Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Policy

Our Company Context

Knowledge Exchange Group is committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion among our workforce, and, also, to eliminating unlawful discrimination.

The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative of all sections of society and our customers, and for each employee to feel respected, recognised, and motivated.

The organisation, in providing conferences and training courses, is also committed against unlawful discrimination of customers, speakers, and suppliers.

Our policy is aligned to our ethos, both in terms of our organisation and in the nature and of the conferences and training we deliver.  In particular:

• We are inclusive: we promote equality and diversity in all that we do, through our events content, through our training programmes, and within our organisation.
• We inspire positive change, facilitate knowledge exchange and champion best practice in working and policy environments across the public, private, and voluntary sectors.

• We champion integrity, honesty, and openness.  These are core principles, at the heart of how we work and what we do, within our organisation, and through our events and training.

(Our full vision statement can be found at knowledgeexchange.group/about-us).

The Purpose of our Policy

This policy’s purpose is to:

1. Provide equality, fairness and respect for all in our employment, whether freelance, temporary, part-time or full-time employees.
2. Not unlawfully discriminate against protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act of 2010. Our comprehensive definition of diversity, which is in line with our values and ethos, includes, but is not limited to:

• age
• caring responsibilities
• disability
• gender identity
• gender reassignment
• marriage and civil partnership
• neurodivergence
• pregnancy and maternity
• race (including colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origin)
• religion or belief
• sex
• sexual orientation
• social mobility/ class
• veteran status

3. Oppose and avoid all forms of unlawful discrimination. This includes in:

• pay and benefits
• terms and conditions of employment
• dealing with grievances and discipline
• dismissal
• redundancy
• leave for parents
• requests for flexible working
• selection for employment, promotion, training or other developmental opportunities.

4. Extend equality, fairness and respect to our speakers, and delegates; and to our Strategic Advisory Board.

5. Support, promote and champion themes of good practice in EDI within our conferences and events.

6. Set out our expectations for how everyone who works for our organisation is expected to uphold our commitment, both in the UK and internationally, to equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Our commitments

The organisation commits to:

1. Encourage equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace as it is good practice, fair, and makes business sense.
2. Creating a working environment free of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination, promoting dignity and respect for all: where individual differences and the contributions of all staff are recognised and valued.
   This commitment includes training managers and all other employees about their rights and responsibilities under the equality, diversity and inclusion policy. Responsibilities include staff conducting themselves to help the organisation provide equal opportunities in employment, and prevent bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination.
   All staff should understand they, as well as their employer, can be held liable for acts of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination, in the course of their employment, against fellow employees, customers, speakers, suppliers and the public.
3. Take seriously complaints of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination by fellow employees, customers, suppliers, visitors, speakers, and any others, in the course of the organisation’s work activities.
   Such acts will be dealt with as misconduct under the organisation’s grievance and/or disciplinary procedures, and appropriate action will be taken. Particularly serious complaints could amount to gross misconduct and lead to dismissal without notice.
   Further, sexual harassment may amount to both an employment rights matter and a criminal matter, such as in sexual assault allegations. In addition, harassment under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 – which is not limited to circumstances where harassment relates to a protected characteristic – is a criminal offence.
4. Make opportunities for training, development and progress available to all staff, who will be helped and encouraged to develop their full potential, so their talents and resources can be fully utilised, to maximise the efficiency of the organisation.
5. Make staff decisions based on merit (apart from in any necessary and limited exemptions and exceptions allowed under the Equality Act).
6. Review employment practices and procedures to ensure fairness, and update them, and the policy, to take account of changes in the law.
7. Monitor the make-up of the workforce regarding information such as age, sex, ethnic background, sexual orientation, religion or belief, and disability in encouraging EDI; and in meeting the aims and commitments set out in the EDI policy.
   Monitoring will also include assessing how the EDI policy, and any supporting action plan, is working in practice, reviewing it annually, and taking action to address any issues.  Monitoring will be done through the monthly Board meetings.
8. Review conference and training programmes to ensure EDI in speaker acquisition, through the conferences and training production teams. This can be done on an ongoing basis.
9. In addition, to continually review conference and training programmes content, through conferences and training production teams, to ensure that EDI best practice, innovation, and ideas are promoted within our content; and send employees to relevant courses and conferences, to ensure our EDI policy is truly embedded throughout the organisation.
10. Put plans in place to promote EDI, in compliance with the law and, in addition, where appropriate.
11. Promote EDI and reflect our policies in the composition and management of our Strategic Advisory Board.

Agreement to Follow this Policy and Responsibilities

The Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion policy is fully supported by senior management and managers.

The Board is responsible for this policy and ensuring that it is understood and effectively implemented at all levels in our organisation.  Managers are responsible for the day-to-day implementation of the policy. Staff that recruit, select, train, develop and promote employees understand their responsibilities under this policy.

Our EDI experts, within our team, who sit on our Strategic Advisory Board, or senior figures and specialists who speak at our conferences, or deliver our in-depth training courses, all contribute thought leadership and expertise in setting and implementing our strategy for EDI.

Our conferences provide opportunities to learn from lived experience in particular areas of EDI, such as key issues around intersectionality, and this, in turn, helps inform our policy.

We expect all employees to treat each other with respect.  We promote an atmosphere of allyship.

We also expect our sponsors, delegates and speakers to adhere to our EDI policy.