Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy

Purpose

This policy is for the purposes of stating our commitment to ensuring equity and diversity in the workplace, eradicating unlawful and unfair discrimination within our workforce and creating an inclusive and supportive environment for employees.

The policy is also for the purposes of stating our commitment to providing a service to our customers that is accessible, inclusive and free from discrimination.

Definitions

ALA Insurance defines equity as:

• The removal of direct discrimination – ensuring that people are not treated less favourably on the grounds of their protected characteristics
• The removal of indirect discrimination – ensuring requirements or conditions do not unfairly or unjustifiably limit access to services or
• Equal rights – increasing access to services or job opportunities by having policies and practices which take account of diverse needs.

Scope of this Policy

ALA Insurance extends all rights and responsibilities set out under this policy equally to all employees and persons working on our behalf, including freelancers.

This policy will also extend to persons who are job applicants, prospective employees or those contracted to perform services on behalf of ALA Insurance.

This policy will also extend to persons attending events organised by ALA Insurance.

All employees and persons working on our behalf should follow and have a responsibility to implement this policy.

Inclusivity is one of ALA Insurance’s core values. As such it forms part of the framework within which other policies, procedures and practices within ALA Insurance are developed and implemented.

How we created this policy

This policy was written with advice from JourneyHR and inspired by the Voice of Youth’s template (publicly available on RadHR’s website under creative commons 4.0 licence).

Statutory Requirements

To achieve the objectives contained within this policy, ALA Insurance undertakes the following:

2. ALA Insurance shall never unlawfully discriminate against any persons either directly or indirectly, due to their protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, namely discrimination based on a person’s:
   • Age;
   • Disability;
   • Gender reassignment;
   • Marriage and civil partnership;
   • Pregnancy and maternity;
   • Race;
   • Religion or beliefs;
   • Sex; or
   • Sexual orientation
3. In fulfilling this policy ALA Insurance shall combat, oppose, exclude and avoid any and all forms of discrimination which are unlawful under the Equality Act 2010.
4. All and any forms of bullying, victimisation, or harassment shall not be tolerated under any circumstances. Our Grievance and Disciplinary Procedure policies are in place to support our EDI
5. ALA Insurance shall make reasonable adjustments to facilitate the employment of disabled These may include making reasonable adjustments to recruitment processes or to support disabled people working for us.
6. ALA Insurance shall ensure equality of access and reasonable adjustments made for disability when delivering goods and organising

Objectives

ALA Insurance shall commit to the following objectives to meet these commitments:

1. Inclusion

To reach all individuals in the UK that are seeking our services.

ALA Insurance aims to achieve this by removing barriers to access and adopting practices which actively seek engagement with marginalised groups to understand their needs. Using this knowledge ALA Insurance will understand how to provide services in a way that includes everyone.

We promote cooperation in our work and decision-making.

2. Representation within the organisation at all levels

ALA Insurance encourages applications from people from diverse backgrounds to join the company at all levels and in all roles by developing hiring policies that are non-discriminatory.

3. Commitment to education 

ALA Insurance will commit to a culture of education about the similarities, differences and specific challenges of people within the company and customer community in order to meet the first two objectives.

ALA Insurance will engage in training and regular team meetings to educate staff and all members of the company on the statutory and moral obligations of EDI as they apply to the company as well as their everyday lives.

Application of this policy

ALA Insurance will apply this policy as a matter of routine within our overall planning and day to day operations and ensure that all policies have due regard to EDI, as set out above in our Objectives. All team members are responsible for the application of this policy and reporting back to the company at general and focussed meetings, in respect of policy application, effectiveness and outcomes.

This policy is applicable to the behaviour and conduct of all employees and persons working on behalf of ALA Insurance during the course of their duties for ALA Insurance and shall apply where they are on and off site. All employees and persons engaged with ALA Insurance should consider the consequences of their actions in relation to this policy and be aware that their conduct may impact the reputation and standing of ALA Insurance professionally.

All employees will:

• Challenge each other to think about language and attitudes which discriminate against others.
• Learn about equality and diversity through training and education, and through individual and group reflection and evaluation.
• Think about equality and diversity in terms of who uses our services, who works for us, and how we represent people on our website and publicity materials.
• Do all we can to include all potential customers
• Listen to quiet people as well as confident
• Challenge
• Give choices of activities where possible so different employees can feel included.
• Think about fairness and making it clear that decisions are made collectively

ALA Insurance as a company will:

• Pay all employees equitably based on their role, merit, abilities, experience, qualifications and aptitude rather than on any of their protected characteristics
• Think about equality when making decisions
• Try to ensure there is a diverse group of workers
• Avoid hierarchical power structures
• Involve all employees in as many decisions as possible about the working practice of ALA Insurance
• If providing refreshments ensure these are appropriate for the people in the group, e.g. Muslims, vegans.

Recruitment and Promotion

ALA Insurance shall only recruit, employ and promote persons on the basis of their merit, abilities, experience, qualifications and aptitude rather than on any of their protected characteristics. ALA Insurance shall also endeavour to remove any barriers to promotion that it may find for certain persons from time to time. Four individuals independently review each application to ensure a diverse review. A written record of each part of the recruitment process is maintained and made available to anyone requesting it.

Grievance and Disciplinary Procedures

Where a person believes that they have suffered discrimination due to one or any of their protected characteristics this should be reported to those listed in the relevant policies. Please refer to those policies for details.

Any and all claims of discrimination, bullying, victimisation or harassment shall be handled in the strictest confidence by ALA Insurance and relevant investigations will be carried out in line with ALA Insurance’s relevant Grievance Procedure.

Where anyone working on behalf of ALA Insurance is alleged to have participated in discrimination, bullying, victimisation, harassment or any other act of unlawful discrimination they may be subject to disciplinary action under ALA Insurance’s relevant Disciplinary Procedure.

Review, Monitoring and Compliance

At relevant and regular intervals ALA Insurance shall review and, where necessary, reform its procedures and practices around employment in order to safeguard fairness, and may be amended from time to time in line with any changes in legislation.

ALA Insurance shall at all times observe and scrutinise the composition of the employee workforce in relation to all protected characteristics, while encouraging diversity and equality in order to fulfil the purpose of this policy. The practice shall include assessing the effectiveness of this policy in action, reviewing and implementing changes in order to address any issues which may arise as a result, and monitoring whether ALA Insurance is meeting its EDI objectives.

This EDI Policy is endorsed by all ALA Insurance team members.

This policy was last reviewed in July 2024. It is next scheduled to be reviewed in July 2025 and annually, or if circumstances arise requiring a review before this time. This policy was reviewed by a Founder and a representative of JourneyHR. All team members are responsible for the implementation of this policy.