FarmED Equal Opportunities Policy
Policy Statement
Embracing diversity is an essential part of the work of FarmED. We have a positive commitment to treating everyone fairly and with respect as a unique individual irrespective of race, disability, age, gender, marital status, sexual orientation and religion.
We value people as individuals with diverse opinions, cultures, lifestyles and circumstances. This policy covers all employees, officers, consultants, contractors, volunteers, casual workers and agency workers and it applies to all areas of employment including recruitment, selection, training, deployment, career development, and promotion. These areas are monitored and policies and practices are amended if necessary to ensure that no unfair or unlawful discrimination, intentional, unintentional, direct or indirect, overt or latent exists.
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. Managers will be given appropriate training on equal opportunities awareness and equal opportunities recruitment and selection best practice.
FarmED CIC will benefit a broad range of rural and urban communities at local, regional, national and international level. Our audience are those involved, directly or indirectly, in farming, land management and food systems. Key beneficiaries include landowners, land managers, farmers, growers, advisors, policy makers, researchers, environmental groups, students (of all ages), new entrants, rural businesses and food consumers.
Our core values underpin everything that we do. We will:
- Dare to be different
- Respect our soil and natural capital
- Promote regenerative and holistic thinking
- Celebrate the role of small farmers
- Be enterprising and innovative
- Ensure every day is fun
- Promote ecological, business and human diversity
- Support lifelong learning
- Help the next generation
- Be open minded
- Work with others
- Offer great service
This document encapsulates our values in relation to promoting equal opportunities.
Our policy operates in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 and related legislation. Its effectiveness is reviewed regularly and at least annually, and any action taken as necessary.
Scope of Policy
The FarmED Directors and wider management team have been involved in developing this policy and are aware of, and will comply, with its contents.
All staff are aware of the policy and will comply with its contents.
FarmED works with disadvantaged and underrepresented groups. We will use this opportunity to gain feedback on our practice in relation to inclusivity, amending existing policies where appropriate.
External providers of services to FarmED will be made aware of our policy.
Our Commitment
We are committed to:
- promoting equality of opportunity for all individuals
- treating everyone accessing our services with fairness, respect and dignity
- promoting a good and harmonious working environment in which all individuals are treated with respect
- preventing occurrences of unlawful direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation
- fulfilling all our legal obligations under the equality legislation and associated codes of practice
- complying with our own Equal Opportunities policy and associated policies
- taking lawful affirmative or positive action, where appropriate
- providing training, development and progression opportunities to all staff
- understanding equality and inclusion in the workplace is good management practice and makes sound business sense
- reviewing all our employment practices and procedures to ensure fairness and inclusion for all
- taking steps to ensure equity amongst our workforce such as ensuring that our vacancies are advertised to a diverse range of potential candidates and, where relevant, to particular groups that have been identified as disadvantaged or underrepresented in our Company, taking positive action to recruit disabled people and ensuring there are no unlawful barriers to accessing our employment opportunities, training, progression opportunities, benefits and facilities
- diversity in our workforce will be regularly monitored to ensure equal opportunities throughout the Company. Where appropriate, measures will be taken to identify and remove unnecessary obstacles and to meet the special needs of disadvantaged or underrepresented groups
Our commitment as a service provider
- providing services to which all clients are entitled regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation
- making sure our services are delivered equally and meet the diverse needs of our service users and clients
- taking steps to ensure equity amongst our clients and service users such as removing any unlawful obstacles to accessing our services or facilities. Where appropriate, measures will be taken to identify and remove unnecessary barriers and to meet the special needs of disadvantaged or underrepresented groups
- fully supporting this policy by senior management and ensuring agreement has been reached with employee representatives, if applicable
- having clear procedures that enable our clients, candidates for jobs and employees to raise a grievance or make a complaint if they feel they have been unfairly treated.
Equal opportunity policy statements
Age
We will:
- ensure that people of all ages are treated with respect and dignity
- ensure that people are given equal access to our employment, training, development and promotion opportunities and
- challenge discriminatory assumptions about younger and older people.
