1. General Principles and Intent Statement

 Certes encourages diversity and seeks to promote the benefits of diversity across all areas of our business.  We will seek to develop a business culture that respects and values each others’ differences, that promotes dignity, equality, diversity and inclusivity and that encourages individuals to develop and maximise their true potential.  We will seek to utilise all available and suitable media in order to attract as diverse a pool of talent as possible.   

Certes aims to remove any barriers, bias or discrimination that prevent individuals or groups from realising their potential and contributing fully to our organisation’s performance and to develop an organisational culture the positively values diversity. 

Certes are committed to, wherever practical, achieving and maintaining a workforce that broadly reflects the local community in which we operate, and supporting the local and wider community by showing respect for their values. 

Certes makes a commitment to treat everyone equally irrespective of sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, political beliefs or membership or non-membership of a Trade Union or previous criminal convictions, and places an obligation on our staff to act with respect, and without prejudice, in accordance with this policy. 

Our aim is to recruit, retain and develop the best people for the job based solely on their abilities, merit and capacity to fulfil their proposed or incumbent role as we recognise that talent and potential are distributed across the population and it is in the best interests of Certes to encourage diversity in order to add value to its business. 

The Human Resources Manager has general responsibility to ensure that all relevant business processes are designed to encourage equality and diversity and Certes will review on an on-going basis all aspects of recruitment, training, performance expectations, career development and promotion processes to avoid unlawful or undesirable discrimination. Certes has an Equality Programme and Action Plan detailing how it will deliver this policy and challenge discrimination in other policies. 

To ensure that this policy and others are operating effectively, and are not discriminatory, and to comply with statutory duties (and for no other purpose), Certes maintains records of employees’ and applicants’ racial origins, gender, age and disability. We only do this with prior consent and explain that in offering us this information is vital to the accurate collation of employee statistics to ensure we deal fairly with all groups of the population. Continuous monitoring and analysis of these records provides the basis for appropriate action, where identified as necessary, to eliminate unlawful direct and indirect discrimination and to actively promote equality of opportunity.  

This policy is subject to a six monthly review and the Human Resources Manager is responsible for implementing the review process with the Management Board of the organisation. 

2. Legislation 

 Certes recognise their obligations under the following Legislation in relation to Equality and Diversity.  

• Equal Pay Act 1970 

• Sex Discrimination Act 1970 

• Race Relations Act 1976 (Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000) 

• Disability Discrimination Acts 1995 & 2000 

• Sex Discrimination (Gender Reassignment) Regulations 1999 

• Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 

• Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 

• Equality Act 2010 

Our Equality Policy goes beyond legislative requirements and includes types of discrimination not covered by law. Certes will not tolerate any form of discrimination, harassment or victimisation within our business or from our staff.  We consider it good practice to develop a policy that explicitly includes all types of unfair discrimination and takes a radical approach to challenging prejudice, harassment and discrimination across every aspect of our organisation. 

3. Discrimination

Certes recognises that many individuals and communities experience unlawful and unfair discrimination, harassment, victimisation and oppression on the grounds of their gender (including transgender and transsexual people),relationship or marital status, race or ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation (because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or heterosexual), age, HIV status, language background, faith of religious belief, physical appearance and political opinions. We believe that equality is a basic human right and actively oppose all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination. We celebrate the diversity of society and are striving to promote and reflect that diversity within this organisation. 

Certes is committed to combating discrimination, harassment and victimisation in all its forms. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people face discrimination, harassment and prejudice as part of their everyday life. Our Equality Policy highlights that such activity is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated in any form. 

Any employee, volunteer or management team member found to be discriminating against and/or harassing anyone within the organisation because their actual or perceived sexual orientation or transgender identity will face disciplinary action, in accordance with our Policies and Procedures. 

Unlawful discrimination could occur in the following circumstances: 

3.1 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 status, age, disability, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, political beliefs (“the protected categories”). 

3.2 Indirect discrimination 

Indirect discrimination occurs where a provision, criterion or practice is applied in such as way that a proportion of persons in a protected category who can comply with it are considerably smaller than the proportion of persons who are not in that protected category. 

If the vacancy requires characteristics which amount to a genuine occupational requirement or is lawfully discriminatory due to a statutory exception or objective justification, Certes reserve the right to recruit accordingly, in compliance with all other relevant legislation. 

