Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy
1. GENERAL
1.1 Advanced Resource Managers (ARM) embraces
diversity and will seek to promote the benefits of diversity in all
of our business activities. We will seek to develop a business
culture that reflects that belief. We advertise on our own website,
jobboards, at universities/colleges and in a variety of local and
trade press to attract work seekers. As part of our effort to
establish fruitful links with the local community we also work with
local schools and colleges, accepting students on work placements
and visiting schools to help provide career advice and (for
example) guidance on interview techniques. The vacancies we place
on certain Jobboards may end up on sites for specialist categories
of work seeker. For example, Jobsite has an extensive network of
subsidiary sites, to which relevant jobs are posted automatically
from Jobsite, provided keywords in the job description match up to
the scope and remit of those subsidiary sites. A selection of the
resources we use to advertise our vacancies includes:
- Jobsite (and subsidiary sites)
- Jobserve
- Monster
- Reed Freecruitment
- Just Click
- In-HR
- Jobcentreplus
- Local press as relevant
- Sales / Recruitment Industry press as relevant
- www.graduatejobsouthampton.co.uk
- www.graduatejobs.com
- HotOnline
- Surrey University
- Brighton University
- Sussex University
- Chichester University
- Portsmouth University (Jobshop & Purple Door
Recruitment)
- Southampton University
- Solent University
- MyHampshireJobs
- Connexion
- The Career Engineer
1.2 ARM is committed to diversity and will
review on an on-going basis all aspects of recruitment to avoid
unlawful or undesirable discrimination. ARM will 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 spent convictions, and places an obligation upon all
staff to respect and act in accordance with the policy. ARM is
committed to providing training for its entire staff in equal
opportunities practice.
1.3 ARM will not discriminate unlawfully when
deciding which candidate/temporary contractor is submitted for a
vacancy or assignment. ARM will ensure that each candidate is
assessed only in accordance with the candidate’s skills,
qualifications and abilities to perform the relevant duties
required by the particular vacancy.
1.4 ARM will not accept instructions from
clients that indicate an intention to discriminate unlawfully.
2. DISCRIMINATION
Unlawful discrimination occurs in the following
circumstances:
2.1. 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”).
It is unlawful for a recruitment consultancy to discriminate
against a person on the grounds that they are members of a
protected category.
- by refusing or deliberately omitting to provide any of its
services;
- in the way it provides any of its services.
Direct discrimination would also occur if a recruitment
consultancy accepted and acted upon a job registration from an
employer which states that certain persons are unacceptable because
they are members of a protected category, unless one of the
exceptions applies, for instance, the job demands a genuine
occupational requirement or, in the case of age, the discrimination
can be lawfully justified.
2.2. Indirect Discrimination
Indirect discrimination occurs where an agency or employer
applies a provision, criterion or practice generally, but which is
such 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.
Indirect discrimination would also occur if a recruitment
consultant accepted and acted upon an indirectly discriminatory
instruction from an employer.
If the vacancy requires characteristics which amount to a
genuine occupational requirement or the instruction is lawfully
discriminatory due to a statutory exception or objective
justification, ARM will not deal further with the
vacancy unless the client provides written confirmation of such
genuine occupational requirement, exception or justification.
3. COMPLAINTS AND MONITORING PROCEDURES
ARM has in place procedures for monitoring
compliance with this policy and for dealing with complaints of
discrimination. Our Quality Manager, John Cowell, manages both
processes and should be contacted in the first instance.
All applicants are invited to complete a diversity questionnaire
following an application. The applicant may decline to answer any
question. The questionnaire is based on REC’s model and covers:
- Ethnic Category
- Gender
- Disability
- Age
- Religion and
- Sexual Orientation
Data is saved but is only accessible by ARM support functions
responsible for diversity monitoring. The data is not available to
any staff involved in the recruitment process or any clients.
Reports are run regularly and any unwelcome trends or
suggestions of discrimination are reviewed at the Quality
Management Review Meeting.