Policy
As an employer of paid staff and an organisation which has Board Members and volunteers, Wiston Lodge aims to ensure that no individual receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of sex, marital status, class, education background, race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, belief, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, gender or responsibility for dependants or is in any way disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justified.
Disability
Wiston Lodge aims to ensure that people with disabilities are given equal opportunity to enter employment or to become Board Members or Volunteer. In so doing, it will fully consider making reasonable adjustments to operating practices, equipment and premises to ensure that disabled persons are not put at a substantial disadvantage due to their disability. In addition, where someone becomes disabled, every effort will be made through reasonable adjustment, retraining or redeployment as appropriate to enable them to remain in the service of Wiston Lodge.
Review
Wiston Lodge is committed to keep requirements and practices under review and to take action where necessary in order to facilitate the recruitment, involvement and development of Volunteers from all sections of the community. It welcomes diversity and recognises that action may be needed to give everyone a chance to contribute on equal terms within the aims and purposes of Wiston Lodge.
Discrimination
It is the responsibility of every individual, both volunteer and, staff to eliminate discrimination by ensuring the practical application of the equal opportunities policy and reporting incidents of discrimination to an appropriate senior person. All reports of discrimination will be treated seriously. Any discrimination is totally unacceptable to Wiston Lodge and anyone found to be discriminating would face disciplinary action.
Responsibility
The success of an Equal Opportunities and Diversity policy depends on the commitment of all those who have responsibility for volunteers and of the volunteers themselves. As expressed in the policy statement, it is the responsibility of every individual to eliminate discrimination and to ensure the practical application of this policy. It is one of the prime tasks of the Board of Directors and all staff to promote and encourage effective and ongoing implementation of the Equal Opportunities and Diversity policy.
Implementation
Implementation is principally about two things – making the policy known and understood, and ensuring that the principles are applied in all areas of work.
To this end Wiston Lodge recognises that successful implementation means adherence to the following aspects:
- The designation of responsibility for the oversight of the policy.
- The communication of the policy to make it known and understood; the provision of training for all.
- The implementation of procedures to ensure that discrimination, however slight, does not occur.
- The implementation of a procedure for handling complaints of discrimination, including harassment, and ensuring that people are aware of it, how it works and how to use it.
- Giving proactive consideration to ways of promoting and facilitating the employment, development and contribution of volunteers from all sections of the community.
- Keeping requirements and practices under review and taking action where necessary in order to facilitate the recruitment, involvement and development of volunteers from all sections of the wider community.
- The collation of statistics and analysis of them in order to monitor the effectiveness.
It is recognised that embracing diversity is primarily about examining and changing attitudes and organisational culture; policies and procedures alone will not address the issues involved. Volunteer, staff and employers need to be aware of the less obvious types of discrimination which result from general assumptions and pre-conceptions about the capabilities, interests and characteristics of individuals.