Equality and diversity
We believe that everyone has the right to fair treatment and equality of opportunityAs both a provider of homes, and a major employer, we recognise we have a moral and legal responsibility to promote equality and diversity in relation to our staff and our customers.
We believe that everyone has the right to fair treatment and equality of opportunity, recognising that our customers and employees come from diverse backgrounds, and have a diverse range of needs.
Our Pledge
Customers
We will ensure there is equality of opportunity in terms of access to Together Housing’s services. We will do this by recognising and accommodating the needs of residents. Our residents needs will be embedded into the delivery of services and will be appropriate for the diverse communities within the areas we work.
Staff
We will ensure that prospective and present employees are afforded fair treatment and equality of opportunity in relation to recruitment, selection, terms and conditions of employment, training, learning and development and career progression; we will treat all staff and customers with fairness and respect, creating an environment such that no-one receives less favourable treatment because of their background.
Governance
We will produce an annual Equality and Diversity Action Plan. This will be published on our website for our residents and stakeholders to see. It will be promoted to our staff and performance updates will be reported to the Remuneration and Governance Committee. We will also seek external accreditation to benchmark our performance and progress against other housing associations and those outside the sector where appropriate.
Other Partners
We will work in partnership with others to promote diversity, including when procuring goods and services.
Equality and Diversity Commitments
To ensure we achieve our Equality and Diversity aims, we set ourselves challenging tasks every year and report back on how we have done.
Community outreach
Together Housing values partnerships with trusted organisations in our areas of operation. We know they are an invaluable link to our customers and can help us make connections on which better partnerships and products & services can be created.
Staff support networks
We also recognise the immense value that staff support networks can add to our workplace. These networks provide support to their members through ongoing training and advice. They provide insight on the diversity of our people and run events to keep staff aware of how to respond to differing needs.
We formally recognise and support the following staff support networks:
- BAME for minority ethnic staff
- Disability the Together Housing Group disability network
- LGBT+ for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender staff
Our Vision
Find out about our Vision for the future.