Advantage West Midlands

ADVANTAGE WEST MIDLANDS

EQUALITY & DIVERSITY DRAFT POLICY 2009

Introduction

The Equality and Diversity Policy of Advantage West Midlands is a statement of the Agency’s commitment to equality and diversity, and ensuring that our staff, Board Members, stakeholders and partners give and receive fair and equal treatment from others.

Who is covered by the policy?

Agency staff, whether they work full or part time, or whether they are staff contracted to the Agency on a short, medium or long term basis. Our policy is also relevant to our Board Members, consultants and organisations that provide goods and services to the Agency, as well our regional stakeholder and key strategic partners.

Who are we?

Advantage West Midlands is the Regional Development Agency (RDA) for the West Midlands and one of nine RDAs in England. Our role is to lead the economic development of the West Midlands Region, working alongside public, private and voluntary sector partners to help our region to prosper. We build upon our region’s many strengths and address our unique challenges.

Our key task is to lead the development and delivery of the West Midlands Economic Strategy (WMES), the framework for our region’s growth. Through working in partnership, we speak with one voice for the region and make a far greater impact than we would acting in isolation.

We have an annual budget of over £300 million to invest in the West Midlands Region and, at any one time, we manage around 2,500 projects which change the lives of people across our region. We drive economic development by identifying where we can make the greatest impact, either by targeting specific needs or investing in success.

Our mission, vision, values and behaviours

·  Our Mission is: "Leading the West Midlands towards greater economic prosperity"

·  Our Vision is: "To be recognised as excellent in all we do"

·  Our values: Aim for Excellence, work in partnership and to make a difference

Associated behaviours: Act with integrity and show respect, Strive for continuous improvement, Innovate and learn, Have a ‘can do’ attitude, Seek solutions, Seek and offer support, Be passionate, Take ownership, Take pride

The Purpose of our Policy

•  To support the Agency’s legal commitment to Equality and Diversity

•  To support the Agency’s organisational (Leadership Team) commitment in terms of its mission, vision and values and behaviours

•  To set out the Agency’s definitions on equality and diversity and the key strands of equality and human rights (Appendix 1)

•  To set out the Agency’s business case for equality and diversity

•  To set out responsibilities with regard to equality and diversity

Objectives

·  All staff, Board Members, stakeholders and key partners to be aware of the updated policy by July 2009

·  For all staff and Board Members to be have an understanding of our definitions of equality and diversity by July 2009

·  For all staff and Board Members to be aware of the seven key strands of equality and human rights by July 2009

·  To highlight the Agency’s business case for equality and diversity

The Agency will meet the objectives by:

·  All staff Equality and Diversity induction and ongoing training

·  Presentation of the policy to the Agency Board meeting or appropriate sub Board meeting e.g. Remuneration Committee

·  Raising the awareness of the policy to members of the Diversity Champions Group (to act as champions within their part of the Agency) and Staff Consultative Forum

·  Posting of the policy on the intranet and corporate website

Meeting our Legal commitment to Equality and Diversity

Advantage West Midlands acknowledges that it is unlawful as an employer to discriminate against people in recruitment and selection, during or after employment, on the grounds of age, sexual orientation, marital status, gender, trans identity, disability or race/ethnicity.

In addition the Agency accepts that as an employer it is required to provide equality and fair rewards to people in their employment. This requirement covers:-

·  Pay and benefits including pension benefits

·  Terms and conditions of employment

·  Opportunities for training and promotion

·  Selection for redundancy and short-time working

·  Dismissal practices and procedures

In the application of equality and fair reward in employment, the Agency acknowledges the following laws on equality:

• The Race Relations Amendment Act 2000

• The Disability Discrimination Act 1995

• The Sex Discrimination Act 1975/2003

• The Equal Employment Religion or Belief Regulations 2003

• The Equal Employment Sexual Orientation Regulations 2003

• The Equal Employment Age Regulations Code of Practice 1999

• The Sex Discrimination Gender Reassignment regulations 1999

• The Equality Act 2006

Advantage West Midlands is a public body and as such should not perform any act which constitutes discrimination; and this applies to all the legal grounds for discrimination.

