Our Policy

 

Ben Williams Recruitment embraces diversity and aims to promote the benefits of diversity in all of our business activities. We seek to develop a business culture that reflects that belief. We will expand the media in which we recruit to in order to ensure that we have a diverse staff and candidate base. We will also strive to ensure that our clients meet their own diversity targets.

 

Ben Williams Recruitment is committed to diversity and will promote diversity for all staff and candidates. We will continuously review all aspects of recruitment to avoid unlawful discrimination. Ben Williams Recruitment will treat everyone equally and will not discriminate on the grounds of an individual’s ‘protected characteristic’ under the Equality Act 2010 (the Act) which are age, disability, gender re-assignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, and sex and sexual orientation. We will not discriminate on the grounds of an individual's membership or non-membership of a Trade Union. All staff have an obligation to respect and comply with this policy. Ben Williams Recruitment is committed to providing training for its entire staff in equal opportunities and diversity. Ben Williams Recruitment will avoid stipulating unnecessary requirements which will exclude a higher proportion of a particular group of people and will not prescribe discriminatory requirements for a position.

 

Ben Williams Recruitment will not discriminate unlawfully when deciding which candidate is submitted for a vacancy. Ben Williams Recruitment will ensure that each candidate is assessed in accordance with the candidate’s merits, qualifications, and ability to perform the relevant duties for the position.

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Under the Act, unlawful discrimination occurs in the following circumstances.

 

Direct Discrimination

 

Direct discrimination occurs when an individual is treated less favourably because of a protected characteristic. Treating someone less favourably means treating them badly in comparison to others that do not have that protected characteristic.

 

It is unlawful for a Recruitment Consultancy to discriminate against a person on the grounds of a protected characteristic.

 

Direct discrimination can take place even if the individual does not have the protected characteristic but is treated less favourably because it is assumed he or she has the protected characteristic or is associated with someone that has the protected characteristic.

 

Direct discrimination would also occur if a Recruitment Consultancy accepted and acted upon instructions from a client which states that certain persons are unacceptable due to a protected characteristic unless an exception applies. The Act contains provisions that permit specifying a requirement that an individual must have a particular protected characteristic in order to undertake a job. These provisions are referred to as occupational requirements.

 

Where there is an occupational requirement then the client must show that applying the requirement is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. For example, the client must be able to objectively justify applying the requirement. An occupational requirement does not allow a client to employ someone on less favourable terms or to subject a person to any other detriment. Neither does an occupational requirement provide an excuse against harassment or victimisation of someone who does not have the occupational requirement.

 

Indirect Discrimination

 

Indirect discrimination occurs when a provision, criterion, or practice (PCP) is applied but this results in people who share a protected characteristic being placed at a disadvantage in comparison to those who do not have the protected characteristic. If the PCP can be objectively justified it will not amount to discrimination.

 

Indirect discrimination would also occur if a Recruiter accepted and acted upon an indirectly discriminatory instruction from a client.

 

If the vacancy requires characteristics which amount to an occupational requirement or the instruction is discriminatory but there is an objective justification, Ben Williams Recruitment will not proceed with the vacancy unless the client provides written confirmation of the occupational requirement, exception, or justification.

 

Ben Williams Recruitment will use best endeavours to comply with the Act and will not accept instructions from clients that will result in unlawful discrimination.

 

Harassment

 

Under the Act, harassment is defined as unwanted conduct that relates to a 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 that individual. This includes unwanted conduct of a sexual nature.

 

Ben Williams Recruitment is committed to providing a work environment free from unlawful harassment.

 

Recruitment Williams Recruitment will ensure that the Recruiters do not harass any individual.

 

If an individual believes that they have been unlawfully harassed, they should make an immediate   report followed by a written complaint as soon as possible.

 

Ben Williams Recruitment will undertake a thorough investigation of the allegations. If it is concluded that harassment has occurred, remedial action will be taken.

 

Victimisation

 

Under the Act victimisation occurs when an individual is treated unfavourably because he/she has done a ‘protected act’ which is bringing a claim for unlawful discrimination or raising a grievance about discrimination or giving evidence in respect of a complaint about discrimination.

