Diversity & Inclusion

Women’s representation matters. Having diverse voices in the room ensures that different issues, and different perspectives are discussed. This diversity is vitally important in public life, where decisions that affect our day-to-day lives are taken. (State of the Nation, 2022) 

EDI Strategy

At Fairplay Employer, we recognise that we have a unique opportunity to effect the positive change needed within society to better protect and enable women and communities to fulfil their potential. As an organisation who exist to eradicate gender inequality in Wales, equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of Fairplay Employer. A Wales where all women, regardless of their background, can achieve and prosper in the economy and beyond is our ultimate goal.  

Each week, our teams work across Wales with passion to deliver innovative solutions that contribute to changing the ways in which our society works to better benefit women. From directly supporting and developing women at all levels in the economy, to working with businesses to help implement inclusive working practices or influencing high-level policy change to improve gender equality, we are proud of the impact that we deliver for women in Wales.  

However, we also acknowledge that there have been times that we have fallen short in the past and, whilst our intentions to improve diversity and inclusion may have been positive, our approaches haven’t quite hit the mark. In order to reach our own maximum potential as an organisation, we need to foster the same principles within our own working practices and culture that we use to shape those of the businesses, communities and individuals that we serve. We have a responsibility to embrace and embed best practice in all that we do to truly deliver a service which values the importance of intersectionality alongside the lived experience of women from a range of backgrounds.  

This Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy aims to demonstrate both our strategic and tangible future plans to better promote and embed a meaningful and authentic commitment to intersectional diversity and inclusion which transforms the mindset of our people, partnerships, practices, perceptions, projects and products. Whilst our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy outlines our commitments, not only to our legal obligations (e.g. the Equality Act 2010), but also to the positive promotion of equality of opportunity and outcome for all of our stakeholders, this Strategy aims to provide an overarching framework to drive this function of the organisation. It reflects on our progress so far and simultaneously provides a roadmap with clear and robust measures of success which will demonstrate our journey ahead. In order to ensure our approach is under constant review and critique, this Strategy is a living document which may be adapted to better reflect the ways in which we hope to achieve our ambitions. 

 It’s an exciting time for Fairplay Employer as we enter a new period of change, development and growth for the organisation. Over the upcoming years, we may look and deliver work slightly differently to how we do in the present moment, so this is the perfect opportunity to refresh, update and alter our current approach to achieving our goal of working towards a Wales where all women can fulfil their potential.

Strategic Plan 2021-2025  

This EDI Strategy is driven by Chwarae Teg’s Strategic Plan 2021-2025. It is aligned with all aspects of the organisation’s vision, mission and values in order to further enhance our ability to make impactful and meaningful change, rooted with a focus on equality, diversity and inclusion, for the women of Wales. 

Our Values  

• We are Empowering Changemakers: We are unique and ground-breaking; shaping the world around us and leading the way towards a better future.  

• We are United by Difference: We embrace and respect diversity and individuality. We recognise that true inclusion starts with self-awareness, self-development and commitment to change.  

• We are Collaborative: We build partnerships and networks. We know that by working together we achieve more powerful results.  

• We are Unstoppable: We are passionate, breaking down barriers with determination, resilience, ambition and an unrelenting drive.  

• We are brave and courageous feminists, constantly evolving and making lasting difference.  

• We are Experts: We strive to continually develop our own skills and knowledge as part of our collective expertise in gender equality. Our deeds speak louder than words. We love what we do and it shows. 

Our Objectives

Whilst this EDI Strategy works to compliment and deliver all three of our aims, we have identified a natural connection with our objective to support Women at Risk and, therefore, we have adopted this area as our overarching EDI Goal within this Strategy. 

Defining Equality, Diversity and Inclusion  

We have thought carefully about how we define Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. We understand that each word can mean different things to different people but, in order for this strategy to have the most impact, we define the key terms used as follows:  

Cross-cutting terms  

This Strategy relies on us further adopting certain perspectives, behaviours and approaches to better address and assess how deep-rooted structural barriers have an impact on society. These include but are not limited to:  

When we talk about achieving gender equality, we are unequivocal that this means equality for all women in Wales. In order to achieve this, we need to focus on the most marginalised first; the women who face the greatest barriers and disadvantage. An intersectional approach is critical to being able to do this. While intersectionality is something that we and many others have put at the heart of what we do for a number of years, it has recently grown in prominence, and become a much firmer focus of Welsh Government and others in Wales.  

