Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy
Work-seekers should be assessed on whether they can do the job. This policy sets out how we hold to that, including in the situation where a client asks us not to.
Our commitment
Ready Staff is committed to providing services and employment opportunities free from unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation.
Decisions about registration, screening, assignment matching, recruitment, training and employment are based on legitimate role requirements: skills, experience, availability, compliance status and suitability for the work. Nothing else.
Our commitment. We will not accept a client instruction that would require us to discriminate unlawfully, and we will say so plainly to the client when we receive one.
Protected characteristics
UK equality law protects people from discrimination on the basis of certain characteristics. We do not discriminate on any of these grounds, whether directly, indirectly, by association or by perception.
- Age
- Disability
- Gender reassignment
- Marriage and civil partnership
- Pregnancy and maternity
- Race, including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins
- Religion or belief
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
Note. This policy describes how Ready Staff operates. It is not legal advice and does not attempt to summarise the whole of the Equality Act 2010.
Discriminatory client requests
This is the point at which a staffing business most often gets equality wrong. A client preference expressed casually — over the phone, in a free-text field, as a throwaway remark — becomes discriminatory the moment we act on it.
Requests of the following kind are not accepted:
- Preferences framed by age, such as asking for a "young" or "energetic" team, or setting an age range without justification
- Excluding candidates because of a disability, without considering reasonable adjustments
- Preferences based on sex or gender where the role does not genuinely require it
- Preferences based on race, nationality or ethnic origin
- Preferences based on religion or belief, including assumptions about availability on particular days
- Excluding candidates because they are pregnant, on maternity leave, or may become pregnant
- Preferences based on sexual orientation or gender reassignment
- Requests for a "native English speaker" where the actual requirement is a level of communication ability
- Blanket exclusions of candidates with a criminal record where the role does not justify it
Important. Where a request appears potentially discriminatory, the requirement is flagged for human compliance review before sourcing begins. It is not automatically rejected on the basis of wording alone, and it is never automatically approved either.
Genuine occupational requirements
The law recognises limited circumstances in which a characteristic can be a genuine occupational requirement for a role. These are narrow and must be justified on the facts of the specific role.
Where a client asserts such a requirement, we do not accept it at face value and we do not refuse it reflexively. It is reviewed, the justification is documented, and the decision is recorded so it can be explained later if it is ever challenged.
Inclusive job advertising
A job advertisement is the first point at which a role can exclude people unnecessarily. Adverts we publish should:
- Use inclusive, plain language and avoid gender-coded wording
- Avoid age-related wording such as "young", "recent graduate" or "mature" where age is not a requirement
- State essential requirements and distinguish them clearly from desirable ones
- Avoid physical requirements that are not genuinely necessary for the role
- Avoid nationality requirements except where genuinely relevant to Right to Work
- Describe communication requirements by the ability needed, not by a nationality or first language
- Avoid availability assumptions that indirectly exclude people with caring responsibilities or religious observance, unless the shift pattern is a genuine requirement
- State that reasonable adjustments will be considered
Note. Automated tooling may assist in identifying potentially exclusionary wording, but a person makes the final decision on every advert before publication. No advert is published solely on the basis of an automated check.
Reasonable adjustments
A candidate may request adjustments at any point — during registration, at interview, or on assignment. Requesting an adjustment does not disadvantage an application, and a disability does not automatically exclude a candidate from a role.
Where an adjustment concerns the workplace, we will discuss it with the client. Where it concerns our own process, we will make it directly.
Adjustments can be requested through your Ready Staff contact or by email to jobs@readystaff.co.uk.
- Information provided in an accessible format
- Adjustments to how registration or screening is carried out
- Additional time where a process is time-limited
- Communication preferences, such as written rather than telephone contact
- Discussion with the client about workplace adjustments for an assignment
Equality monitoring information
Where we collect equality monitoring information, it is always optional, it is kept separate from selection decisions, and it is access-restricted.
It is used only in aggregate to understand whether our processes are producing fair outcomes. It is never used as a factor in matching a candidate to an assignment, and it is never shared with a client in an identifiable form.
Our commitment. Protected characteristics are never used as ranking or filtering factors in assignment matching, and no automated process excludes candidates on the basis of them.
Responsibilities
- Ready Staff management
- Set the standard, review discriminatory requests referred for decision, ensure staff are trained, monitor outcomes, investigate complaints, and decide on suspension of supply where serious concerns arise.
- Ready Staff employees
- Assess candidates against role requirements only, refuse to act on discriminatory instructions, escalate such instructions rather than quietly complying, record objective reasons for screening decisions, and treat everyone with dignity and respect.
- Clients and host employers
- Base staffing requests on legitimate role requirements, treat supplied workers with dignity and respect, prohibit harassment and bullying at the workplace, consider reasonable adjustments, and cooperate with the investigation of equality concerns.
- Workers and work-seekers
- Treat colleagues, clients and Ready Staff staff with respect, and report discrimination, harassment or victimisation so that it can be addressed.
Harassment, bullying and victimisation
Harassment, bullying and victimisation are prohibited in our own workplace and are not accepted at client sites where we have supplied workers.
Victimisation — treating someone badly because they raised a concern or supported someone else's — is treated as seriously as the original conduct. A worker who raises an equality concern will not have their assignment ended because of it.
Reporting and complaint handling
Anyone who believes they have been discriminated against, harassed or victimised in connection with Ready Staff can raise it through our confidential reporting form, with their Ready Staff contact, or by email to compliance@readystaff.co.uk.
Concerns are acknowledged, assigned an owner and a reference, and investigated. Where a client site is involved, we may suspend supply while the matter is looked into. The person who raised the concern is told the outcome so far as it is appropriate to do so.
Where you remain dissatisfied, our Complaints Policy sets out how to escalate, including to external bodies.
Accessibility of our services
Inclusion includes being able to use our website and processes. Our website targets WCAG 2.2 level AA: keyboard operation throughout, visible focus indicators, contrast checked in both light and dark themes, labelled form controls, error messages linked to their fields, reduced-motion support and text that reflows without horizontal scrolling.
Our Accessibility Statement sets out the detail, including known limitations and how to report a problem.
Training, monitoring and review
Staff receive training on equality and diversity, recognising discriminatory requests, preventing harassment and handling adjustment requests. Completion is recorded and refreshed periodically.
We monitor equality complaints, referred client requests and their outcomes, and use them to improve. This policy is reviewed at least annually and sooner where the law or our practice changes materially. Senior management holds oversight.
Last updated .
Related documents
- Voluntary Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking StatementOur position on forced labour, human trafficking and labour exploitation, the controls we apply across recruitment and labour supply, and how to report a concern.
- Health and Safety PolicyHow responsibility for health, safety and welfare is shared between Ready Staff, our clients and the workers we supply — and what each party must do before a worker starts.
- Complaints and Concerns PolicyHow to raise a complaint or concern with Ready Staff, how it is handled, and where to escalate if you remain dissatisfied.