Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Policy

‍Our Purpose

At redpill, we are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace where everybody is valued, respected, and empowered to bring their whole selves to work. 

Embracing EDI means acknowledging and valuing the unique perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences of all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, ability, religion, or any other characteristic that defines our identity.

Within our EDI policy, you will find our guiding principles and actionable steps to promote equality, diversity, and inclusion across our organisation. We encourage all team members to familiarise themselves with this policy and join us in our ongoing commitment to create a more inclusive and equitable workplace where everyone can thrive.

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines for our company to foster an equitable, diverse and inclusive workplace where all employees are valued, respected, and empowered. We recognise that diversity encompasses a wide range of differences and backgrounds. We aim to create a work environment that celebrates and embraces these differences and fosters a culture of mutual respect and understanding. To do this, we have addressed 11 groups as a baseline to represent our commitments to tackling bias and inequality. 

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Our EDI Groups

Our commitment to inclusivity extends to embracing all forms of diversity, including but not limited to those mentioned in this policy. We value the uniqueness of everyone’s identity and experiences, and we strive to create an inclusive environment that acknowledges and appreciates diversity in all its forms.  

We strive to foster an environment where every individual feels empowered to bring their whole selves to work and where their multiple identities are acknowledged, respected, and celebrated.

It is important to note that the groups have been listed in alphabetical order. None of these 11 groups are prioritised over another.

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Age 

We value individuals of all age groups and are committed to promoting an inclusive environment that recognises the diverse experiences, skills, and perspectives brought by people of different ages. Age should never be a barrier to professional growth or opportunities within our organisation.

As an employer, we will ensure that age is never a determining factor in recruitment, hiring, or career advancement decisions. We will foster a culture that values the diversity, experience and expertise of individuals across all age groups and create opportunities for continuous learning and professional growth for employees at every stage of their careers.

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Disability 

We are committed to creating an accessible and inclusive workplace for individuals with disabilities. We provide reasonable accommodations to ensure equal opportunities and strive to remove barriers that may prevent individuals from fully participating in all aspects of employment, including recruitment, organisational attendance and at social gatherings.

As an employer, we will actively remove barriers that may hinder the full participation of individuals with disabilities. This includes providing reasonable accommodations, accessibility features, and assistive technologies to ensure equal opportunities for employment, advancement, and participation in all aspects of our organisation. 

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Gender 

We are committed to fostering gender equality and creating a workplace that supports the full participation and advancement of all genders. We strive to ensure equal access to opportunities, fair treatment, and a work environment free from discrimination or harassment based on gender or gender identity.

We will actively promote gender equality within our organisation by implementing fair and unbiased policies and practices. This includes conducting regular pay equality audits, offering equal opportunities for career advancement, and providing a supportive work environment that addresses gender-specific needs and challenges. We will also encourage the participation of women and non-binary people in traditionally male-dominated fields and leadership positions.

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Gender Reassignment 

We recognise and respect the rights of individuals undergoing gender reassignment or transitioning. We provide support, understanding, and reasonable accommodations to ensure a respectful and inclusive workplace for all employees, including those undergoing gender identity-related processes.

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Family 

We support and respect the rights of employees to balance their work and family responsibilities. We provide policies and programs that promote work-life balance, including parental leave, adoption, surrogacy, flexible work arrangements, and support for individuals with caregiving responsibilities. Our parental leave policies specifically break down how leave is offered for birthing and non-birthing parents.

We will provide comprehensive support for employees during parental leave circumstances.

This includes offering parental leave, enhanced parental leave pay, flexible work arrangements, and access to resources that help employees balance their work and family responsibilities. We will also implement policies to prevent discrimination or bias against employees based on their family status.

Families are also supported through our approach to flexibility, with flexible start and finish times encouraged to support those who might need to adapt their schedule in accordance with their family’s needs.

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Marital Status / Civil Partnerships 

We recognise that marital status should not affect an individual's opportunities or treatment within our organisation. We provide equal opportunities for all employees, regardless of their marital status, and ensure that decisions regarding employment, benefits, and promotions are made solely based on merit and qualifications.

We will ensure that marital status does not impact an employee's opportunities or treatment within our organisation. Our policies and practices are reflected to promote equal treatment and benefits for all employees, regardless of their marital status.

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Neurodiversity 

We value the diverse neurocognitive profiles of our employees. We strive to create an inclusive environment that accommodates and appreciates different ways of thinking, processing information, and problem-solving. 

We will create an environment that supports and accommodates individuals with diverse neurocognitive profiles. This may include providing flexible work arrangements, offering neurodiversity training to increase awareness and understanding among employees, and implementing inclusive communication and work practices that accommodate different thinking and processing styles.

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Race

We embrace diversity in race and ethnicity, recognising the richness and strength it brings to our organisation. We actively work to eliminate racial discrimination and bias in all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, promotions, and professional development.

To combat racial discrimination and promote racial diversity and inclusion, we will implement strategies to ensure diverse representation at all levels of our organisation. This includes implementing targeted recruitment and outreach efforts and providing diversity and inclusion training for employees.

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Religion/Belief

We respect and celebrate the religious and belief diversity of our employees. We provide reasonable accommodations to ensure that individuals can observe their religious practices and express their beliefs.

We will accommodate religious observances and beliefs by providing flexible scheduling options, flexibility for time off for religious holidays, and appropriate spaces for prayer or reflection. We will also promote a culture of respect and inclusivity by fostering understanding and awareness of different religious practices and beliefs among our employees.

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Sexual Orientation 

We embrace and celebrate the diversity of sexual orientations within our organisation. We are committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment where individuals can be open about their sexual orientation without fear of discrimination or harassment.