Intersectionality also relies on recognising the way in which power structures interact with each other and create inequalities, discrimination and oppression. It’s about understanding how characteristics such as gender, race, sexuality, disability, class, age and faith can interact and produce often multiple experiences of disadvantage. It is not a case of simply adding together different experiences. It requires an approach that values individuality and uniqueness to ensure that those who face a range of barriers within society are not overlooked and that their identity, as a whole, is considered when change is needed.  

Anti-racism  

Over the past few years, the focus on individuals, groups and organisations tackling the various long-standing and deep-rooted systematic barriers that work against Ethnic Minority communities has rapidly increased. Racial discrimination, injustice and inequality is ingrained in the way our society works today, and we have fallen short in challenging this. When we are complicit in mechanisms and structural inequalities that have an impact on Ethnic Minority communities, we’re unable to truly work towards a gender equal Wales. We actively support, and we continue to contribute to the ambitions within, the Welsh Government’s vision of an Anti-racism Wales by 2030 and the commitments within the Race Equality Action Plan for Wales (2021).  

We will also continue to listen, reflect and learn to the needs of communities across Wales. We’re here to provide a service which ignites the important shifts that we expect to happen in Wales, and we pledge to ensure we do all that we can to move us closer to operating in an Antiracist manner. 

Goal 2022 – 2025 

We have identified a natural connection with our objective to support Women at Risk and, therefore, we have adopted this area as our overarching EDI Goal within this Strategy: 

A Wales where all women can fulfil their potential no matter their background or circumstances 

We know that our increased investment and focus on equality, diversity, inclusion and equity will take time and will need to be integrated into the foundations of the organisation to truly have the desired outcomes we hope to achieve. Therefore, we have also drawn inspiration from the Well-being of Future Generational (Wales) Act 2015 ‘A More Equal Wales’ well-being goal. The Act is unique to Wales and offers an impactful opportunity to make a long-lasting and positive change to current and future generations, and it mirrors our ambitions for the future.

Objectives 2022-2025 

Over the next three years, we will work towards achieving our EDI Goal by delivering our Objectives which are based on the four areas of the organisation which we consider to be a priority. These headline outcomes encapsulate a range of work we plan to deliver, both internal and external, and they’ll act as our guiding principles.  

Actions 2022-2025 

Each year, we will outline the actions we plan to take in order to achieve our EDI Objectives. This will be the tangible things we can measure and will require input from all areas of the organisation. As an organisation, we are embarking on a period of change – we may not know exactly how things will look in three years’ time. Therefore, on an annual basis, we will produce an EDI Action Plan which will capture the tangible changes that we can measure. Our actions will be delivered with the following foundations in mind over the next three years: 

2022-2023  

Deciding & Applying Establishing an infrastructure to achieve optimal and sustainable outcomes 

In order for us to truly understand the changes we need to make to fulfil our overarching EDI Goal, we’ll spend the first year of our plan scoping out the necessary information to decide how we can best develop as an organisation and test the application of our plans. Our focus on the first year will be on People & Partnerships. This will enable us to increase the confidence and knowledge of our workforce, improve our internal culture and consult with groups and communities across Wales. 

2023-2024  

Embedding & Striving Testing and delivering our approaches with confidence 

By this point, we should have a clearer idea of what’s required to continue on our EDI journey. This period will be dedicated to honing in on the most successful actions and further embedding them into the organisation. Our focus in year two will be on Practice & Perception. We should be able to understand how to better shape our culture, projects and processes in order to become more confident with our approaches. 

2024-2025  

Evolving & Equipping Evaluating, sharing and equipping others with best practice 

We plan to rigorously assess our progress and the impact our EDI work has delivered and identify our future ambitions within this area. Alongside this, we aim to be transparent in sharing our progress with other organisations and groups who could benefit from relevant insight. Our focus in the final year will be on Projects & Products. We should be able to be in a position to look ahead to how EDI work can be further integrated within the organisation. 

