Diversity & Inclusion

At Greenacre Consult, we strive to support the participants of our programmes to leverage the diversity of experience, perspectives, and knowledge available both externally and within their organisations. We believe inclusive learning, inclusive idea generation and inclusive decision making brings many benefits to participants and the client organisations we work with.

For our participants, this includes a learning environment adapted to fit their individual needs where they can fully engage, give their best and reach their full potential.

Through our programmes we help participants to build supportive connections and work with people who have difference perspectives, challenges, personalities and experiences. We help individuals to understand themselves better and build awareness of their strengths and blind spots.

For our client organisations, the benefits to their business includes:

A more diverse workforce underpinned by diversity of thought, strengths, and experiences.
Enhanced employee engagement, satisfaction and motivation, supporting objectives to attract, develop and retain the best talent.
Improved understanding of the diverse groups of potential and existing partners and /or customers to improve service delivery.
Being better placed to support wider regulatory challenges and provide sustainable solutions within the housing sector.
Greater capacity to leverage the full people potential to perform and successfully innovate.

Policy statement

Our goal is to create an inclusive learning environment, where everyone can be the best they can be, where they feel welcome and free from bias and discrimination.

We aim to shape a culture where individual differences are valued and respected, while addressing learning initiatives to help people grow and manage their developmental goals.

We celebrate opportunities to empower, learn and grow others at every level and we believe diversity drives authenticity.

We have due regard to our duties under the Equality Act 2010, and to the protected characteristics detailed in the Act (as referred to on page 6).

We are committed to ensuring that our policies and leadership programmes reflect the principles laid down in this statement, as well as our obligations under the law. We have a zero-tolerance approach to any form of discrimination, including harassment and victimisation (as referred to on page 7).

Everyone at Greenacre Consult along with our learners, client and guest contributors are expected to adhere to this policy.

Role and responsibilities

We each have a personal responsibility to implement and promote this policy and its principles in our interactions with each other and when participating in any Greenacre Consult programme.

This includes our interactions with the client organisations we work with who nominate participants and any partners we work with.

We must guard against any form of discrimination and avoid action which goes against the spirit of this policy.

Specific responsibilities of Greenacre Consult include the following:

Ensuring our website, publications, marketing and promotional materials, participant learning materials, learning management platform and facilitator guides are free from bias and proactively promote equality, diversity and inclusion.
Working with our client organisations to ensure they adhere to this policy when selecting participants for our programmes.
Seeking to engage a diverse group of facilitators for our programmes to bring a range of experiences and perspectives to programme participants.
Providing a range of mentors, guest speakers and ambassadors to the participants of our programmes.
Ensuring participants are given opportunities to disclose any information they may feel is relevant to the joining process. For example, any reasonable adjustments that may be needed to support their full participation in the programme. Every participant will have the opportunity to disclose information to the programme lead for the duration of the programme. Consent will be required for the processing of this information under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
Ensure that learning takes place in a supportive environment free from discrimination or harassment.
Ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion are incorporated into all aspects of our programmes, including the provision of a ‘safe space’ for dialogue and discussion and opportunities to challenge views and bring a ‘counter-narrative’.
Provide relevant training, resources and information to enable the programme facilitators and participants to develop their awareness in this area, understand their rights and responsibilities and ensure effective policy implementation.
Provide participants with the skills and confidence to deal with equality, diversity and inclusion matters in a professional manner.
Address any allegations of bias, discrimination, harassment and victimisation promptly and with sensitivity and fairness, in accordance with the relevant policy.
Lead by example in our dealings with participants, their employers and any other clients and contacts.
Support participants and their employers to improve their equality, diversity and inclusion practices.
Use data analysis to inform future programme planning, materials and resources. For example, to improve participation of underrepresented groups on our programmes and to challenge bias and stereotyping.

Programme participants have a responsibility to:

Help advance and foster inclusion and treat others including the programme lead, coaches, mentors, other learners and work colleagues with dignity and respect always.
Not commit any acts or behave in a manner that would contravene this policy.
Not instruct, induce or attempt to induce other learners to act in breach of this policy.
Take reasonable steps to ensure that their decisions are based on objective assessments.
Reporting any issues of discrimination, harassment or victimisation promptly.

Employers have a responsibility to:

Abide by this equality, diversity and
inclusion policy.
Have their own equality and diversity policies in place, including all other associated policies.
Ensure equality, diversity and inclusion is incorporated in their selection of participants for the programmes.
Work together with Greenacre Consult and the participants of the programme to combat all forms of discrimination. This includes reporting all incidents of discrimination using the relevant Greenacre Consult procedures.

We (Greenacre Consult) take any breaches of this policy extremely seriously and Greenacre Consult employees may face disciplinary action. Any breaches by participants or their employers may result in removal from our programmes.

Support for disabled learners

We encourage the integration and inclusion of disabled learners on our programme(s).

