Equality and Diversity Policy
Basingstoke Wellness - Equality and Diversity Policy
Summary
As a health care provider and an employer, Basingstoke Wellness believes in providing equity in its services, treating people fairly with respect and dignity, and valuing diversity.
This organisation is committed to eliminating all forms of discrimination based on age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage / civil partnership, pregnancy / maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation in the provision of its services as well as in recruitment and employment to ensure a dignified and respectful environment free of harassment, bullying, and victimisation.
Our equality and diversity goals are as follows:
• Provide the best possible healthcare services that are accessible and delivered in a way that respects the individual's differing needs.
• Hire motivated employees who feel valued for their contributions and the diversity they bring to the organisation; hire well-trained employees who reflect the diversity of the population the organisation serves at all levels.
• Incorporate our equality and diversity values into our policies, procedures, and day-to-day operations.
• Ensure that all services procured for the organisation and all employees working on its behalf understand and support the organisation's commitment to promoting equality and diversity in all that we do.
The goal and scope
This Policy applies to all employees and volunteers, as well as patients, visitors, and other users of the organisation's services.
The organisation views its employees' diversity as an asset upon which to build and wishes to encourage all employees to reach their full potential. It promotes a healthy work-life balance by allowing for flexible working hours and special leave arrangements when necessary.
Appropriate training will be provided within the constraints of available resources to enable all employees to perform their jobs effectively and advance their careers. Opportunities for learning and development will be organised and promoted in a way that ensures equity of access, taking into account different working patterns as well as service requirements.
The organisation understands the significance of ensuring that the workforce profile broadly reflects the patient population and the communities we serve.
This policy will be implemented through action plans that will be overseen by senior management.
Definitions of discrimination in the Equality Act of 2010.
Discrimination in the open
Direct discrimination occurs when one person is treated unfairly because of their age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation (known as protected characteristics).
Associational discrimination
This is direct discrimination against someone because they associate with someone who has one of the protected characteristics listed below: age, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability, gender reassignment, or sex.
Perception-Based Discrimination
This is direct discrimination against a person because others believe they have one of the protected characteristics listed below: age, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability, gender reassignment, and sex. It is true even if the person does not have that characteristic.
Discrimination by inference
Indirect discrimination occurs when a condition, rule, policy, or practise applies to everyone but disadvantages people who share one of the protected characteristics listed below: age, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, disability, and gender reassignment.
Harassment
Harassment is "unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic, which has the purpose or effect of violating an individual's dignity or creating an \sintimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for that \sindividual". Age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation are all protected characteristics. Employees have the right to complain about offensive behaviour, even if it is not directed at them. Because of perception and association, employees are also protected from harassment.
Harassment by a third party
The Equality Act holds us potentially liable for harassment of our employees by people who are not Trust employees, such as patients or members of the public. We will be held liable if harassment has occurred on at least two previous occasions, we are aware of it, and we have not taken reasonable steps to prevent it from happening again. This is true regardless of gender, age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation.
Victimisation
When an employee is victimised, it is because they have made or supported a complaint or raised a grievance under the Equality Act 2010, or because they are suspected of doing so. If an employee has maliciously made or supported a false complaint, they are not protected from victimisation.
Organizational accountability
The managing director will be in charge of implementing this policy throughout the organisation. Every member of staff is responsible for ensuring that they act in accordance with the Policy and procedures, and that they attend equality and diversity training every three years. Failure to comply with the Equality and Diversity Policy and procedures will result in disciplinary action that will be applied equally to all employees.
Development and Learning
Staff and managers will receive appropriate mandatory training to ensure that they understand their responsibilities under the Equality and Diversity Policy. Equality and diversity issues will be integrated into other learning and development programmes as needed.
Complaints
The Managing Director implements and monitors this policy. All grievances should be directed to:
Managing Director
Basingstoke Wellness Ltd
Basingstoke
RG21 7DQ
What exactly is racism?
Racism is a broad term that refers to any behaviour, practise, or attitude that places people at a disadvantage or advantage based on their skin colour, culture, or ethnic origin.
The failure of an organisation to provide a service to people because of their skin colour, culture, or ethnic origin is referred to as institutional racism. It can be seen in processes, attitudes, behaviour, and power imbalances that discriminate against black and minority ethnic people due to unwitting prejudice, ignorance, and thoughtlessness.
What exactly is sex discrimination?
The belief that one gender is superior to the other is the source of sexism. Sexism can be found in the power holders, structures, systems, and practises of an organisation.
We know that negative attitudes can lead to sexual harassment and discrimination in employment, education, and services. We will work to combat this by ensuring equal access to jobs, development, and services.
What is the definition of disability discrimination?
Disability discrimination is caused by physical barriers in the environment as well as societal attitudes. These factors, rather than their impairment, disadvantage disabled people.
We will make reasonable adjustments to jobs and working conditions to accommodate disabled employees, and we will have a redeployment programme for employees who may become disabled to ensure that we retain employees whenever possible.
What exactly are heterosexism and homophobia?
Heterosexism is the belief that heterosexuality is the norm and that all other sexual orientations are abnormal. Homophobia is a set of negative attitudes and prejudices that lead to discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation.
We acknowledge that discrimination based on sexual orientation can occur in both service delivery and employment.
We recognise the discrimination that lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals face, and we will create a respectful environment in the workplace where all employees feel safe to "come out" if they so desire.
What exactly is religious prejudice?
Making jokes about someone's faith, dismissing beliefs, or promoting your own faith excessively can be offensive. Holding a religious or other belief is a fundamental human right that should be treated with dignity and tolerance.
We will work to foster a culture in which people can practise their religion or belief without fear of harassment or discrimination.
What is gender reassignment discrimination?
This includes any action taken by the organisation that disadvantages a transsexual person. Gender reassignment occurs when a person has such a strong conflict between their physical and mental genders that they have no choice but to reassign their gender. This is known as transsexualism.
The organisation recognises transsexualism as a legitimate medical condition.
We will provide appropriate assistance to employees and patients with this status.
Transgender employees and patients will be treated with dignity and respect.
GIRES (UK) (UK) A registered charity that educates people about gender identity and intersex issues. http://www.gires.org.uk
What exactly is age discrimination?
People's ages can lead to assumptions about them, especially young people and the elderly. It is possible to make assumptions that young people lack maturity and that older people lack flexibility and the ability to learn. These attitudes can be ingrained in organisations and manifested in their policies and practises, such as only advertising jobs for people of a certain age range.
We recognise that ageism is harmful because it diminishes the contributions of both young and old people. We will eliminate age bias from our recruitment advertising, job descriptions, person specifications, promotion opportunities, access to training and development, and all Human Resource policies.
The Employers Forum on Age (EFA) is an independent network of leading employers dedicated to attracting and retaining experienced employees of all ages. It raises awareness and understanding of the issue of age discrimination at work through regular reports, studies, and research http://www.efa.org.uk.