Within this policy the members of the Board of Trustees (BOT) are referred to as Trustees. All paid staff and volunteers are referred to as staff. All artists who licence studios from SPACE and other users of services provided by SPACE are referred to as artists.

• SPACE believes that Trustees and staff have a duty to work to avoid discrimination in employing staff, selecting artists, employing/ commissioning contractors, and in providing services to artists.
• SPACE is committed to taking the appropriate steps to avoid discrimination occurring anywhere in the organisation.
• All Trustees, staff and artists are required to comply with SPACE’s Equality Diversity and Inclusion Policy (EDI) and co-operate with measures introduced by the BOT to implement it. In the case of staff, failure to do so will result in action taken under the organisation’s Disciplinary Procedure. In the case of Trustees this will be a matter for the BOT.
• The promotion of good practice in equal opportunities, diversity and inclusion is central to the spirit and implementation of this policy.
• Any Trustee, staff member or artist having a complaint of discrimination or victimisation is encouraged to raise the matter under SPACE’s Grievance Procedure. The complaint will be fully examined and all possible action taken to eradicate the problem.
• The BOT will work to retain a broad representation of people with appropriate skills and knowledge and to avoid a bias towards any particular group in society.

Recruitment and promotion of staff

• All SPACE appointments and promotions will be based on merit and no job applicant or artist will be discriminated against by reason of disability, age, race, religion, gender, marital status or sexual preference.
• Many of SPACE’s sites are not accessible to people with severe sensory disabilities or for people who are wheelchair users. SPACE’s gallery space and Ilford office are suitable for wheelchair users.
• Job applicants will be given as much clear and accurate information as possible about the post through advertisements, job descriptions, person specifications and interviews, in order to enable them to address their suitability for the post.
• Advertisements for recruitment of staff and provision of services will be aimed at as wide a group of suitably qualified and experienced people as reasonably possible.
• All job interviews and selection of artists will be conducted on an objective basis and will deal only with the applicants’ suitability for the job and ability to meet the person specifications.

SPACE’s services

• All services will be available to all that can benefit from them and there will be no discrimination on the grounds of race, religion, sex, disability, marital status or sexual preference when making decisions of any applicant for SPACE’s services.

Implementation

• The BOT will review the implementation of the EDI policy on an annual basis.
• HR procedures will be examined to ensure that they do not operate against SPACE’s EDI policy, and will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.
• All Trustees and staff will be made aware of SPACE’s EDI policy and informed of their obligations under the policy and helped to understand its implications.

Monitoring

• The effectiveness of SPACE’s EDI policy will be examined annually as part of the organisation’s commitment to identify any additional action, which is needed to ensure that the spirit of the policy is fully implemented.

Review of the policy

• This policy will be reviewed annually by the BOT. The report prepared will include the following: lessons from policy monitoring; access update; evaluation of training; complaints received under the policy; issues from sites; proposed amendments to the policy

Code of conduct

• All Trustees, staff and tenants of SPACE will be provided with a personal copy of SPACE’s EDI and will be made aware of issues relating to this policy. The above persons and all other members are expected to abide by the code of conduct at all times. Copies of the policy will be available online.
• The CEO will bring any allegations of breach of policy to the BOT and will act as a point of contact for any allegation of harassment of an artist, employee, intern or volunteer.
• Matters of particular urgency identified by Trustees, staff and artists will be reported by the CEO to and discussed with the Chair and any appropriate action agreed.

Disability Access

• SPACE’s ultimate aim is for all its premises to be fully accessible to people with disabilities. This includes: people with a visual impairment; people who are deaf or hard of hearing; people who use wheelchairs; people who have an ambulant disability.
• Focusing on these particular disabilities is not intended to suggest that SPACE does not aim to make premises accessible for people with other disabilities.
• SPACE recognises that designing and adapting premises is a job for experts and design considerations will vary from building to building.
• It is therefore important for SPACE to ensure in the future when considering a new property to lease or purchase that access is not: forgotten about until it is too late; ignored for fear of inconvenience or extra cost; left to others (consultants/architects) who may not understand the importance of this issue toSPACE.
• When SPACE is considering developments at sites SPACE will ensure a full access audit is undertaken, acting in line with key DDA and Health & Safety recommendations. Architects employed to design or modify SPACE’s premises must have the needs of people with disabilities in mind and all prospective architectural consultants will be closely questioned on this point.
• The exceptions to the objective of full accessibility are existing and future leaseholds where the design, costs and lease conditions prohibit structural changes and alterations.
• Information about current accessibility will be made available (in advance as far as is possible) to visitors and particularly to candidates for employment and users of SPACE’s services.

