Diversity Policy
JPA Group is firmly committed to diversity in all areas of its work and will promote diversity for all employees, workers and candidates and shall adhere to this policy at all times.
We value the principles of diversity and respect for individual differences and believe that diversity will make our organisation more effective in meeting the needs of our clients and candidates.
JPA Group aims to develop, promote and deliver its services, information and employment opportunities without discriminating against race, religion, gender, sexuality, disability, age or any other aspect of an individual’s background or heritage which is used as justification for unfair treatment.
JPA Group is committed to continuing to being an organisation that:
- Develops services to achieve equality and diversity in all activities.
- Endeavours to employ a workforce that generally reflects the population.
- Understands how valuing diversity can improve our ability to deliver better services.
- Actively consults with different individuals and communities to ensure that the services provided are responsive and reflect the need for diversity.
- Provides all employees with the training and development they need to enable them to achieve their goals within the organisation.
- Provides a supportive, open environment where all employees have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
- Listens to its clients and employees and involves them in the development of services that recognise diversity.
- Believes the importance of everyone in the organisation playing a part to ensure this happens.
Diversity Strategies
It is JPA Group’s strategy to ensure that its Diversity Policy is applied fairly and consistently across the organisation as an integral part of the service we provide.
As a result this we will ensure that:
- We recognise people’s differences and ensure that each individual is treated with respect.
- We will take action to address any discrimination, while promoting diversity in employment and service.
- Our strategies reflect existing and forthcoming EU and UK legislation regarding equality.
- All of our strategies, actions and outcomes are applied company-wide throughout all offices via detailed Action Plans.
Employment
JPA Group promotes having a diverse workforce that has the understanding and skills to provide a responsive service to both our clients and employees.
As an organisation we are committed to ensuring that all people are treated fairly and without discrimination. As an employer, we aim to ensure that all employees treat each other with dignity and respect.
We aim to develop a working environment where harassment is unacceptable and where individuals feel confident bringing forward complaints without fearing prejudice. In the extremely unlikely event that harassment occurs we have strong policies and procedures in place to manage these cases.
In order to achieve these aims we will:
- Provide full and fair consideration to all job applications.
- Ensure all employees undergo relevant training as part of the induction process.
- Provide sufficient training to enable all employees to work to the best of their ability and carry out their duties.
- Review all recruitment, selection, training, and promotions procedures regularly to ensure best practice.
- Maintain records of our recruitment, training and employment and use this information to assist in identifying areas of improvement.
- Wherever possible, modify our employment practices and procedures to reduce any barriers that members of disadvantaged social groups may experience whilst in the process of seeking and during employment.
- Adhere to processes put in place to deal with harassment, bulling and dignity at work.
Adhere to guidance from Government and comply with all relevant legislation requirements.
Race
JPA Group is committed to achieving racial equality. We recognise our duties under the Race Relations Act 1976 and related codes of practice, and commit to striving for racial equality both in employment and service provision.
As members of the REC we adhere to codes of conduct which seek to establish best practice in equal opportunities within the recruitment industry. It will be considered an act of gross misconduct to treat a person less favourably than others, on racial grounds.
To achieve our aims we will:
- Provide services relevant to people’s needs whilst respecting their cultural and social identities.
- Strive to have a representative workforce that can sensitively address the needs of all communities.
- Work with other organisations to promote racial equality and eliminate racial disadvantage and racial harassment.
- Ensure that the only acceptable environment at JPA Group is one that is free from racial harassment and behaviour.
- Adhere to guidance from Government and comply with all relevant legislation requirements.
Religion
JPA Group’s strategy is to positively protect people from discrimination on the grounds of all religions and beliefs. This will be in relation to the organisation’s recruitment and selection procedures, together with employment practices, such as dress code and disciplinary procedure.
To achieve our aims JPA Group will:
- Create an environment which recognises and respects religion and belief.
- Provide training and information to all staff to so that they can sensitively address the needs of individuals and maintain a policy of equal opportunity.
- While separate from our Race strategy, our actions for religion and belief will be broadly similar in principle.
- Adhere to guidance from Government and comply with all relevant legislation requirements.
While separate from our Race strategy, our actions for religion and belief will be broadly similar in principle.
Carers
At JPA Group we wish to create an environment where employees, both women and men, are free to share their needs and concerns as carers and are not disadvantaged in the workplace by doing so.
We acknowledge that caring responsibilities may include caring for children, a person with a disability and older people.
To achieve our aims we will:
- Work with those who are carers to identify their needs and develop appropriate arrangements to meet these needs.
