Equality Policy

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy

*As an equal opportunities employer Blue Tit is committed to ensuring all our information is fully accessible to all our employees. All information including employee handbooks, policy and practices guides, health and safety documents and more can be found on the Blue Tit Hub. If required, any document can be provided to an employee in any language or converted to braille, audio or large text format for the visually impaired. Please submit any document requests to chrisb@bluetitlondon.com and the documents will be provided in your chosen format within 48 hours

Blue Tit is committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion among our workforce, and eliminating unlawful discrimination.

The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative of all sections of society and our customers, and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. 

The organisation – in providing goods and/or services – is also committed against unlawful discrimination of customers or the public.

The policy’s purpose is to:

• provide equality, fairness and respect for all in our employment, whether temporary, part-time or full-time
• not unlawfully discriminate because of the Equality Act 2010 protected characteristics of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation
• oppose and avoid all forms of unlawful discrimination. This includes in pay and benefits, terms and conditions of employment, dealing with grievances and discipline, dismissal, redundancy, leave for parents, requests for flexible working, and selection for employment, promotion, training or other developmental opportunities 

The organisation commits to: 

• Encourage equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace as they are good practice and make business sense
• Create a working environment free of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination, promoting dignity and respect for all, and where individual differences and the contributions of all staff are recognised and valued.
  
  This commitment includes training managers and all other employees about their rights and responsibilities under the equality, diversity and inclusion policy. Responsibilities include staff conducting themselves to help the organisation provide equal opportunities in employment, and prevent bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination.
  
  All staff should understand they, as well as their employer, can be held liable for acts of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination, in the course of their employment, against fellow employees, customers, suppliers and the public
• Take seriously complaints of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination by fellow employees, customers, suppliers, visitors, the public and any others in the course of the organisation’s work activities.
  
  Such acts will be dealt with as misconduct under the organisation’s grievance and/or disciplinary procedures, and appropriate action will be taken. Particularly serious complaints could amount to gross misconduct and lead to dismissal without notice.
  
  Further, sexual harassment may amount to both an employment rights matter and a criminal matter, such as in sexual assault allegations. In addition, harassment under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 – which is not limited to circumstances where harassment relates to a protected characteristic – is a criminal offence.

• Make opportunities for training, development and progress available to all staff, who will be helped and encouraged to develop their full potential, so their talents and resources can be fully utilised to maximise the efficiency of the organisation.
• Decisions concerning staff being based on merit (apart from in any necessary and limited exemptions and exceptions allowed under the Equality Act).
• Review employment practices and procedures when necessary to ensure fairness, and also update them and the policy to take account of changes in the law.
• Monitor the make-up of the workforce regarding information such as age, sex, ethnic background, sexual orientation, religion or belief, and disability in encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion, and in meeting the aims and commitments set out in the equality, diversity and inclusion policy.
  
  Monitoring will also include assessing how the equality, diversity and inclusion policy, and any supporting action plan, are working in practice, reviewing them annually, and considering and taking action to address any issues.

The equality, diversity and inclusion policy is fully supported by senior management and the directors and has been agreed with the group of employee representatives named Blue Tit Peoples People. 

Details of the organisation’s grievance and disciplinary policies and procedures can be found in the employee handbook. This includes with whom an employee should raise a grievance.

Use of the organisation’s grievance and/or disciplinary procedures does not affect an employee’s right to make a claim to an employment tribunal within three months of the alleged discrimination.

Blue Tit 

Diversity and Equality Road Map

STEP 1 

Target: by August 2020

• An immediate revision of all our services, to ensure we are all-inclusive
• Add a diffuse dry service as an after colour blow dry option, to better cater for those with African/Caribbean, Black/British, Asian and Mixed Heritage hair.
• Refresh our African/Caribbean, Black/British, Asian and Mixed Heritage hair, capable stylists, on our website
• Work with recruiters to employ an educator who specialises in all hair types including African/Caribbean, Black/British, Asian and Mixed Heritage hair.
• Circulate an EDI monitoring survey to all staff to ensure effective measurement and accountability
• Senior management to establish monthly meetings to regularly discuss and update ‘Road Map’ progress
• Ensure all employees are able to request all handbooks, contract, policies and procedures in any language or converted to braille, audio or large text format for the visually impaired

STEP 2

Target: by Sept 2020

• All senior management to attend a comprehensive course led by Equality UK, on equality, diversity, and protected characteristics
• Have all managers educated on how to best handle cases of sexism, racism, etc. in the workplace
• Revise our grievance policy, and add a diversity specific policy
• Remind all managers of our grievance policy, and educate them on our new diversity subsection of this policy
• Write a new process for customer complaints, specifically related to discrimination
• Enrol all team members on an online course on diversity, equality and protected characteristics
• Diversify the employee representative group ‘Peoples People’ through recruitment of new members
• Plan and begin our unconscious bias and race awareness training with all employees salon by salon
• Ensure all protected characteristics are considered when building new salon locations
• Launch Blue Tit Apprenticeship Travel Grant

STEP 3 

Target: by Nov 2020

• Build a structured interview process for recruitment, to ensure there is no bias 
• Set diversity targets for recruitment, to reflect the demographic of the population living in each salon area (based on 2011 census)
• Recruit an educator who specialises in all hair types including African/Caribbean, Black/British, Asian and Mixed Heritage hair
• Access all salons, looking at how we cater for protected characteristics

STEP 4 

Target: by December 2020

• Implement new services and sustainable product options, suitable for all hair types including African/Caribbean, Black/British, Asian and Mixed Heritage hair, based on the recommendation of the new educator
• Implement a new curriculum at Blue Tit Academy that includes hairdressing techniques for all hair types
• Write a handbook for customer service purposes, on how we expect our team to approach situations where extra care is needed, i.e. for protected characteristics
• Build a staff portal to host all policies, handbooks, training guides etc, including a place to accept anonymous feedback

STEP 5 

Target: by January 2021

• Have all existing stylists, and any new recruits educated and confident in colouring, cutting and styling for all hair types
• Where necessary, outsource training to best cater to protected characteristics, i.e. sign language
• Where possible, make any adaptations and changes to salon interiors/exteriors and services necessary to best cater for all protected characteristics