Disability
We will:
- provide any reasonable adjustments to ensure disabled people have access to our services and employment opportunities. If we feel that a particular adjustment would not be reasonable, we will discuss this with you and try to find an alternative solution where possible
- challenge discriminatory assumptions about disabled people and
- seek to continue to improve access to information by ensuring availability of loop systems, braille facilities, alternative formatting and sign language interpretation
- If you are disabled or become disabled, we encourage you to tell us about your condition so that we can support you as appropriate
- We will keep the physical features of our premises under review to consider whether they might place anyone with a disability at a substantial disadvantage. Where necessary, we will take reasonable steps to improve access.
Race
We will:
- challenge racism wherever it occurs
- respond swiftly and sensitively to racist incidents and
- actively promote race equality and inclusion in the Company
- take positive action to redress the negative effects of discrimination against everyone
- offer equal access for everyone to representation, services, employment, training and pay and encourage other organisations to do the same.
Gender
We will:
- challenge discriminatory assumptions about gender
- take positive action to redress the negative effects of discrimination against everyone
- offer equal access for everyone to representation, services, employment, training and pay and encourage other organisations to do the same and
- provide support to prevent discrimination against transgender people who have or who are about to undergo gender reassignment.
Sexual orientation
We will:
- ensure that we take account of the needs of everyone, including the LGBTQ+ communities
- promote positive images of the LGBTQ+ communities
- challenge discriminatory assumptions about the LGBTQ+ communities
- take positive action to redress the negative effects of discrimination against everyone and
- offer equal access for everyone to representation, services, employment, training and pay and encourage other organisations to do the same.
Religion or belief
We will:
- ensure that employees’ religion or beliefs and related observances are respected and accommodated wherever possible and
- respect people’s beliefs where the expression of those beliefs does not impinge on the legitimate rights of others.
Pregnancy or maternity
We will:
- ensure that people are treated with respect and dignity during pregnancy or maternity leave
- challenge discriminatory assumptions about pregnancy or maternity and
- ensure that no individual is disadvantaged during pregnancy or maternity leave and that we take account of the needs of our employees’ during pregnancy or maternity leave.
Marriage or civil partnership
We will:
- ensure that people are treated with respect and dignity regardless of marriage or civil partnership status
- challenge discriminatory assumptions about the marriage or civil partnership of our employees and
- ensure that no individual is disadvantaged as a result of their marriage or civil partnership status.
Part time and fixed term work
Part time and fixed term staff should be treated the same as comparable full time or permanent staff and enjoy no less favourable terms and conditions (on a pro-rata basis where appropriate), unless different treatment is justified.
Equal pay
We will ensure that all employees have the right to the same contractual pay and benefits for carrying out the same work, work rated as equivalent work or work of equal value.
Responsibilities
Responsibility for Equal Opportunities for FarmED as a whole is shared equally amongst directors and management team.
Promotion of the policy
The policy will be promoted to all stakeholders of the organisation and is available on our website.
General communications
We will incorporate the principles of Equal Opportunities into our general communications, advertising, bulletins and company literature wherever suitable.
Partnership working
At the start of any working relationship with partner organisations, or when we collaborate in ways such as to hire or exchange facilities, deliver events and services, disseminate information and so forth, we will discuss how this can happen in an accessible and non-discriminatory way.
Positive Discrimination
If we identify particular groups that we feel are underrepresented within specific activities and projects, then where appropriate and lawful we will take steps to actively include those groups or attract/support them through bursary funding and other means.
Monitoring and Review
We carry out evaluations of our activities. This enables us to assess our impact and identify development needs across a range of issues, including the type of audience we reach.
Any areas for improvement identified in the field of Equal Opportunities are noted and fed back as part of our regular review process, after which actions will be taken to address said issues.
We also subscribe to the Equality and Human Rights newsletter to ensure we keep abreast of any changes in legislation that could affect our policy and working practices.
Compliments/Concerns/Complaints
Any person who believes that they have suffered any form of discrimination, harassment, or victimisation is entitled to raise the matter formally to The Directors and/or General Manager. All complaints of discrimination will be dealt with seriously, promptly and confidentially in line with that procedure.
Review
This policy will be reviewed annually to ensure it remains up to date and compliant with the law.
Ian Wilkinson (Director) has overall and final responsibility.
Sally Pullen (Operations Manager) has day-to-day responsibility for ensuring this policy is put into practice.
Contact:
Designated Lead For Equal Opportunities
Name: Sally Pullen
Job role: Operations Manager
Email: sally@farm-ed.co.uk
Mobile: 07976 108907
Last reviewed 01 February 2024