Maxwell Stephens Commitment to Equality and Diversity

Our Mission:

We at Maxwell Stephens Ltd are committed to eliminating discrimination and encouraging diversity in the workplace both as an employer and as a provider of services. We recognise and appreciate that every individual is different and our aim is that our workforce and service users will be truly representative of all sections of society. We ensure that everyone, whether a candidate seeking work through Maxwell Stephens, a client placing a vacancy or one of our own employees, is valued and respected and seek to provide all with the opportunity for employment, career and personal development on the basis of ability, qualifications and suitability for the work, as well as their potential to be developed into the job.

Our Aim:

To that end the purpose of this policy is to provide equality and fairness for all and not to discriminate on grounds of gender, gender reassignment, marital status (including civil partnerships), race, ethnic origin, social origin, family situation, political, trade union or religious opinions, colour, nationality, national origin, disability, sexual orientation or age in compliance with the Equality Act 2010. Maxwell Stephens Ltd opposes all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination.

All employees, whether part-time, full-time or temporary, and all candidates registered with us, will be assessed objectively; selection for employment, promotion, training or any other benefit will always be on the basis of aptitude and ability. All employees and candidates will be helped and encouraged to develop their full potential and the talents and resources of Maxwell Stephens Ltd will be fully utilised to maximise the efficiency of the organisation.

Maxwell Stephens Ltd is committed to ensuring that training, development and progression opportunities are available to all staff.

Maxwell Stephens Ltd will not discriminate unlawfully when deciding which candidate is submitted for a vacancy; or in any terms of employment or terms of engagement for candidates. We will ensure that each is assessed only in accordance with their merits, qualifications and ability to perform the relevant duties required by the particular vacancy.

Maxwell Stephens Ltd will not accept instructions from clients that indicate an intention to discriminate unlawfully.

In compliance with the Equality Act 2010, Maxwell Stephens Ltd will not discriminate unlawfully against a person on the grounds of a protected characteristic. We will accordingly make career opportunities available to all people regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity; and every practical effort will be made to provide for the needs of candidates, clients and staff.

To ensure that we are recruiting on the basis of competence and skill, Maxwell Stephens Ltd will accordingly safeguard that job specifications and adverts focus on the nature of jobs and skills required and avoid using any subjective criteria or language discriminating against any particular group, which may indicate otherwise.

What is Equality?

Equality is about ensuring that everyone is given an equal opportunity to make the most of their skills, talents and knowledge and that they are not discriminated against due to their differences.

It is important to remember that sometimes to ensure equality it may mean we need to put different adaptations in place to ensure that an individual is given an equal opportunity. For example, if a candidate is in a wheelchair an organisation might make arrangements to ensure that a venue is accessible for their interview much like a candidate who is not in a wheelchair. By ensuring they are both able to attend the interview the business is ensuring that they are both able to be measured with the same value and esteem.

What is Diversity?

Diversity is about taking into account the differences in people or groups of people. In short we are all different, some differences are visible and some are invisible. When looking at diversity we are focusing on how we can ensure we begin to look past differences and encourage diverse workforces by reflecting on the benefits that human difference has in society.

At Maxwell Stephens all of our team want to continue to encourage businesses to focus on creating diverse workforces as it has a range of benefits which include, more innovative ideas, access to a wider talent pool, a reduced staff turnover and employees who are satisfied.

There are two types of diversity that should be taken into consideration:

Internal Diversity- these are characteristics that are often related to situations one is born into, they are not chosen and often cannot be changed. This type of diversity includes: race, sex, sexual orientation, physical and mental ability and gender identity.

External Diversity- these are not characteristics but they are heavily influenced by an individuals environment and they can change overtime. These include: religious beliefs, location, relationship status and socioeconomic status.

When a business or organisation is in the process of recruiting someone they need to ensure that they look at the individuals suitability for the role in terms of, do they have the education or experience to do the role well. Businesses do not want to be accused of discriminating against a candidate and a business should aim to give the suitable candidates all equal opportunities to interview for the role. If a business is found to have not interviewed someone because of the colour of their skin, their sexual orientation or their religious belief they can be accused of discriminatory behaviour. We want to ensure that our clients have access to a diverse and wide talent pool full of people who are different but are fundamentally the right candidate for the role.