- Make the best possible use of flexible working practices to support carers in our workforce (within the constraints of effective service delivery).
- Develop an organisational culture which provides a supportive environment for carers and promotes awareness of this within JPA Group.
- Adhere to guidance from Government and comply with all relevant legislation requirements.
Gender
JPA Group is committed to achieving gender equality under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the Equal Pay Act 1970 and codes of practice and to strive for gender equality in service provision and employment.
We will not discriminate against a person on the grounds of sex, marriage or because someone intends to undergo, is undergoing or has undergone gender reassignment.
When applying certain employment requirements or conditions, as far as reasonably practical, JPA Group will ensure that it does not have a disproportionately detrimental effect on one sex or on married people unless it can be shown to be justifiable (for instance to be job-related).
To achieve our aims we will:
- Create an environment which is free from harassment and sexist language and behaviour.
- Encourage men and women to take up employment and training opportunities in areas where they are under represented.
- Maintain a good gender mix of gender throughout the organisation.
- Work alongside other organisations to promote gender equality in the organisation.
- Provide flexibility within the working environment to promote and recognise a good work/home balance (please also see the Carers section).
- Adhere to guidance from Government and comply with all relevant legislation requirements.
Sexuality
JPA Group is aware of the real discrimination that people face due to their sexuality and life choices and is committed to developing an environment that is inclusive, fair, open and welcoming of individuals irrespective of their sexual orientation or gender.
All employees and prospective employees will be treated fairly regardless of their sexual orientation, which includes orientation towards someone of the same sex (lesbian or gay men), opposite sex (heterosexual) or both sexes (bisexual).
To achieve our aims we will:
- Develop policies and procedures to prevent unfair treatment regarding a person’s sexual orientation.
- Provide a consistent level of service irrespective of any employee’s or customer’s sexual orientation.
- Where appropriate develop services to meet the needs of lesbians, gay men and bisexuals.
- Adhere to guidance from Government and comply with all relevant legislation requirements.
Disability
JPA Group is committed to achieving disability equality whereby a disabled person will not be treated less favourably because of a reason relating to their disability, without a justifiable reason. We also recognise that improvements made in the operation of our services can reduce the disabilities faced by the disabled.
To achieve our aims we will:
- Recognise our responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, EU Directives and other legislation and will follow the relevant DRC Codes of Practice for employment, premises and service.
- Endeavour to ensure that all our services and documentation are accessible and available to people with a disability.
- Whenever possible modify our procedures to make full use of an individual’s ability and adapt our facilities as necessary to accommodate people with a disability.
- Where needed, provide managers and staff with training in awareness and confidence to support people with a disability.
- Whenever possible, continue to employ staff who become disabled during their employment, and assist with their retraining.
- Guarantee people with a disability an interview for any employment vacancy for which they meet the minimum essential criteria.
- Provide systems which seek to maximise access to employment by people with a disability.
- Adhere to guidance from Government and comply with all relevant legislation requirements.
Age
At JPA Group, we recognise that age discrimination can affect all age groups and all genders. Age is no indicator of effectiveness in most work activities and employment decisions should not be based on age alone (with the current exception of retirement age). We value people regardless of age and aim to provide services that should be sensitive to the needs of all age groups. We will work to create an environment where people are judged on their talent, skills and experience, rather than on misconceptions and prejudices about age. Action will be taken to combat this discrimination and to afford equality of opportunity for older and younger people.
To achieve our aims we will:
- Remove age-related criteria from our employment practices (subject to present retirement ages).
- Provide training and promotion on the basis of need, regardless of age.
- Work with organisations to eliminate age discrimination.
- Work to ensure that older workers are able to leave the organisation with dignity and flexible working arrangements.
- Adhere to guidance from Government and comply with all relevant legislation requirements.
Cohesion
JPA Group recognises that we may also need to deal with discrimination against groups not covered elsewhere in line with existing or forthcoming UK legislation. For example, the employment of ex-offenders, a group which is estimated by the home office to cover over a quarter of the working age population.
Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, JPA Group will endeavour to ensure in certain circumstances prospective ex-offenders will be not be discriminated against if their convictions become 'spent'. JPA Group will not automatically refuse to employ a particular individual just because he/she has a criminal record and will consider ex-offenders for employment on their individual merits.
When applying for a job, JPA Group will ask job applicants to disclose any unspent convictions, but will not ask job applicants questions about spent convictions, nor expect them to disclose any spent convictions.
To achieve this, our aims will be:
- Continue to review the company’s diversity policy and strategies in order to maintain a true reflection of our diverse society.