We will foster an inclusive and accepting workplace where individuals can express their sexual orientation or gender identity without fear of discrimination or harassment. We will provide sensitivity training and education to all employees and establish non-discrimination policies.

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Socioeconomic Background

We are committed to promoting social and economic diversity within our organisation. We strive to provide equal opportunities for individuals from different socioeconomic backgrounds and work to eliminate barriers that may disproportionately affect individuals with limited financial resources.

We will strive to eliminate socioeconomic barriers by implementing fair hiring practices, providing equal access to professional development opportunities, and promoting financial wellness education and resources to support employees in achieving economic stability and success.

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Our Support and Commitment

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‍Communication 

We will ensure that all employees feel included in the workplace by promoting open and honest communication. We will encourage employees to share their thoughts and ideas and provide opportunities for feedback. 

There will be opportunities at our weekly and monthly company updates for regular communication pertaining to education, awareness and inclusivity of these groups and our dedication to equality, diversity and inclusion. 

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Training 

We will provide ongoing training to all employees on equality, diversity and inclusion topics. This training will include topics such as unconscious bias, microaggressions, and cultural awareness. We will also provide training on how to create an inclusive work environment and crucial awareness for people managers in ensuring we adhere to our equality, diversity and inclusion values.

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Regular review

We will regularly review our policies and practices to ensure that they are inclusive and promote diversity and equality. Our EDI steering group will serve as a consultative group to regularly review policy additions or edits.

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Respectful Workplace

We have a zero-tolerance policy for harassment, discrimination, and retaliation in the workplace. We will promptly investigate all reports of harassment and take appropriate action to ensure a safe and inclusive work environment for all employees. 

Please refer to our anti-harassment and bullying policy for more details, or to our whistleblowing policy to anonymously report discrimination, harassment or retaliation.

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Celebrating Differences 

We will celebrate the differences of our employees and create an environment that embraces diversity. This will include celebrating cultural holidays, recognising the accomplishments of employees from diverse backgrounds, and promoting events and activities that promote diversity and inclusion.

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Leadership Commitment 

Our leadership team is committed to fostering a culture of inclusivity and promoting diversity and equality in the workplace. They will lead by example and hold themselves and others accountable for creating an inclusive work environment.

By taking these steps, we will create a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workplace is not only the right thing to do, but also essential for the success of our business. We recognise that our differences make us stronger, and by celebrating diversity and creating a culture of inclusivity, we will create a more innovative and successful company.

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Recruitment and Hiring 

We will actively recruit and hire a diverse pool of candidates for all positions, including executive and leadership roles. We will ensure that our hiring processes are fair and unbiased and that all applicants are evaluated based on their skills, qualifications, and experience. We will also provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals.

At our company, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve. We recognise that diversity encompasses a wide range of differences, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, and cultural background.

To attract and hire a diverse pool of candidates, we will take the following steps:

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‍Job Postings

We will ensure that all job postings and requirements are written in a way that encourages a diverse pool of applicants. We will use inclusive language and avoid any language that could discourage applicants from diverse backgrounds. We will also encourage and  welcome applications which focus on skills and experience, aside from formal qualifications. 

We will post all job postings on a diversity specific job board to encourage applications from a diverse pool of candidates.

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Outreach

We will engage in outreach efforts to connect with diverse communities and organisations.

This will include attending conferences targeted towards underrepresented groups and partnering with organisations that serve diverse communities. 

We will encourage our employees to refer candidates from diverse backgrounds for open positions. We will also ensure that our employee referral program is fair and unbiased.

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Unbiased Hiring

We will ensure that our hiring processes are fair and unbiased. We will train our hiring managers and recruiters on unconscious bias and provide them with tools and resources to evaluate candidates based on their skills, qualifications, and experience.

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Diversity in Interview Panels

We will strive to have a diverse panel of interviewers for each job opening where possible.

This will ensure that candidates are evaluated by a diverse group of individuals with different perspectives and experiences.

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Data Collection

We will collect protected anonymous data on the demographics of our applicant pool and new hires to track our progress in attracting and hiring a diverse pool of candidates.

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Reasonable adjustments

We will always offer and endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for applicants at interview stage, including support for disabilities and neurodiverse applicants.

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Conclusion

This EDI policy is integrated into our organisation's values, decision-making processes, and practices. We provide ongoing diversity training, education, and resources to all employees to promote understanding, respect, and inclusivity. We encourage employees to report any concerns or instances of discrimination, harassment, or bias, and we are committed to investigating and addressing such issues promptly and appropriately.

At our company, we believe that equality, diversity and inclusion are essential components of a successful business. By embracing and celebrating our differences, we can create a workplace that is not only more equitable and just but also more innovative, productive, and fulfilling. We are committed to creating a work environment where all employees are valued, respected, and empowered to bring their whole selves to work. 

We regularly review and assess the effectiveness of our EDI initiatives, making adjustments as needed, to ensure we continue to foster a workplace that embraces diversity, equality, and inclusion.

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Now & Next

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Now

• Advertisement of selected vacancies on diverse job boards – LGBT jobs, BME jobs & Disability jobs
• Jobs specs being reviewed and created using gender neutral language, with a focus on skills and abilities, rather than education and experience
• Offering and endeavouring to make reasonable adjustments for applications at interview stage, including support for disabilities and neurodiverse applicants
• Digital apprenticeships

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Next – 2025 goals

• EDI training for all agency teams
• Strategy for transparency on pay equality, EDI stats and goal progression for EDI
• Neuro-inclusion in the workplace – proactive adjustments including, unambiguous visual signage, ensuring meeting agendas are shared upfront wherever possible, making it culturally ok not to join team lunches/drinks