any other decision related to their employment. The information is removed from applications before shortlisting and kept in an anonymised format solely for the purposes stated in this policy. Analysing these data helps us take appropriate steps to avoid discrimination and improve equality and diversity.

Fixed term employees

We monitor our use of fixed term employees and agency workers, and their conditions of service, to ensure that they are being offered appropriate access to benefits, training, promotion, and permanent employment opportunities. We will, where relevant, monitor their progress to ensure that they are accessing permanent vacancies.

Part time work

We monitor the conditions of service of part time employees and their progression to ensure that they are being offered appropriate access to benefits and training, and promotion opportunities. We will ensure requests to alter working hours are dealt with appropriately under our Flexible Working Policy (being reviewed).

Termination of employment

We will ensure that redundancy criteria and procedures are fair and objective, and are not directly or indirectly discriminatory.
We will also ensure that disciplinary procedures and penalties are applied without discrimination, whether they result in disciplinary warnings, dismissal, or other disciplinary action.

Breaches of this policy

If you believe that you may have been discriminated against, you are encouraged to raise the matter through our Grievance Procedure (being reviewed). If you believe that you may have been subject to harassment, you are encouraged to raise the matter through our Anti-harassment Policy (being reviewed). If you are uncertain which applies or need advice on how to proceed, you should speak to your manager.
Allegations regarding potential breaches of this policy will be treated in confidence and investigated in accordance with the relevant procedure. Staff who make such allegations in good faith will not be victimised or treated less favourably as a result. False allegations which are found to have been made in bad faith will, however, be dealt with under our Disciplinary Procedure (being reviewed).
Any member of staff who is found to have committed an act of discrimination or harassment will be subject to disciplinary action. Such behaviour may constitute gross misconduct and, as such, may result in summary dismissal. We take a strict approach to serious breaches of this policy.

Monitoring and review of this policy

We will continue to review the effectiveness of this policy to ensure it is achieving its objectives.
Staff and volunteers are invited to comment on this policy and suggest ways in which it might be improved by contacting the Executive Officer.

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