Documents  

There will be three key documents which interlink and work simultaneously to encapsulate all EDI plans, procedures and ambitions.  These are:

Measuring & Sharing Progress  

Alongside the commitments mentioned throughout the strategy, it’s important to us that we share this work with the sector and beyond. Therefore, we pledge to remain transparent with our efforts in this area and share progress, both where we are successful but also where we need to further improve. We need to be held accountable for this work and we will continue to actively listen and learn to identify new and innovative ways to support all women, regardless of their background, to achieve and prosper in Wales. We will utilise a range of data collection methods so that we are regularly measuring our progress.

The commitments that we hope to achieve within our EDI Action Plan 2022-2023 are ambitious and will take time, so we’ll share our progress biannually by publishing:  

Mid-term Update | November 2022 Which will provide an overview of our progress in relation to each of our actions via updates on our measures of success.  

End of Year Update | March 2023 Which will provide a detailed insight into the actions we achieved and provide a rationale for those that we haven’t quite met.

This update will provide highlights and examples of new mechanisms and procedures that have been successful for 

We will also utilise ongoing opportunities through conversations with new and existing networks, at events with our campaign work to share our learning and progress updates with the sector and beyond.  

A Collective Responsibility  

This Strategy requires input and contributions from the whole workforce at Fairplay Employer. This encompasses those employed by Fairplay Employer, our trustees, volunteers, those on external/internal secondments or work placements, our customers and suppliers and all third parties carrying out business in the name of Fairplay Employer, collectively referred to as ‘our people’. Our Board of Directors and Sub Committees e.g. People and Organisational Development (POD) Committee, will receive regular updates on progress and provide strategic oversight on our EDI actions. Alongside the EDI Action Plan 2022-2023, we will test and trial the best way to communicate the developments in this area of the organisation. From our core vision as an organisation to our recently overhauled organisational values, we are clear on the direction we must take to improve our approaches to equality, diversity and inclusion. This work is important to us and as we develop as an organisation, this work will be at the forefront of the future of Fairplay Employer.  

A Collective Approach  

We can’t and shouldn’t do this work on our own. We are serious about the ambitious changes we’d like to deliver for our organisation, the economy and the women of Wales and a collaborative approach will enable us to do that. The more voices, the bigger the change we’ll make. We will work with like-minded people to facilitate this change and support other organisations and businesses in growing their own networks. Strengthening our relationships and partnerships with organisations, groups and communities will allow us to explore and test new ways to drive and deliver effective people-focused initiatives and build innovative and inclusive opportunities, products and services within a culture where all employees and participants of Fairplay Employer can achieve and prosper. 

Including trans-women in our services and language 

Fairplay Employer aims to be inclusive in all the work we do. 

Women face discrimination and disadvantage in every aspect of their lives. Our work is focused on alleviating that inequality and tackling the discrimination and oppression experienced by all women. 

This includes trans-women, who face discrimination and inequality on multiple fronts. We believe that trans-women should be able to live their lives free from discrimination, violence and oppression and experience fair, equitable outcomes. 

We are clear that we stand with trans women, and we are clear that trans-women should be treated equally. Women’s equality and trans equality do not contradict or compete with each other. We believe that diversity within the feminist movement is a strength that should be celebrated. Trans women are women, and our organisation and all of our work is fully inclusive of trans women. 

Using Inclusive Language 

By gender we mean both identity and the way in which gender shapes society and day-to-day life. While it encompasses sex, it also includes gender identity, which can be expressed in a variety of ways. 

Gender also shapes society, the economy and power relationships, as inequality is reproduced as a result of the different value placed on attributes, behaviour and roles of men, women and non-binary people. 

By gender equality we mean that regardless of sex, gender identity or gender expression people enjoy the same social, economic, and political rights, resources, opportunities and protections. 

By talking about gender equality, we are able to talk about the breadth of challenges that create inequality as this encompasses sex-based equality as well as equality based on gender identity, and enables us to talk about how gender can shape the world we live in. 