 

Ben Williams Recruitment will ensure that the Recruiters do not victimise any individual.

 

Disabled Persons

 

Discrimination occurs when a person is treated unfavourably as a result of their disability.

 

Indirect discrimination occurs where a provision, criterion or practice is applied by or on behalf of a client, or any physical feature of the client’s premises, places a disabled person at a substantial disadvantage in comparison with persons who are not disabled.

 

In recruitment and selection there may be a requirement to make reasonable adjustments. For example, it might be necessary to have different application procedures for partially sighted or blind candidates that enable them to use Braille. With testing and assessment methods and procedures, tests can only be justified if they are directly related to the skills and competencies required for the job. Even then, it might be appropriate to have different levels of acceptable test results, depending on the disability. For example, a candidate with a learning disability might need more time to complete a test, or not be expected to reach the same standard as other non-disabled candidates.

 

Wherever possible Ben Williams Recruitment will make reasonable adjustments to hallways, passages, and doors in order to provide and improve means of access for disabled staff.

 

Ben Williams Recruitment will not discriminate against a disabled person.

 

Ben Williams Recruitment will make career opportunities available to all people with disabilities and every practical effort will be made to provide for the needs of staff, candidates, and clients.

 

Age Discrimination

 

Under the Act, it is unlawful to directly or indirectly discriminate against or to harass or victimise a person because of age.  Age discrimination does not just provide protection for people who are older or younger. People of all ages are protected.

 

A reference to age is a reference to a person’s age group. People who share the protected characteristic of age are people who are in the same age group.

 

Ben Williams Recruitment will not discriminate directly or indirectly, harass, or victimise any person on the grounds of their age. We will encourage clients not to include any age criteria in job specifications and every attempt will be made to encourage clients to recruit on the basis of competence and skills and not age.

 

Ben Williams Recruitment is committed to recruiting and retaining staff whose skills, experience, and attitude are suitable for the requirements of the various positions regardless of age. No age requirements will be stated in any job advertisements on behalf of the Company.

 

If Ben Williams Recruitment requests age as part of its recruitment process such information will not be used as selection, training, or promotion criteria or in any detrimental way and is only for compilation of personal data, which the company holds on all staff and as part of its equal opportunities monitoring process. In addition, if under age 22 to adhere to Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Business Regulations 2003 and other relevant legislation applicable to children or young candidates.

 

Where a client requests age or date of birth, this will have to be under an occupational requirement or with an objective justification which should be confirmed in writing.

 

Part-Time Staff

 

This policy also covers the treatment of those staff who work on a part-time basis. Ben Williams Recruitment recognises that it is an essential part of this policy that part time staff are treated on the same terms, with no detriment, as full-time staff (albeit on a pro rata basis) in matters such as rates of pay, holiday entitlement, maternity leave, parental and domestic incident leave and access to our pension scheme. Ben Williams Recruitment also recognises that part-time staff must be treated the same as full-time staff in relation to training and redundancy situations.

 

Gender Reassignment

 

Ben Williams Recruitment recognises that any staff member may wish to change their gender during their employment with the Company.

 

Ben Williams Recruitment will support any staff member through the reassignment.

 

Ben Williams Recruitment will make every effort to try to protect a staff member who has undergone, is undergoing or intends to undergo gender reassignment, from discrimination or harassment within the workplace.

 

Where a staff member is engaged in work where the gender change imposes genuine problems, Ben Williams Recruitment will make every effort to reassign the staff member to an alternative role in the Company, if so desired by the staff member.

 

Any staff member suffering discrimination on the grounds of gender reassignment should have recourse to the Company’s grievance procedure.

 

Recruitment Of Ex-Offenders

 

Where Ben Williams Recruitment has registered with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and has the authority to apply for criminal records checks on individual because they are working with children or vulnerable adults or both, we will comply with the DBS’s Code of Practice which includes having a policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders.

 

Complaints and Monitoring Procedures

 

Ben Williams Recruitment has in place procedures for monitoring compliance with this policy and for dealing with complaints of discrimination. These are available from Joe Wainwright, who is the Business Manager. They will be made available immediately upon request.  Any discrimination complaint will be investigated fully.