DIVERSITY POLICY
1. GENERAL
1.2 Xcede Group embraces diversity and are seeking to promote the benefits of diversity in all of our business activities. We seek to develop a business culture that reflects that belief. We will seek to widen the media in which we recruit to ensure as diverse and inclusive employee and candidate base as possible. We will strive to make sure that we empower our clients to meet their own diversity targets.
1.3 Xcede Group is committed to diversity and will promote diversity for all employees, workers, and applicants and shall adhere to such a policy at all times. We will review on an on-going basis all aspects of recruitment to avoid unlawful or undesirable discrimination. Xcede Group will treat everyone equally irrespective of sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, race, nationality, ethnicity or national origin, religion or belief, political beliefs or membership or non-membership of a Trade Union or spent convictions and places an obligation upon all staff to respect and act in accordance with the policy. Xcede Group is committed to providing training for its entire staff in equal opportunities and inclusive practice.
1.4 Xcede Group shall not discriminate unlawfully when deciding which candidate/temporary worker is submitted for a vacancy or assignment, or in any terms of employment or terms of engagement for temporary workers. Xcede Group will ensure that each candidate is assessed only in accordance with the candidate’s merits, qualifications, and abilities to perform the relevant duties required by the particular vacancy.
1.5 Xcede Group will not accept instructions from clients that indicate an intention to discriminate unlawfully.
2. DISCRIMINATION
Unlawful discrimination occurs in the following circumstances:
2.1. Direct discrimination
Direct discrimination occurs where one individual treats or would treat another individual less favourably on grounds of sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership, age, disability, colour, race, nationality, ethnicity or national origin, religion or belief, political beliefs (“the protected categories”).
It is unlawful for a recruitment consultancy to discriminate against a person on the grounds of a protected category: -
in the terms on which the recruitment consultancy offers to provide any of its services;
by refusing or deliberately omitting to provide any of its services;
in the way it provides any of its services.
Direct discrimination would also occur if a recruitment consultancy accepted and acted upon a job registration from an employer which states that certain persons are unacceptable due to a protected category, unless one of the exceptions applies, for instance, the job demands a genuine occupational requirement or in the case of age, the discrimination can be lawfully justified.
2.2. Indirect Discrimination
Indirect discrimination occurs where an agency or employer applies a provision, criterion or practice generally, which disadvantages a minority group in the community on the basis of a protected category.
Indirect discrimination would also occur if a recruitment consultant accepted and acted upon an indirectly discriminatory instruction from an employer.
If the vacancy requires characteristics which amount to a genuine occupational requirement or the instruction is lawfully discriminatory due to a statutory exception or objective justification, Xcede Recruitment Solutions Ltd will not deal further with the vacancy unless the client provides written confirmation of such genuine occupational requirement, exception or justification.
2.3 DISABLED PERSONS
2.3.1 Direct Discrimination
Direct discrimination against a person occurs where, if for a reason which relates to the disabled person's disability, an individual:
treats them less favourably than they treat, or would treat others to whom that reason does not or would not apply
the employer cannot show that the treatment in question is justified.
Or
If on the ground of a disabled person’s disability, they treat the disabled person less favourably than they treats or would treat a person not having that particular disability, whose relevant circumstances, including their abilities, are the same as, or not materially different from, those of the disabled person. This type of direct discrimination can never be justified.
2.3.2 Duty to make reasonable adjustments and to provide auxiliary aids and services
This is a similar protection to indirect discrimination in the other protected categories.
Where a provision, criterion or practice applied by or on behalf of an employer, or any physical feature of the employer’s premises, places a disabled person at a substantial disadvantage in comparison with persons who are not disabled, it will be the duty of an employer to take such steps as are reasonable, in all the circumstances of the case, to remove the provision, criterion, practice or physical feature.
Agencies must take reasonable steps to provide auxiliary aids or services if this would make it easier for the disabled person to use their services. For instance, an appropriate auxiliary aid or service can include the provision of information on audiotape or provision of a sign language interpreter.
Xcede Group will not discriminate against a disabled person on the grounds of disability -
in the arrangements i.e. application form, interview or arrangements for selection for determining to whom a job should be offered; or
in the terms on which employment or engagement of temporary workers is offered; or
by refusing to offer, or deliberately not offering the disabled person a job for reasons connected with their disability;
or
in the opportunities afforded to the person for receiving any benefit, or by refusing to afford, or deliberately not affording them any such opportunity; or
by subjecting them to any other detriment (detriment will include refusal of training or transfer, demotion, reduction of wage, or harassment).
Xcede Group will accordingly make career opportunities available to all people with disabilities and every practical effort will be made to provide for the needs of staff, candidates, and clients.
Wherever possible Xcede Group will make reasonable adjustments to hallways, passages, and doors to provide and improve means of access for disabled employees and workers. However, this may not always be feasible, due to circumstances creating such difficulties as to render such adjustments as being beyond what is reasonable in all the circumstances.
