POLICY STATEMENT
Rhea Projects is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We want every colleague to feel comfortable being themselves, and to feel safe in speaking out in a culture where we understand and respect each other’s differences. This policy applies to all employees in the UK and describes our approach to inclusion, diversity and equal opportunities, and is written in line with the Equality Act 2010 and equality laws in Northern Ireland. This policy is not part of your formal terms and conditions of employment, and we may review, amend or withdraw the policy from time to time.
INCLUSION At RHEA
Projects we know that our colleagues have different backgrounds and cultures; and are of all ages, abilities, and genders. Whoever you are, we want you to feel welcome, accepted, and able to fulfil your potential. We strive to have an authentic, inclusive culture where you can bring yourself to work, and feel comfortable with a sense of belonging. We want colleagues to feel safe, respected and valued for who they are, whether that’s as individuals, or as a diverse group. Our mixture of people and ideas is what makes Rhea unique. All colleagues bring fresh perspectives, solutions and new ideas as our different backgrounds allow us to collectively see things from all angles and deliver the best for our customers and each other. Our ambition is to have an open and inclusive culture for all our people, and if you feel you’re not being treated in this way, or you see behaviour which is not inclusive, we want to know so we can do something about it.
DIVERSITY
We respect and appreciate what makes our colleagues different, and we strongly believe that our colleagues ought to reflect the diversity of the communities in which we operate. Our colleagues all have different levels of education, socio-economic status, experience and length of service. Many have caring responsibilities, health conditions or disabilities and different ways of interpreting information, such as people living with Asperger’s (neurodivergence). Some colleagues may have deeply held beliefs and values.
Everyone is different, everyone is welcome, and we do not discriminate against our colleagues on the basis of their diversity, as defined by the law.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
Unlawful discrimination and bias are not tolerated within Rhea. Our equal opportunities approach supports the fair treatment of all colleagues. We have a number of inclusive policies and processes in place, to ensure that we act fairly, provide equality and avoid unlawful discrimination in all aspects of employment. This includes recruitment, promotion, opportunities for training, pay and benefits, discipline and selection for redundancy. We expect our managers to make objective decisions, free from prejudice and based only on work criteria, competencies and individual achievements. We strive to ensure that all colleagues are treated with dignity at work. Anyone found to be in breach of these policies will face disciplinary action which may result in their dismissal from the company. We will not unlawfully discriminate against you, and equality will be championed at each point in your colleague journey:
Your performance will be objectively assessed every year against your goals and job requirements.
Personal or home commitments will not form the basis of employment decisions except where necessary.
Our Flexible Working policy is designed to support different working practices including the number of hours to be worked, the times at which these are to be worked and the place at which work is to be done. Requests to vary these terms will be carefully considered.
We take action to stop any subtle or explicit forms of racism where we find it. We will make reasonable adjustments to our working practices to overcome barriers caused by disabilities.
We will take steps to eliminate unconscious bias from our decision-making, and to promote equality with a focus on building and sustaining a diverse talent pipeline.
We will support lifelong learning through coaching and honest performance-related feedback.
DISCRIMINATION – THE LAW
It is our aim to go beyond the minimum legal requirements, to promote equality and inclusive behaviour at work. Discrimination is a type of unfair treatment based on who you are, and it is unlawful to discriminate due to someone’s age, disability, sex, gender identity, pregnancy or maternity, race (which includes colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), sexual identity, faith or belief, or because someone is married or in a civil partnership. These are known as "protected characteristics". Additionally, it is unlawful to discriminate on the basis of fixed term or part time working or for example having a spent criminal conviction. Unlawful discrimination can be:
Direct: This is when someone is treated less favourably because of one or more protected characteristics e.g. taking the mickey out of a colleague’s afro hair when this wouldn’t happen to a non-black worker
Indirect: When rules or arrangements are put in place that apply to everyone but puts someone with a protected characteristic at an unjustifiable disadvantage e.g. including criteria “10 years of experience needed” in a job advert, which unfairly discriminates against younger workers who may have skills and qualifications which counteract their level of experience.
Other types of unfair treatment could include:
Bullying: Bullying is offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour, or even an abuse or misuse of power through means that undermine, humiliate, belittle or injure the recipient e.g. singling out a colleague by shouting at them, excluding them, or openly having “favourites” who are treated differently.