Organisation (Leadership Team) Commitment to Equality and Diversity

The work and business of the Agency is driven by the Leadership Team; comprised of the Chief Executive, Mick Laverty and five Corporate Directors Karen Yeomans (Operations), Tim Gebbels (Strategy and Communications), Richard Hutchins (Economic Development), Mark Pearce (Economic Regeneration) and Michael Crich (Resources).

The Leadership Team to ensure that:

• Managers within their Directorate evaluate each member of staff against Equality and Diversity objectives in their annual performance management and review

• Equality and diversity features as an important element of the Corporate Plan 2008-11

• Support the delivery of the Equality and Diversity Action Plan 2007-11

• All new starters are required to attend the Equality and Diversity Induction workshop which run quarterly in order to complete their probationary period

• The Agency has a champion for Equality and Diversity at Board Level

• They support the Agency’s in having a staff Equality and Diversity Champions Group, chaired by a senior member of staff or the Board Champion for E+D

• They support the application of equality impact assessments (where necessary) against projects and key policies and strategies

• The Agency conducts an Access Audit of its main offices at least every two years and when using venues for Agency events, conferences and seminars

The Leadership Team recognises that as an employer the importance of equality and diversity its staff and in the manner in which it conducts its business.

The Agency’s Business Case for Equality and Diversity

·  Attracts a diverse range of high calibre candidates to vacancies; thereby making it easier to recruit the best person for the job

·  A diverse workforce can enhance the Agency as “An employer and organisation of choice”

·  A diversity of employees allows for new and innovative ideas which can stimulate improved working practice, new business ideas and markets.

·  A diverse workforce puts the Agency in a better position to better understand the diversity of communities in the region and assist the more effective economic development

·  Good equality policies and practice e.g. Flexible Working, can enhance retention, performance and productivity

·  Improves the overall organisational culture of the Agency through the attitude, approach and willingness of all staff, to embrace fair and inclusive policies and practices

·  Supports our specific legal duties with regard to disability, gender and race equality

Responsibilities

1.  The Leadership Team, who in turn is advised by the Equality & Diversity Manager, Board Champion and Diversity Champions Group for the overall implementation and administration of the Policy

2.  The Equality & Diversity Manager with the assistance of the HR and Training Team is responsible for the provision of training, advice and guidance

3.  Functional Directors, Heads of Team and Line Managers to disseminate and raise awareness of the policy to their staff. Support is available from the Equality & Diversity Manager and Diversity Champions Group representatives

4.  All staff to read and take on board the implications of Equality & Diversity Policy. Support is available from Line Managers, HR Team, the Equality & Diversity Manager and Diversity Champions Groups representatives

Feedback and Complaints

If you have any feedback regarding this policy please contact Kwabena Osayande (Mr), The Policy Manager for Equality and Diversity, email:

Alternatively write to him at Advantage West Midlands, 3 Priestley Wharf, Holt Street, Birmingham B7 4BN

If you have a complaint about any of our standards of service or the way we have handled a request for information please let us know. We will listen and respond to comments, suggestions and complaints from our customers and partners regarding our services, with the intention of putting things right and ensuring that problems do not re-occur.

View our complaints procedure (pdf) for more information

Acknowledgements

This policy is written based on guidance, support and advice from the following:

·  The Equality and Diversity Manager, Kwabena Osayande

·  The Head of Economic Inclusion, Iain Neville

·  Members of the Diversity Champions Group

·  Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) website

·  Advisory Groups e.g. Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), Birmingham Race Action Partnership (BRAP), Race for Opportunity (RFO), Gallant 2000, COAP (Coming of Age Partnership), The Diversity Practitioner’s Network (West Midlands), Prospect Trade Union

APPENDICES

The following appendices are attached for recommended reading in addition to this policy.