Disabled learners will be offered individualised programmes of development to assist them in achieving their personal learning goals. All reasonable adjustments will be made to support disabled learners.

Greenacre Consult provides a wide range of additional support to meet individual requirements. We respect the individual’s right to confidentiality, any information provided will be confidential and processed in line with the GDPR.

We aim to make sure the programme is inclusive and available to all by providing our materials and experiences in a range of formats.

Review and monitoring

In meeting the aims and commitments set out in this policy, we will review and monitor the implementation of this policy, to ensure legislative compliance and best practice, including the following:

Routine data analysis of the participant demographic, for example, to identify areas of under-representation and achievement against the nine protected characteristics (in so far these are known) for the purposes of supporting the employers we work with, in line with any steps toward positive action.
Review and report on incidents of discrimination, harassment and victimisation (unfavourable treatment) to inform learning
actions for Greenacre Consult.
Review and report on incidents of discrimination, harassment and victimisation (unfavourable treatment) to inform learning actions for Greenacre Consult.

Monitoring will also include assessing how this policy and any supporting strategy and /or action plan, are working in practice, reviewing them annually and taking action to address any issues.

Surveys will be conducted regularly in order to
gain participants views on:

Diversity and inclusion
Levels of psychological safety
The learning environment
The programme content
Quality of the facilitation
Knowledge of the facilitator
How likely they will be to do something differently back in the workplace
Areas for improvement

Useful contacts and information

The Programme Lead has responsibility for implementing and monitoring this policy.

Vicki Haverson, Principal Consultant can be
contacted at vicki@greenacre-consult.com or

by calling 07725 547895

Equality Advisory Support Service (EASS); www.equalityadvisoryservice.com; Phone: 0808 800 0082; Textphone: 0808 800 0084
Equality Act 2010. Website – https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15
/contents
Equality and Human Rights Commission. Website – https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en

Statutory obligations

The Equality Act 2010 introduces the term ‘protected characteristics’ which refers to aspects of a person’s identity that make them who they are. In particular, the Act defines the nine protected characteristics as:

Age
Disability
Gender Reassignment
Marriage and Civil Partnership
Pregnancy or Maternity
Race (includes colour, nationality and ethnic or national origin)
Religion and/or Belief
Sex
Sexual Orientation.

The Act also introduces a Public-Sector Equality Duty to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between individuals who share a protected characteristic and those who do not share it.

Other aspects of a person’s identity, background or circumstance can also cause them to experience discrimination, for example a person’s socio-economic status, class or background. Greenacre Consult is committed to advancing equality and eliminating discrimination on these grounds.

On this basis, we commit to meeting all statutory obligations under relevant legislation and where appropriate, anticipate future legal requirements. Our actions will be informed by:

The Equality Act (2010) and associated secondary legislation
Criminal Justice and Immigration Act (2008)
The Racial and Religious Hatred Act (2006)
The Civil Partnership Act (2004)
The Gender Recognition Act (2004)
Criminal Justice Act (2003)
The Human Rights Act (1998)
The Protection from Harassment Act (1997)
Special Education Needs and Disability Act (2001)

Types of discrimination

Under the Equality Act, the main types of discrimination which are prohibited include:

Direct discrimination, including associative and perception discrimination
Indirect discrimination
Harassment
Harassment by others
Victimisation
Discrimination arising from a disability
Failure to make reasonable adjustments

Direct discrimination occurs when an individual is treated less favourably than another person because of a protected characteristic, which cannot be justified.

Associative discrimination occurs when someone discriminates against an individual because they associate them with someone else who possesses a protected characteristic.

Discrimination by perception occurs when someone discriminates against an individual because they think they possess a particular protected characteristic when they do not, in fact, possess that protected characteristic. It applies even if the person does not actually possess that characteristic.

Indirect discrimination occurs when a seemingly neutral provision, criterion or practice that applies to everyone places a group who share a characteristic, e.g., type of disability, at a disadvantage. Indirect discrimination may be justified if it can be shown that it is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.

Harassment occurs when an individual experiences unwanted conduct related to any of the protected characteristics, which has the purpose or effect of violating a person’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them. It does not matter whether or not this effect was intended by the person responsible for the conduct.

Victimisation occurs when an individual is treated unfavourably or is disadvantaged or subjected to a detriment because they have made or supported a complaint of discrimination or raised a grievance under the Equality Act or this policy or because they are suspected of doing so.

Discrimination arising from disability occurs when a disabled person is treated unfavourably because of something connected to their disability. This is unlawful where the organisation knows, or could reasonably be expected to know, that the individual had a disability. This type of discrimination is only lawful if the action can be justified, and the organisation can show that their actions are a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.

Failure to make reasonable adjustments occurs when a physical feature or a provision, criterion or practice puts a disabled person at a substantial disadvantage compared with someone who is not disabled, and the organisation fails to make reasonable adjustments for the disabled person to avoid the disabled person being placed at a substantial disadvantage.