Fairplay Employer are committed to being inclusive in our work and ensuring that all women, including trans-women, are able to achieve and prosper. We support changes to the law to ensure that trans people are not disadvantaged and we believe this intersectional approach is critical if we are to successfully tackle the structural causes of gender inequality. 

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy

Fairplay Employer are committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in all its activities and within the mind-set of all employees, in order to retain a positive organisational culture where everybody can achieve and prosper.  

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the heart of Fairplay Employer’s mission and is embedding within our DNA. Fairplay Employer has a unique opportunity to affect positive change within society and we recognise that in order to reach our maximum potential as a business, we need to foster the same ideologies within our own working practices.  

This policy extends to those employed by Fairplay Employer, our trustees, volunteers, those on external/internal secondments or work placements, our customers and suppliers and all third parties carrying out business in the name of Fairplay Employer, collectively referred to as ‘our people’.  

Definitions of some of the key concepts within equality, diversity and inclusion are found in appendix 1 

Introduction 

We want to maintain a working environment that values the individual and group differences within our work force. We want to embrace the diversity of backgrounds and perspectives of our people, which in turn can increase their talent, creativity and contributions. We are committed to encouraging team-working and employee voice, through various channels, to enable diverse and innovative thinking which will contribute to the success of the organisation.  

Fairplay Employer is committed, not only to our legal obligations not to discriminate, but also to the positive promotion of equality of opportunity and equality of outcome for all our stakeholders. We retain a focus on embedding transparent processes that provide consistency of approach and on increasing diversity across the workforce. However, we also recognise there are barriers at the socio-cultural and political level to society achieving true meritocracy, and therefore, there may be instances where Fairplay Employer take positive action, as recognised under the Equality Act 2010, as a means to tackle historical inequalities that continue to shape society and the labour market.  

Our Commitment to Equality:  

Fairplay Employer will not discriminate against or treat an individual differently on the grounds of any of the 9 protected characteristics, as defined within the Equality Act 2010. These are: Age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marital status/civil partnership and pregnancy and maternity. 

The 9 Protected Characteristics:  

1. Age – a person belonging to a particular age (for example 70-year olds) or range of ages (for example 18 to 25-year olds).
2. Disability – a person has a disability if she or he has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on that person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities*.  
3. Gender reassignment – the process of transitioning from one gender to another.  
4. Marriage and civil partnership – marriage is a union between a man and a woman or between a same-sex couple. Same-sex couples can also have their relationships legally recognised as ‘civil partnerships’. Civil partners must not be treated less favourably than married couples (except where permitted by the Equality Act).  
5. Pregnancy and maternity – pregnancy is the condition of being pregnant or expecting a baby. Maternity refers to the period after the birth and is linked to maternity leave in the employment context. In the non-work context, protection against maternity discrimination is for 26 weeks after giving birth, and this includes treating a woman unfavourably because she is breastfeeding.  
6. Race – a group of people defined by their race, colour, and nationality (including citizenship) ethnic or national origins.  
7. Religion and belief – any religion, including a lack of religion. Belief refers to any religious or philosophical belief and includes a lack of belief. Generally, a belief should affect your life choices or the way you live for it to be included in the definition.  
8. Sex – a man or a woman.  
9. Sexual orientation – whether a person’s sexual attraction is towards their own sex, the opposite sex or to both sexes.  

* The Equality Act 2010 defines a disabled person according to the medical model of disability, in which a person’s impairment is seen as disabling. At Fairplay Employer we acknowledge the Equality Act 2010 definition and will not discriminate against an individual on these grounds. However, Fairplay Employer have adopted the social model of disability, which recognises that disability is caused by how society is organised. Disability refers to the barriers that people with impairments and/or long-term health conditions experience in their day-to-day life, which can be attitudinal, institutional, communicational and/or environmental. By adopting the social model of disability Fairplay Employer commits to identifying and removing the disabling barriers that are within our control, such as management practices, the way work is organised and how physical spaces are designed.  

Our commitment to protect people from discrimination extends to people with part-time, agency or fixed term contract status and to those who may hold trade union, or other affiliated, membership. Fairplay Employer seeks to eliminate discrimination across all aspects of our work and against any personal characteristic, including those that are not protected in law, as above. 