3. AGE DISCRIMINATION
Xcede Group will not discriminate directly or indirectly, harass, or victimise any person on the grounds of their age. We will encourage clients not to include any age criteria in job specifications and every attempt will be made to persuade clients to recruit on the basis of competence and skills and not age.
Xcede Group is committed to recruiting and retaining employees whose skills, experience, and attitude are suitable for the requirements of the various positions regardless of age.
No age requirements will be stated in any job advertisements on behalf of the company.
Any age data held as part of Xcede Group recruitment process will not be used as selection, training, or promotion criteria or in any detrimental way and is only for compilation of personal data, which the company holds on all employees and workers and as part of its equal opportunities monitoring process.
4. PART-TIME WORKERS
This Diversity Policy also covers the treatment of those employees and workers who work on a part-time basis, Xcede Group recognises that it is an essential part of this policy that part-time employees are treated on the same terms, with no detriment, as full-time employees (albeit on a pro rata basis) in matters such as rates of pay, holiday entitlement, maternity leave, parental and domestic incident leave and access to our pension scheme. Xcede Group also recognises that part-time employees must be treated the same as full-time employees in relation to training and redundancy situations.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
Xcede Group recognises and accepts its responsibility to minimise, wherever possible, its impact on the environment and to comply with all statutory environmental requirements.
The Company wishes to promote, amongst its staff and sub-contractors, an understanding of environmental issues.
Through properly developed and executed practices, The Company seeks to sustain and improve its own environment and contribute to the protection of the local, national and global environments.
The Company has several key environmental aims:
To enhance environmental awareness among its staff and sub-contractors.
• in the procurement of resources.
• by provision of information, instruction, and training.
To minimise;
• the consumption of resources
• the production of waste and
• harmful emissions to air, land, and water
Consideration will be given to the substitution of polluting substances with “greener” alternatives wherever possible. Steps will be taken to minimise smoke, dust, fumes, vapours, noise, and vibration nuisance – the potential for which will be identified during the risk assessment process.
To achieve these objectives the following policies will be adopted to cover areas of key environmental importance.
1. Energy
The Company wishes to conserve energy. It will endeavour to use the minimum quantities of energy possible in accordance with the safe and efficient operation of its heating, lighting, plant and machinery. It will continuously review its energy sources, energy forms, and energy efficiency with a view to causing least environmental impact. It will carry out a continuous programme of energy conservation by monitoring consumption and eliminating excessive or unnecessary use. It will communicate to staff and contractors used on the premises, the means by which energy may be conserved.
2. Water
The Company wishes to conserve water. It will endeavour to use the minimum quantities of water possible in accordance with its activities and it will ensure that the water it uses is both supplied and disposed of, in purest condition possible, meeting statutory requirements. It will carry out a continuous programme of water conservation by monitoring consumption, reducing leakage and eliminating excessive or unnecessary use. It will communicate, to staff and sub-contractors, the means by which water may be conserved.
3. Transport
The Company wishes to mitigate the harmful effects of its traffic on the environment. When travelling to and from our premises and on company business, all staff will be discouraged from the single occupancy use of private vehicles. Company controlled vehicles will be operated in such a way as to minimise their impact on the environment.
4. Purchasing
The Company wishes to conserve resources. Through its purchasing policies it will seek goods and services, which do least harm to the environment in their production, delivery and packaging use, re-use, recycling, and disposal. It will seek to purchase from local or regional suppliers which will maximise the Company’s input to the local community and minimise transport. It will communicate to staff and contractors means by which goods and services may be purchased, with due regard to the environment.
5. Waste Management
The Company wishes to conserve resources by minimising its generation of wastes. It will do this by, in order of priority, reducing the acquisition of new materials, re-using materials, recycling existing materials and, if the former are impractical, disposal by a means which will have least impact on the environment and conforms to statutory requirements. It will communicate, to staff and sub-contractors, means by which waste may be minimised.
All waste disposal shall be carried out by registered waste carriers and removed to registered waste disposal sites. Documentation shall be held to demonstrate compliance with this.
Whenever possible waste shall be recycled, reclaimed or reused.
6. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health
The Company wishes to prevent harmful impacts on the environment from the hazardous substances they use. Hazardous substance spillages will be immediately contained by the use of an inert substance and then correctly disposed of to prevent any damage to the environment. Any hazardous substance spillage of a significant amount will be immediately reported to the Local Water Authority if discharge into a sewer is likely. All hazardous substances and empty containers will be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner by an approved method.
All liquid storage will be bunded wherever there is a risk.
COSHH assessments will form part of our environmental system.
7. Environmental Awareness of Staff and Contractors
The Company wishes to promote the awareness of environmental matters amongst its staff and contractors and will also apply to office functions, company travel as well as all warehouse storage and on-site activities.
To do this it will:
a. support the implementation of an environmental policy.
b. delegate environmental responsibilities to the Health and Safety Co-ordinator.
c. provide staff with information and training in environmental matters.
d. it will be enforced by managerial vigilance and shall be subject to regular auditing and review.
