The aim of the policy is to ensure no job applicant or employee of Valley Security & Fire Ltd is discriminated against either directly or indirectly on any unlawful grounds.
The Managing Director has overall responsibility for ensuring that this policy is implemented, in accordance with the appropriate statutory requirements and full account will be taken of all available guidance and in particular any relevant Codes of Practice.
The Company will ensure that the policy is circulated to any agencies responsible for its recruitment and a copy of the policy will be made available for all employees and made known to all applicants for employment.
The policy will be communicated to all private contractors reminding them of their responsibilities towards the equality of opportunity.
The Company will maintain a neutral working environment in which no worker feels under threat or intimidated.
Discrimination is unacceptable and breaches of the policy will lead to disciplinary proceedings and, if appropriate, disciplinary action.
Recruitment and selection:
The Company will endeavour, through appropriate training, to ensure that employees making selection and recruitment decisions will not discriminate, whether consciously or unconsciously, in making these decisions.
Promotion and advancement will be made on merit and all decisions relating to this will be made within the overall framework and principles of this policy.
Job descriptions, where used, will be in line with this equal opportunities policy. Job requirements will be reflected accurately in any personnel specifications.
The Company will adopt a consistent, non-discriminatory approach to the advertising of vacancies.
The Company will not confine its recruitment to areas or media sources that provide only, or mainly, applicants of a particular group.
All applicants who apply for jobs with the Company will receive fair treatment and will be considered solely on their ability to do the job.
All employees involved in the recruitment process will periodically review their selection criteria to ensure that they are related to the job requirements and do not unlawfully discriminate.
Short listing and interviewing will be carried out by more than one person where possible.
Interview questions will be related to the requirements of the job and will not be of a discriminatory nature.
The Company will not disqualify any applicant because he/she is unable to complete an application form unassisted unless personal completion of the form is a valid test of the standard of English required for the safe and effective performance of the job.
Selection decisions will not be influenced by any perceived prejudices of other employees.
Training and promotion:
Senior staff will receive training in the application of this policy to ensure that they are aware of its contents and provisions. All training and promotion will be in line with this policy.
Monitoring:
The Company will maintain and review the employment records of all employees in order to monitor the progress of this policy.
Monitoring may involve:
the collection and classification of information regarding the race in terms of ethnic/national origin, the sex, age and disability of all current employees,
the examination by ethnic/national origin, sex, age and disability of the distribution of employees and the success rate of the applicants,
recording recruitment, training and promotional records of all employees, the decisions reached and the reason for those decisions.
The results of any monitoring procedure will be reviewed at regular intervals to assess the effectiveness of the implementation of this policy. Consideration will be given, if necessary, to adjusting this policy to afford greater equality of opportunities to all applicants and employees.