Types of discrimination:  

1. Direct discrimination – where an individual treats someone less favourably “because of” an individual’s protected characteristic. Examples of direct discrimination are: Dismissing someone because of a protected characteristic, deciding not to employ them, refusing them training, denying them a promotion, or giving them adverse terms and conditions because of a protected characteristic.  
2. Indirect discrimination – if an employer or organisation has policies or practices which apply equally to everybody, they may be committing indirect discrimination if those policies disadvantage someone with a protected characteristic. Examples of indirect discrimination are: Requiring all employees to work on religious days (indirect religion discrimination), implementing a recruitment practice that demands candidates hold UK qualifications (indirect race discrimination), implementing only full time working hours (indirect gender discrimination, as female employees are more likely caregivers and need flexibility/part time work).  
3. Combined Discrimination – this allows individuals to make a combined claim of direct discrimination based on two protected characteristics. You don’t have to have a protected characteristic yourself to be discriminated against. If someone thinks you have a characteristic or associates you with somebody who has a characteristic and treats you less favourably, that’s direct discrimination by perception or direct discrimination by association respectively.  
4. Discrimination by perception – This allows individuals to make a claim for direct discrimination where they believe they have been treated less favourably because they are perceived to have a protected characteristic. An example of discrimination by perception is where an employer decides not to promote a female employee because they believe her to be pregnant irrespective of whether she is pregnant or not.  
5. Discrimination by association – This allows individuals to make a claim for direct discrimination where they believe they have been treated less favourably because of a third party’s protected characteristic. i.e. informal carers. An example of discrimination by perception is an employee is overlooked for promotion because their partner has undergone gender reassignment.
6. Harassment – behaviour that is deemed offensive by the recipient. People can complain of the behaviour they find offensive even if it is not directed at them. Harassment may involve physical acts or verbal and non-verbal communications and gestures.  
7. Harassment by a 3rd party – employers are potentially liable for the harassment of their staff or customers by people they don’t employ directly, e.g. a contractor. If they are aware the harassment has occurred on more than two occasions and they have done nothing to stop it.  

Harassment is also a form of discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. Our people should be treated with dignity and respect and not be subject to harassment, bullying or victimisation (for further information around bullying and harassment and for a process to follow if you feel you have been subject to, or witness to, bullying or harassment, please read our AntiBullying and Harassment Policy). 

Intersectionality 

“By intersectionality we mean the way in which power structures based on factors such as gender, race, sexuality, disability, class, age and faith interact with each other and create inequalities, discrimination and oppression…one single form of discrimination cannot and should not be understood in isolation from another.”[1]  

Intersectionality describes the way that the characteristics of our identity shape our experiences, our access to power, and our privilege. Understanding intersectionality is essential to being able to achieve equality and embrace diversity.  

At Fairplay Employer we recognise that when these characteristics are only considered in isolation, understanding of an individual’s combined experience is limited, or misunderstood. In practice, this can mean only the experiences and perceptions of those representing the majority, or ‘norm’ within an environment are considered, with policies and practices designed only to fulfil their needs. 

Fairplay Employer seeks to apply an intersectional lens to all that we do, including implementation of workplace policies and processes and in creating and defining our organisational culture. To support this approach we encourage openness and seek the views of our people on a regular basis via the establishment of a complaints process, an employee forum, 1:1 discussion, focus groups, surveys, exit interviews and by providing opportunities for (anonymised) employee voice across the organisation.  

We encourage our people to question their own assumptions and unconscious biases, to be open to the unique experiences of others and to challenge practices or attitudes that impact upon retaining a respectful and inclusive experience for all.  

Equality of Outcome and Positive Action:  

As well as providing equality of opportunity, Fairplay Employer believes in attaining a fair outcome for all. We recognise that sometimes there are cultural and structural inequalities that can prevent, or impact upon, an individual’s participation. Therefore, attaining equality of outcome, in this sense, can require treatment that is not the same for everybody as action may be required to tackle inequalities, so that people are able to compete equally.  