Sexual and racial harassment

• SPACE aims to provide staff and artists with a safe working environment free from harassment – broadly defined as leering, ridicule, making embarrassing remarks, making sexist or racist jokes, sexist or racist abuse, the display of offensive pictures, repeated and unwanted physical contact or demands for sexual favours.
• Any Trustee, staff member and artist being harassed should report the incident to HR and/or line manager who will discuss the circumstances of the harassment with the complainant. The alleged harasser will then be contacted and informed of the complaint and given the time schedule in which a response to the complaint is needed.
• If the alleged harasser does not respond, or the information does not reasonably explain the action, or if either party feels that a meeting is necessary to discuss the action, a meeting will be arranged.
• If as a result of correspondence and or meetings, the matter is not resolved satisfactorily; it will be dealt with under the usual SPACE’s Disciplinary Procedure, as will proven cases of malicious false allegations of harassment.
• In any case where harassment is proven and dismissal does not result, a procedure for monitoring the harasser’s behaviour towards all members of staff must be implemented.

Staff recruitment and selection process

• A job description (JD) will be prepared before advertising, changing or regarding a post. SPACE’s current job description format, giving the purpose of the post, followed by a list of duties will be used.
• A Person Specification (PS) will be included listing essential and desirable qualities which good candidates for the post will possess. The PS will be used for short-listing candidates and as a checklist during interviewing.
• Advertisements of all SPACE’s JD’s should include: job title; salary; SPACE’s Logo; Equal Opportunities Statement; a summary of the post’s role; the key attributes required.
• SPACE will take care not to discourage some applicants through undue emphasis on duties that might discourage people with child care/dependent responsibilities.
• Preferred age range will not be stated unless it is a documented requirement of the post (e.g. the maintenance worker may have to be over 21 to get insurance). The advertisement must not be particularly aimed at either men or women.
• The statement “SPACE is an Equal Opportunity Employer” will be incorporated into advertising artwork and therefore, included in advertisements as a matter of course.
• Advertising decisions must be validated in order to ensure that SPACE is reaching all parts of the community. This will be achieved by Equal Opportunity Monitoring (EOM). Where it is found that at some locations fewer than expected BME people, women or people with disabilities for example, are applying for posts, advertising should be reviewed.

Staff recruitment and shortlisting process

• A job information pack, prepared for each post should contain a JD; a person specification; an information leaflet on SPACE; an application form; a statement concerning criminal records bureau (CRB) checks where this is applicable; an EOM form; an EDI of intent; guidance notes for applicants.
• Application forms should be used for most jobs to promote fair assessment of
• applicants.

Staff training

• As training budgets are relatively small SPACE cannot guarantee that all employees will receive the support and training they need to carry out the duties of their current job effectively, but it will be provided where possible, and budgets will be spent on the basis of greatest need. Particular emphasis will continue to be placed on training open to the whole staff group.
• Any employee who feels he or she is unreasonably excluded from a group training session will have the right to appeal to the CEO and in the case of the CEO to the Chair.

Appraisal

• Any appraisal system will be designed to be non-discriminatory. This includes the right comment upon the appraisal and to appeal to the CEO and Chair.

Terms and conditions of employment

• Staff who wish to take leave to coincide with recognised religious festivals should agree the dates with the CEO and in the case of the CEO with the BOT. Leave for a religious holiday will be treated as a priority and will be granted except when job requirements make this impractical.
• Given the current size and resources of the organisation SPACE can only offer the statutory maternity and sickness pay and leave.
• The Disciplinary Procedure includes examples of gross misconduct. Sexual and racial harassment and action in serious breach of this policy are regarded as gross misconduct under this procedure.
• Details of the grievance and disciplinary procedure, holiday entitlement, sickness and maternity leave will be detailed in the staff contracts.

Monitoring

• An EOM Form will be sent out to all job applicants and artists wishing to use SPACE’s services. The completed forms will remain confidential at all times and not be used as part of the selection process.
• The data will be used to assess whether the media selected reached the widest possible potential field of applicants and artists and there will be a review of the media schedule if necessary. SPACE has a limited budget for job advertising and this will have to inform the use of media accordingly.
• If the profile of the community and the profile of applicants persistently does not match the wording of advertisements the information packs and advertising procedures will be reviewed to ensure they do not discourage any particular group of applicants.
• Monitoring data will provide a snapshot for the BOT to monitor the success of equal opportunities in selection decision-making. This data will enable an effective review of the EDI if necessary.

Download the SPACE Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy 2023.

Last reviewed and approved by the Board of Trustees on 29 September 2023.