Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

Appoint Group Limited, company number 16912796, registered in England and Wales. Registered office: 124-128 City Road, London EC1V 2NX. Questions about this policy: hello@getappoint.co.uk.

1. Our commitment

Appoint Group Limited treats people on their merits. We want everyone who works for us, applies to work for us, or deals with us to be treated fairly and with respect, and to be able to do their best work without discrimination, harassment or victimisation.

A company whose business is good governance has to practise it. This policy sets out what that means for how we recruit, employ and treat people, and how we serve our customers.

2. Who this policy covers

This policy covers job applicants, employees, workers, contractors and consultants, and the directors of the company. It also governs how we treat our customers, suppliers, partners and anyone else we deal with in the course of our business.

3. Protected characteristics

The Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination because of the characteristics listed in section 4 of that Act:

• age;
• disability;
• gender reassignment;
• marriage and civil partnership;
• pregnancy and maternity;
• race, which includes colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origin;
• religion or belief;
• sex; and
• sexual orientation.

We apply the same standard to characteristics the Act does not list, such as a person's background, caring responsibilities or working pattern: none of them is a reason to treat someone less favourably.

4. What we will not do

We will not discriminate against anyone, and we will not tolerate discrimination by anyone who works for us, in any of the following forms:

• Direct discrimination (section 13 of the Equality Act 2010): treating a person less favourably because of a protected characteristic, including a characteristic they are thought to have or that belongs to someone they are associated with.
• Indirect discrimination (section 19): applying a rule, practice or criterion that looks neutral but puts people who share a protected characteristic at a particular disadvantage, unless it can be justified as a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.
• Harassment (section 26): unwanted conduct related to a protected characteristic, or of a sexual nature, that violates a person's dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them.
• Victimisation (section 27): treating a person badly because they have made or supported a complaint about discrimination, or because they are thought likely to.

Section 39 of the Act applies these rules to work, from the arrangements we make for recruiting, to the terms we offer, to access to promotion, training and benefits, to dismissal. We apply them at every one of those stages.

5. Recruitment and work

We recruit, pay, develop and promote people on the basis of their ability to do the job. In practice this means:

• job descriptions and selection criteria describe what the role actually needs, and nothing that is not relevant to it;
• vacancies are advertised in ways that reach a wide range of candidates;
• selection decisions are based on evidence of skills and experience, and the people making them are expected to be aware of their own assumptions;
• interview questions are about the work, not about a candidate's personal life or plans;
• we pay for the job and the contribution made, not for who the person is; and
• we consider requests for flexible working on their merits.

6. Disability and reasonable adjustments

Section 20 of the Equality Act 2010 places a duty on employers and service providers to make reasonable adjustments so that a disabled person is not put at a substantial disadvantage. We will make reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process, to the way a job is done and to the equipment and working arrangements we provide. If you need an adjustment at any stage, tell us what would help and we will discuss it with you. You do not have to tell us about a disability, but we can only make adjustments we know are needed.

7. Harassment, including sexual harassment

Harassment of any kind is unacceptable, whoever it comes from. Under section 40A of the Equality Act 2010, which came into force on 26 October 2024, an employer must take reasonable steps to prevent the sexual harassment of its employees in the course of their employment. We take that duty seriously, and it extends to conduct by customers, suppliers and other third parties as far as reasonable steps on our part can prevent it. Where a customer or supplier harasses one of our people, we will act, including by ending the relationship if that is what it takes.

8. Our products and services

The same commitment applies to what we build. We want our products to be usable by people with disabilities and by people from every background, and we take accessibility into account when we design, build and test them. If something we have published or built is difficult for you to use, tell us at hello@getappoint.co.uk and we will try to put it right.

9. Raising a concern

If you believe you have experienced or witnessed discrimination, harassment or victimisation connected with Appoint Group Limited, tell us at hello@getappoint.co.uk, or speak to a director. We will look into every concern promptly and as confidentially as the circumstances allow, and nobody who raises one in good faith will suffer any detriment for doing so.

A breach of this policy by an employee or worker is a disciplinary matter and may lead to dismissal. A breach by a contractor or supplier may lead to the end of the relationship. Nothing in this policy takes away any legal right a person has.

10. Responsibility and review

The board of directors of Appoint Group Limited is responsible for this policy and for the company's compliance with it. Everyone who works for us is responsible for treating others in the way this policy describes.

We will review this policy at least once a year, and sooner if the law or our business changes in a way that affects it. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last reviewed.