Positive action is a range of measures allowed under the Equality Act 2010 which can be lawfully taken to encourage and train people from under-represented groups to help them overcome disadvantages in competing with other applicants or colleagues.  

Fairplay Employer may decide to take steps towards positive action, where we have a justified reason to think that people with a protected characteristic are under-represented in the workforce or suffer a disadvantage because of that characteristic. We will only use positive action as a proportionate way of addressing the under-representation or disadvantage. 

Fairplay Employer has committed to being a Disability Confident employer. Under the Disability Confident scheme,Fairplay Employer may implement a guaranteed interview to people with a disability, if they meet the minimum criteria set for the role they have applied for. The person with the disability would need to obtain the job on merit or equal merit (i.e. a tie-break situation) and through the application of acknowledged positive action. In keeping with Fairplay Employer’s recruitment process, equal merit must be established using justifiable assessment criteria, based upon the person specification for the job in question. Hence, where two candidates for a job or promotion are of equal merit, but one of the two has a protected characteristic that is under-represented in the workforce or suffers a disadvantage because of that characteristic, the one with the protected characteristic may be lawfully offered the job or promotion. When determining equal merit, a range of assessment criteria must be considered, including: Overall ability, competence, experience, qualification and other essential/desired criteria.  

Fairplay Employer may also take positive action by targeting certain under-represented groups when determining how and where to advertise job advertisements, by declaring our interest in applications from certain underrepresented groups and within recruitment campaigns, for example, organising or attending open days or events that target certain under-represented groups. 

Implementing this Policy:  

In order to fulfil our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion best practice, Fairplay Employer will provide the following assurances, under the defined headings, to all its people:  

Organisational culture and compliance  

• Actively monitor all areas of employment (including: recruitment and selection, access to development and promotional opportunities, transfers and selection for redundancies, pay and benefits, recognition, references, grievances and disciplinary action, work allocation and any other employment related activities) to ensure there is equal treatment for all employees and that action will be taken where any disparity is found.  

• Seek to challenge and investigate discriminatory behaviour and enforce the disciplinary procedure when necessary.  

• Ensure that all staff and Board members are aware of and fulfil their obligations regarding equality and diversity issues via o Ensuring understanding of this policy to Providing equality and diversity awareness raising to all employees, volunteers and trustees, as appropriate.  

• Report to a People and Organisational Development Committee (sub-committee of the Board of Directors) on compliance with this policy  

• Equality impact assess all new policies to ensure that the policy does not discriminate against any equality strand or group of people.  

• Encourage our people to actively promote an inclusive environment and to respectfully challenge processes and behaviours that may inhibit inclusion, in addition to the behaviours outlined in our DNA (see appendix A).  

• Monitor the diversity of our workforce via data collection and analysis.  

• Regularly seek employee voice to assess satisfaction levels e.g. Via the Employee Forum, staff engagement surveys, discussion and focus groups.  

• Encourage a culture of open communications and psychological safety in which to explore diversity of employee needs.  

• Provide supportive measures and reasonable adjustments, where able, to accommodate employee needs.

Recruitment & Selection  

• Advertisements for posts will be reviewed to eliminate any unnecessary terminology, non-inclusive or bias language/imagery.  

• Advertisements for posts will give sufficiently clear and accurate information, including availability of flexible working, to enable potential candidates to make informed decisions.  

• Ensure all recruitment agencies acting for Fairplay Employer are aware of their requirement not to discriminate and to follow Fairplay Employer’s specifications to ensure a fair selection process.  

• Have a job evaluation process in place to ensure all job descriptions and specifications will include only requirements that are justifiable for the effective performance of the job and that requirements are assessed against capacity levels.  

• We follow a fair process for setting and reviewing salaries across the organisation, as referenced within Fairplay Employer’s Total Reward Policy.  

• Endeavour to recruit from the widest pool of external candidates possible, whilst circulating all opportunities internally (exceptional circumstances may apply in cases where an employee has been successfully recruited for a temporary/fixed term contract role and the terms of employment for that role changes e.g. the role becomes permanent) 

• Ensure that recruitment shortlisting is anonymised with fairness and transparency within decision-making.