3.3 Disabled Persons 

 Certes 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 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 the benefit, or by refusing to afford, or deliberately not affording him or her any such opportunity; or 

• By subjecting him or her to any other detriment (detriment will include refusal of training or transfer, demotion, reduction of wage, or harassment). 

Where required, Certes will provide auxiliary aids or services to enable disabled applicants to compete equally with those applicants who are not disabled. 

Certes will accordingly make career opportunities available to all people with disabilities and every practical effort will be made to provide for the needs of applicants and staff. 

Wherever possible Certes will make reasonable adjustments to hallways, passages and doors in order 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 circumstances. 

Certes aims to ensure all direct and indirect discrimination, with the exception of the highlighted areas, is removed from within its business practices and working environment and is committed to undertaking ongoing reviews and continual improvement procedures to ensure this. 

4. Age discrimination

Certes will not discriminate directly or indirectly, harass or victimise any person on the grounds of their age.  We are committed to recruiting and retaining employees whose skills, experience, and attitude are suitable for our job requirements, regardless of age. 

No age requirement will be stated on any job advertisements on behalf of the company. 

5. Part time workers

Certes state that part time employees will be treated on the same terms, with no detriment, as full time employees (albeit on a pro rata basis) in matters such as rate of pay, holiday entitlement, maternity leave, parental and domestic incident leave and access to our pension scheme.  Certes also recognises that part time employees will have equal access to training and be treated equally in redundancy situations. 

6. Gender reassignment policy

6.1 Certes recognises that any employee or worker may wish to change their gender during the course of their employment with the Company. 

6.2 Certes will support any employee through the reassignment provided that full medical counselling has been undertaken and Certes Group has access to any relevant medical reports. 

6.3 Certes will make every effort to try to protect an employee who has undergone, is undergoing or intends to undergo gender reassignment, from discrimination or harassment within the workplace. 

6.4 Where an employee is engaged in work where the gender change imposes genuine problems, Certes will make every effort to reassign the employee or worker to an alternative role in the Company, if so desired by the employee. 

6.5 Any employee or worker suffering discrimination on the grounds of gender reassignment should make recourse to the Company’s grievance procedure. 

7. Inductions and Training

Certes will ensure that all new employees will receive induction on the policy and action plan and that all employees are kept informed of improvements and changes to the policy and action plan. 

Appropriate training and guidance will be provided to develop equality and diversity.  Adequate resources will be made available to fulfil the aims of this policy.  The policy will be widely promoted, and copies will be freely available and displayed in all Certes’ offices. 

8. Suppliers and Partnering Organisations

Certes is committed to working with all of our suppliers and partners, fairly and equally.  We respect their diversity and choose to encourage and support them in their own equal opportunities and diversity policies, whilst in return expecting them to endorse and support our equality values. 

We will try, wherever practically possible, to attract and retain a supplier base that reflects both the local and wider community equally, and helps us to reflect our commitment to equality and diversity 

9. Complaints, Grievance and Monitoring Procedures

All forms of discrimination are unacceptable, regardless of whether there was any intention to discriminate or not. Directors and Managers have a duty to ensure that all employees cooperate with Certes to ensure that this policy is effective in ensuring  

that equal opportunities and in preventing discrimination.  Employees should draw the attention of their line manager to suspected discriminatory acts or practices or cases of bullying or harassment.

All employees are expected to comply with Certes’ policy on harassment in the workplace and this equal opportunities policy.  Any breach of either policy will be regarded as misconduct and may lead to the appropriate disciplinary action. 

We all share responsibility to ensure that the equal opportunities policy is successful, in order to achieve this, regular equality monitoring will be undertaken for all personnel activities. 

Any employee, who feels they have been the subject of any discrimination, victimisation or harassment, should initially raise the matter with their line manager.  The first objective is to resolve the matter informally, as it may be that discriminatory action is unwitting and easily resolved once the problem is clear. 

If this does not lead to a satisfactory resolution, the complaint is very serious, or their line manager is the cause of the complaint, the employee should raise the matter, in writing, as a formal grievance under Certes’ Grievance Procedure. Certes is committed to investigating your complaint fully.   

Updated 03/01/2025