Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The commitment

ARG does not discriminate on any protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

That is the easy half to write. The half that matters in recruitment is what happens when a client asks for something that would discriminate, because the agency is the point at which it either stops or does not.

When a brief is discriminatory

A recruiter is not a neutral conduit. Passing on a discriminatory instruction can make the agency liable in its own right, and it is also the thing that makes discrimination operational rather than theoretical.

• ARG will not act on an instruction to exclude or prefer candidates on a protected characteristic, however it is phrased, and will say so to the client rather than quietly filtering the shortlist.
• Where a requirement looks like a proxy — "young and dynamic", "no career breaks", "must be a recent graduate" — ARG raises it, because the effect is what the law measures, not the wording.
• Genuine occupational requirements exist and are narrow. Where one is claimed, ARG asks what it is and why, and records the answer.
• Shortlists are presented on competence against the brief. Where a client asks for a characteristic-based split, ARG declines.

Adjustments

Any candidate can ask for an adjustment at any stage of a process ARG is running, including before a first conversation, and does not have to explain why beyond what the adjustment requires. Email info@andrews-recruitment.com or say so on a call.

ARG will also raise a requested adjustment with the client where the interview is theirs, with the candidate’s permission and no more detail than is needed to make it happen.

Raising a concern

If you believe you have been treated unfairly by ARG, use the complaints procedure. It is a published process with timescales rather than an email address and a hope.

Other policies

• Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement
• Complaints Procedure
• Candidates with Criminal Convictions
• Accessibility Statement