• Ensure that selection practices are thorough, are determined against defined criteria, fairly benchmarked and scored, so that all appointments are made on merit.  

• All employees involved in the advertising, recruitment and selection process are provided guidance on unconscious bias, our legal obligations and best practice. 

•  Where it is necessary to ask questions relating to personal circumstances, during the recruitment process, these will be related purely to job requirements and asked to all candidates.  

• Take steps to ensure diversity within the workforce and at board level, to include potential positive action (see Positive Action below).  

• Commit to being a disability confident employer.  

Learning & Development  

• Encourage all employees to discuss their career prospects and training needs with their Line Manager, either within or in addition to regular Achieve meetings.  

• Encourage all employees to access training and other career development opportunities as appropriate to their experience, abilities and interests.  

• Provide core training to all employees, regardless of a protected characteristic, parttime or fixed term contract status. i.e. internal workshops  

• Retain a training and CPD log for all employees, as part of the Achieve process, for the purposes of recording and assessing learning and development.  

• Assess all requests for additional training at Senior Management Team level, who will monitor expenditure and distribution of training across all areas of the organisation, to ensure fairness within spend and all employees have opportunity to develop.  

• Consider all employees for internal promotion/secondments/job change, solely on their merits following a fair and transparent recruitment process.  

Service Delivery  

• Endeavour to promote the inclusion of marginalised, vulnerable or underrepresented groups. We will implement the most appropriate method of positive action to address imbalance and promote inclusion.  

• Ensure our selection and tendering processes address and include equality considerations.  

• Encourage our partners to work with us and adopt our equality principles.  

Responsibilities  

All our people have a responsibility to adhere to and promote this policy. Therefore, all our people have a responsibility to respect others, to not discriminate or harass others and to report any such behaviour, of which they become aware, to the People Team.

The People Team are responsible for monitoring and reviewing this policy and for ensuring that all employment-related policies, procedures and practices adhere to this policy.  

All Line Managers are responsible for implementing this policy. 

Fairplay Employer’s Board of Trustees have responsibility for driving forward our work on equality and diversity, as relevant to the functions and services that they have responsibility for.  

The Chief Executive has the ultimate responsibility for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion within Fairplay Employer .  

Making a Complaint:  

Any employee/agency worker/volunteer who feels they have been discriminated against, or believe they have witnessed discrimination, should raise the matter in accordance with Fairplay Employer’s Grievance Procedure. A copy of the Grievance Procedure can be found internally on SharePoint.  

Any employee/agency worker/volunteer who feels they have been subject to, or believe they have witnessed, harassment, bullying or victimisation, is encouraged to raise the matter under Fairplay Employer’s Anti-Bullying and Harassment Policy, which can also be found on SharePoint.  

Any instance of discrimination, harassment, bullying or victimisation that is brought to Fairplay Employer’s attention, may be dealt with, as appropriate, in line with Fairplay Employer’s Disciplinary Policy (also found on SharePoint).  

Any external stakeholder who feels they have been discriminated against or been subject to harassment, bullying or victimisation, or who believe they have witnessed discrimination, bullying, harassment or victimisation, should raise the matter as a complaint using the following contact details: 

Email: complaintsofficer@chwaraeteg.com  

Any employee who is found to have committed an act of discrimination, or breached this policy in any other way, will be subject to action under the Disciplinary Procedure, up to and including dismissal. Non–employees will be subject to appropriate formal action that may, depending on the circumstances, involve terminating any contract or agreement. 

The Company will also take seriously any malicious or, in its opinion, unwarranted allegations of discrimination and will take appropriate action, disciplinary or otherwise, where necessary.  

Further Information:  

Further sources of information on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, can be accessed within the following links:  

ACAS: www.acas.org.uk  

Disability Rights UK: www.disabilityrightsuk.org  

Equality & Human Rights Commission: www.equalityhumanrights.com  

Gov.UK: www.gov.uk/browse/employing-people  

Stonewall: www.stonewall.org.uk  

Fit For Work Service: fitforwork.org  

Mental Health At Work: www.mentalhealthatwork.org.uk 

If you would like to find out more about our EDI policy or how to start your FairPlay Employer Journey then please contact us here.