Harassment: Harassment is unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic, which has the purpose or effect of violating an individual’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for the recipient e.g. making disrespectful comments to a Muslim colleague regarding their Hijab.
Victimisation: When someone is treated unfairly because they’ve complained about discrimination or harassment or helped someone who was discriminated against.
Associative Discrimination: Where discrimination is based on someone’s association with another person belonging to a relevant protected group e.g. making derogatory comments about trans people in front of a colleague who has a trans family member.
Perceptive Discrimination: Where discrimination is based on a perception that someone is a member of a relevant protected group e.g. you promote a less qualified male over another male that you believe is gay
Failure to make reasonable adjustments: A ‘reasonable adjustment’ is broadly a change to remove or reduce the effect of:
1 A colleague’s disability so they can do their job
2 A job applicant’s disability when applying for a job
A refusal to make reasonable adjustments when we should, is discrimination under the law, and we expect our Rhea Managers to be inclusive and consider ways in which they may make these reasonable adjustments e.g. to allow a colleague more regular breaks if they need to eat regularly to maintain blood sugar levels.
If you have a health condition, we will always make reasonable adjustments to working practises or your workplace to make sure that you aren’t substantially disadvantaged at work, including agreeing on flexible working arrangements, or providing additional/different equipment.
CUSTOMERS, SUPPLIERS AND OTHERS NOT EMPLOYED BY US You must never discriminate unlawfully against customers using or seeking to use goods, facilities or services provided by Rhea. There may be reasonable adjustments which you can make in order to support Rhea customers, for example, providing assistance to customers wearing Sunflower lanyards to show that they have a hidden disability, or offering to assist customers with Assistance Dogs.
If you have religious or cultural beliefs that restrict your handling of certain products, for example, alcohol or certain meats, please discuss this with your line manager who will ensure adjustments are made where possible. Colleagues should report any bullying or harassment by customers, suppliers, visitors or others to their line manager.
BULLYING & HARASSMENT
We will not tolerate discrimination from our colleagues! We expect every colleague to demonstrate inclusive behaviour and contribute to a psychologically safe environment where ideas can be shared, and where we can challenge one another in a respectful way to collaborate as a team. Additionally, at Rhea, we have a zero-tolerance approach to any forms of bullying and harassment such as racial harassment, both subtle, microaggressions or explicit, homophobic or sexist comments. If you are found, following a reasonable internal investigation, to have behaved in a discriminatory, bullying or offensive way, or to have breached this policy, you will face disciplinary action which may result in your dismissal from the company.
IF YOU HAVE A CONCERN ABOUT DISCRIMINATION
We know that it can be very hard to speak out if you believe that you’re being subjected to (or have witnessed) bullying, harassment or discrimination in any form, but we encourage you to do this if you feel able to. Speaking to the person(s) involved to remind them that their behaviour is unwanted or makes you feel uncomfortable, and asking them to stop, can be an effective way of helping others understand the impact of their behaviour. It also gives them the opportunity to do the right thing, apologise, and stop what is causing concern or offence. Your line manager will support you with this if that would help. If the issue is with your line manager, talk to their line manager or another senior manager, who will make sure your concerns are addressed. If the issue remains following this, or you feel unable to take a direct approach, raise a formal grievance.
We will take your grievance seriously, and an impartial manager will investigate your concerns. Appropriate action will be taken where we find evidence of discriminatory behaviour, in support of our aim of building an inclusive place to work. You will never be penalised for raising a grievance, even if your grievance is not upheld, unless your complaint is both untrue and made in bad faith.
COMPLIANCE
Our Board of Directors conduct equality reviews, covering a range of metrics including diversity trends in terms of gender, leadership, ethnicity and age.
To track our progress, Rhea may consider setting targets should it be found that the company has an issue. Rhea encourages and inspires every colleague to achieve their full potential, in an environment characterised by dignity and respect. Our targets, goals and commitments include, driving greater equality in the workplace, making steps towards assessing if there is any gender pay gap and using measures such as, external benchmarking, to assess our gender diversity. We also strive to make our recruitment processes attractive for all and continue to invest in appropriate mandatory diversity and unconscious bias training for all colleagues
REPORTING AND QUERIES
Anyone can use our confidential reporting facility direct to Lynne Woodburn, either by calling or via email. Tell us if you notice something which isn’t right – we can make changes if we know about inappropriate behaviour. For any other advice on this policy, please contact your line manager
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