·  Appendix 1: Definitions of Equality, Diversity, Human Rights and specific

strands of equality

·  Appendix 2: The Equality Duties: Race, Gender and Disability

APPENDIX 1

Defining Equality, Diversity, human rights and the key strands of equality

Equality

Equality relates to the fair and/or equal treatment of people who can be defined or self-define to one or more common group characteristic based on for example their age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief in relation to other people who share one or more common group characteristic.

Equality (of opportunity) is often related to and supported by a legal framework, which makes it illegal to discriminate against people because they belong to one or more defined or self-defined identity groups.

Diversity

Diversity relates to the individual differences that people have and how these are understood and valued. Understanding and valuing the difference that exists in all of us as individuals and the groups we belong to is important. Using diversity creatively and positively can incur benefit for people, organisations and society.

Whilst there is a clear difference between Equality and Diversity, they are nonetheless interconnected; therefore The Agency needs to respond simultaneously to equality legislation and be pro-active in diversity in order to optimise the benefits as, “Neither equality nor respect for difference (diversity) is a sufficient value in itself. The two must be held together, mutually challenging and supportive” (The Runnymede Trust, Multi-Ethnic Britain, 2000).

Human Rights

The Human Rights Act was adopted in 1998. Human rights and equality are inextricably linked. Equality is treated as a fundamental human right in the core international human rights treaties; and conceptually, human rights and equality derive from the same fundamental principle – fairness and respect for the inherent dignity of all.

Age

It is unlawful to discriminate against someone or treat them unfairly without justification because of their age, or harass or victimise someone because of their age.

Age discrimination law currently applies only in employment and vocational training where you have been treated less favourably on the basis of your age, without justification. This may be because you are considered too young or too old.

Gender

It is unlawful to discriminate against someone or treat them unfairly because they are a woman, a man or trans. Women, men, transsexual, transgender and transvestite people can all experience sex discrimination.

Sex discrimination also includes treating someone less favourably because they are married or in a civil partnership: for example, by not hiring married women.

Ethnicity/Race

It is unlawful for a person to discriminate on racial grounds against another person. The law defines racial grounds as including race, colour, nationality or ethnic or national origins. Some religious groups such as Sikhs and Jewish people are protected under race laws.

Disability

The Disability Discrimination Act says a disabled person is someone with ‘a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’. Examples include cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and heart conditions; hearing or sight impairments, or a significant mobility difficulty; and mental health conditions or learning difficulties.

Sexual Orientation

Your sexual orientation means the general attraction you feel towards people of one sex or another (or both). Most people are generally attracted to:

·  people who are the same sex as them

·  people who are the opposite sex to them, or

·  people of both sexes.

Same-sex attraction is called homosexuality. The Agency supports terminology for men and women who are homosexual as ‘gay’ (for men) or ‘lesbian’ (for women). Opposite-sex attraction is called heterosexuality. The Agency supports the description of people who are heterosexual as ‘straight’.

Both-sex attraction is called bisexuality. The Agency supports the word ‘bisexual’, or occasionally just ‘bi’, to describe people who are attracted to both sexes.

It is unlawful to discriminate against someone or treat them less favourably due to their sexual orientation, their perceived sexual orientation, or the sexual orientation of those they associate with.

Religion and Belief

In order to be protected under the Equality Act 2006, a religion or belief must be recognised as being cogent, serious, cohesive and compatible with human dignity. The concept includes religions that are widely recognised in Britain (although it isn’t limited only to these), such as:

·  Baha’i faith

·  Buddhism

·  Christianity

·  Hinduism

·  Islam

·  Jainism

·  Judaism

·  Rastafarianism

·  Sikhism

·  Zoroastrianism

Denominations or sects within a religion will also be considered as religions, or religious beliefs, such as Catholicism and Protestantism, which are divisions of Christianity.

For the purposes of the Equality Act 2006, belief is defined as including philosophical beliefs, such as humanism, which are considered to be similar to a religion. Other categories of beliefs, such as support for a political party, are not protected by the Equality Act.