Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy
Careers Collective is committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion among our workforce and has a zero tolerance of unlawful discrimination.
The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative of all sections of society and our clients and for each Collaborator to feel respected and able to give their best.
Our organisation
Careers Collective operates exclusively online and engages freelance service providers (who we refer to as Collaborators) in all aspects of the business; we do not have members of staff. We create our own content in-house and do not supply goods other than downloadable resources. Our model is a blended coaching and teaching approach. We work with adults and children.
Our activities:
We make our ethics and expectations clear in our engagement with all elements of our supply chain and share our Code of Conduct, Safeguarding Policy, Slavery and Anti-Trafficking Policy and Health and Safety Policy with all new suppliers of services.
We have in place systems to encourage the reporting of concerns and the protection of whistleblowers, as reflected in our Safeguarding Policy. We have a separate confidential email address to which concerns can be addressed, which is shared with all new Collaborators.
Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement:
We all deserve the opportunity to develop our skills and talents to our full potential, work in a safe, supportive and inclusive environment, be fairly rewarded and recognised for our work and have a meaningful voice on matters that affect us.
Careers Collective commits to:
Encourage equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace as is morally right, good practice and makes business sense
Create a working environment free of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination, promoting dignity and respect for all, where individual differences and the contributions of all staff are recognised and valued.
Communicate with Collaborators the expectation that they will conduct themselves to help the organisation provide equal opportunities in employment and prevent bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination. All Collaborators should understand they, as well as their employer, can be held liable for acts of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination against fellow Collaborators, clients, suppliers and the public.
Take complaints of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination by fellow Collaborators, clients, suppliers, visitors, the public and any others in the course of the organisation’s work activities seriously. Such acts will not be tolerated and appropriate action will be taken. Particularly serious complaints could lead to a report to the police.
Share opportunities for training, development and progress with all Collaborators to encourage and support them to develop their full potential, so their talents and resources can be fully utilised to maximise the efficiency of the organisation.
Decisions concerning Collaborators are based on merit (apart from in any necessary and limited exemptions and exceptions allowed under the Equality Act).
Review hiring practices and procedures when necessary to ensure fairness, and also update them to take account of changes in the law.
Encourage new Collaborators to share any protected characteristic with the organisation so we can offer appropriate support and demonstrate awareness.
Monitor the make-up of the workforce regarding the information supplied such as age, sex, ethnic background, sexual orientation, religion or belief, and disability in encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion and in meeting the aims and commitments set out in the equality, diversity and inclusion policy.
Respect our Collaborators’ decisions regarding what information they want to disclose
Monitoring will also include assessing how the equality, diversity and inclusion policy, and any supporting action plan, are working in practice, reviewing them annually, and considering and taking action to address any issues.
Co-founders Sally Everist and Tina Harrigan-James support the equality, diversity and inclusion policy. It is sent to all new Collaborators for acknowledgement as part of the onboarding process.
Please see Appendix 1 for background reading and a breakdown of the difference between Diversity and Inclusion.
The Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act 2010 legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in broader society. The Equality Act came into force in October 2010, providing a modern, single and legal framework with clear, streamlined law to tackle disadvantage and discrimination more effectively. The Equality Act 2006 remains in force, as amended by the Act, so far as it relates to the constitution and operation of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
It replaced previous anti-discrimination laws with a singles Act, making the law easier to understand and strengthening protection in some situations. It sets out the different ways it’s unlawful to treat someone and harmonises all previous equalities legislation to provide Britain with a discrimination law that protects individuals from unfair treatment and promotes a fair and more equal society.
The Act also strengthens the law in several areas, including placing a new duty on certain public bodies to consider socio-economic disadvantages when making strategic decisions about how to exercise their functions.
The characteristics that are protected by the Equality Act 2010 are:
● Age
● Disability
● Gender reassignment
● Marriage of civil partnerships (in employment only)
● Pregnancy and maternity
● Race
● Religion or belief
● sex
This Policy was reviewed on: 14th July 2022 by Sally Everist
Appendix 1
Information is taken from the CIPD website at
https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/relations/diversity/factsheet
The moral case for building fairer and more inclusive labour markets and workplaces is indisputable: regardless of our identity, background or circumstance, we all deserve the opportunity to develop our skills and talents to our full potential, work in a safe, supportive and inclusive environment, be fairly rewarded and recognised for our work and have a meaningful voice on matters that affect us.
Everyone benefits when we embrace and value the diversity of thoughts, ideas and ways of working that people from different backgrounds, experiences and identities bring to an organisation. So organisations must ensure their people management approaches do not put any group at a disadvantage. It’s also vital for the sustainability of businesses and economies. People professionals have a pivotal role to play in role modelling inclusion and diversity in their organisation - find out more in the CIPDs Profession Map.
Inclusion and diversity often go hand in hand but differ from one another. This means that organisations need to consider both in their people management practices and strategies.
● Inclusion is where people’s differences are valued and used to enable everyone to thrive at work. An inclusive working environment is one in which everyone feels that they belong without having to conform, that their contribution matters and
they can perform to their full potential, no matter their background, identity or circumstances. An inclusive workplace has fair policies and practices in place and enables a diverse range of people to work together effectively. Reflect on inclusion practice in your organisation with our inclusion health checker tool
● Diversity is about recognising differences. It’s acknowledging the benefit of having a range of perspectives in decision-making and the workforce being representative of the organisation’s customers
Standards, such as the BSI and ISO human resource management suite and Investors in People (IiP), provide principle-based frameworks and guidelines to help organisations recognise their people's actual and potential value and ensure their people policies and working practices are bias-free. See more on HR and standards.
The concept of ‘intersectionality’ is that we all have multiple, overlapping identities that impact on our experience - takes into account this principle.
Differences include visible and non-visible factors, for instance, personal characteristics such as background, culture, personality, work style, accent, and language. It’s essential to recognise that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to managing people does not achieve fairness and equality of opportunity for everyone. People have different personal needs, values and beliefs. To support individual and business needs, good people management practice must be consistently fair but flexible and inclusive. In the UK, age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex and sexual orientation are ‘protected characteristics’ covered by discrimination law to give people protection against being treated unfairly.
Discrimination can:
● Impact an individual’s well-being, performance at work and intention to stay. ● Adversely affect employment opportunities.
● Result in failure to recognise skills-based abilities, potential and experience. ● Result in high legal costs, compensation and settlements paid to avoid defending expensive discrimination claims.
For example, ‘neurodiversity’ is a growing area of workplace inclusion. It refers to the natural range of differences in human brain function. Employers use it to describe alternative thinking styles, including dyslexia, autism and ADHD. Most adjustments are simple and low-cost but can significantly impact an individual’s working life. Together with Uptimize, we’ve produced Neurodiversity at work, a practical guide for employers to help create a neurodiversity-friendly workplace where people can utilise their strengths.
Written January 2022 by Tina Harrigan-James, Careers Collective Co-founder