Equal Opportunities policy

1. GENERAL 

Encore Personnel Services Limited is committed to a policy of equal opportunities for all and shall adhere to such a policy at all times and will review on an on-going basis on all aspects of recruitment to avoid unlawful or undesirable discrimination. Encore Personnel Services Limited will treat everyone equally irrespective of sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, race, colour, religion, ethnic or national origin and places an obligation upon all staff to respect and act in accordance with the policy. Encore Personnel Services Limited is committed to providing training for its entire staff in equal opportunities practice.

Encore Personnel Services Limited shall not discriminate unlawfully when deciding which candidate/temporary worker is submitted for a vacancy or assignment, or in any terms of employment or terms of engagement for temporary workers. Encore Personnel Services Limited will ensure that each candidate is assessed only in accordance with the candidate’s merits, qualification and ability to perform the relevant duties required by the particular vacancy.

Encore Personnel Services Limited will not accept instructions from clients that indicate an intention to discriminate unlawfully.

2. SEX AND RACE DISCRIMINATION 

Unlawful sex or race discrimination occurs in the following circumstances:

2.1. Direct discrimination

Under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the Race Relations Act 1976 direct discrimination occurs where one individual treats another individual less favourably on grounds of their sex or race than he treats or would treat other persons.

It is unlawful for a recruitment consultancy to discriminate against a person on the grounds of their sex, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origins: -

• in the terms on which the recruitment consultancy offers to provide any of its services;
• by refusing or 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 of their sex, colour, race, nationality, or ethnic or national origins, unless one of the exceptions applies.

2.2. Indirect Discrimination 

A claim of indirect discrimination arises when an employer applies a requirement or condition generally, but which is such a proportion of persons from one racial group who can comply with it is considerably smaller than the proportion of persons not of that racial group who can comply with it.

Indirect discrimination would also occur if a recruitment consultancy accepted and acted upon an indirectly discriminatory instruction from an employer.

Encore Personnel Services Limited will not discriminate unlawfully when selecting candidates or temporary workers for submission or a vacancy or assignment or in any terms of employment or terms of engagement for temporary workers.

If the vacancy falls within the definition of a genuine occupational qualification or any other statutory exception Encore Personnel Services Limited will not deal further with the vacancy unless the client provides written confirmation of the genuine occupational qualification.

3. DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION 

Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, disability discrimination occurs if for a reason which relates to the disabled person’s disability an individual:-

• treats him less favourably than he treats, or would treat others to whom that reason does not or would not apply, and,
• the employer cannot show that the treatment in question is justified.

Encore Personnel Services Limited will not discriminate against a disabled job applicant or employee on the grounds of disability -

• in the arrangements i.e. application form, interview and arrangements for selection for determining to whom a job should be offered; or
• in the terms on which employment or engagement of temporary workers 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 any 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, transfer, demotion, reduction of wage; or harassment).

Encore Personnel Services Limited will accordingly 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.

4. AGE DISCRIMINATION 

Encore Personnel Services Limited will encourage clients not to include any age criteria or other subjective criteria in job specifications and every attempt will be made to persuade clients to recruit on the basis of competence and skill and not age.

5. COMPLAINTS AND MONITORING PROCEDURES 

Encore Personnel Services Limited has in place procedures for dealing with complaints of discrimination. These are available from G. Latham and will be made available immediately upon request.