Improvement goals
We're proud of the ways in which diversity is already a
way of life for us, for example, by having a diverse workforce,
Supported Housing, Resident Involvement and Community Investment,
but are also conscious that we need to improve
continually.
We believe there's no room in Affinity Sutton
for anything less than full access, inclusion and participation by
everyone from all backgrounds.
We are currently reviewing all of
our Diversity and Inclusion policies and practices and
setting some improvement goals in the following areas:
- Equality Impact Assessments and Resident Profiling to ensure
our services are being accessed by all our residents, including
‘Hard to reach Groups’
- Employee recruitment, retention and career progression,
including employment practices that reflect a modern, diverse
organisation, and employee awareness training
- Full participation in our Diversity and
Inclusion programmes by every business within our Group, large
and small
- Clear guidelines for all suppliers as to the Equality and
Diversity standards we expect them to meet to do business with us
and what they can expect from us
- Legal compliance with the Equality Act 2010
- Policies in place that support a diversity culture (e.g.work
life balance, harassment and bullying, aids and adaptations)
- Innovation and creativity – ensuring that all decision-making
teams are as diverse as possible, reflecting different thinking
styles, our client base and the society in which we live
- Celebrating diversity to work at counteracting any fear around
engaging with it.
Some groups are particularly protected under
the Equality Act 2010, because they are more prone to
discrimination than others (these areas include – Age, Religion and
Belief, Sexual Orientation, Disability, Sex, Race, Gender
Reassignment, Pregnancy and Maternity, and Marriage and Civil
Partnerships).
We will be engaging with groups within our own
organisation and among our residents, to ensure that they are not
experiencing barriers to employment or access to our services.
Where we find anomalies, we will be putting programmes in place to
address them.
That does not mean, however, that only people
with protected characteristics are included in our Diversity and
Inclusion strategy. It means that our intention is to create a
level playing field on which everyone can participate freely in all
that we do, and where the myriad ways in which we are diverse can
be harnessed and celebrated.
While the company will do its part, everyone
in the Affinity Sutton Group is responsible for Diversity and
Inclusion, and we all have a role to play in ensuring that we make
the most of its potential.