RFEA – The Forces Employment Charity is committed to the principle of equality of opportunity for all in employment and service delivery. Creating an environment where diversity is celebrated and everyone is treated fairly, regardless of gender, gender identity, disability, ethnic origin, nationality, religion or belief, sexual orientation, marital or transgender status or age.
We have a commitment to equality of opportunity for our staff and beneficiaries and are proud to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse community we serve and all the cultural richness that it brings to our charity.
Our charity is a very diverse community: Many of our staff have served in the British Armed Forces including our Chief Executive who was a Commodore in the Navy. Several staff have many years’ experience working in the public and private sectors in a wide range of roles. In employment, RFEA is committed to achieving and maintaining a workforce which broadly reflects the local labour market. We recognise that by drawing on all sections of the labour market we will have access to the widest possible pool of talent.
Promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in our values
We believe in equality of treatment and fairness to people and make sure we practice it as an employer and service provider. Whether you use our services, or we employ you (and this goes for treatment at interview too), you will be treated equally and fairly.
Our values include being supportive, expert and collaborative and within these values is our commitment to equality and diversity, and to equal opportunities for all.
We believe that everyone at RFEA has a duty to ensure equality and diversity legislation is followed and implemented. Recognising, embracing and valuing difference leads to improvements for all, including:
- a more vibrant staff population;
- a better working environment;
- attracting and retaining the very best staff;
- achieving the goals set out in our Strategic Vision 2020;
- improving the status of our Charity
Implementation and Evaluation
RFEA wants to meet the aims and commitments set out in this statement. This includes not discriminating under the Equality Act 2010. The equality and diversity questionnaire is intended to help us maintain best practice and identify barriers to workforce equality and diversity.
RFEA needs your help and co-operation to enable us to do this. The questionnaire is optional at point of registration. The information on the questionnaire will be used for evaluation purposes only to ensure we are meeting our Equality & Diversity Policy and will play no part in the registration or service delivery.
The intention of analysis is to establish if there are different success rates between genders, people of different sexual orientation, ages, different ethnic backgrounds or faiths, and people with disabilities. If there are differences in these areas, it will enable action to be taken to ensure that no group is treated unfairly.
All questions are optional. You are not obliged to answer any of these questions but the more information you supply, the more effective our evaluation will be. All information supplied will be treated in the strictest confidence.
With the help of feedback from our community groups, beneficiaries and staff, we will continue to develop arrangements to review and evaluate the effectiveness of our employment and service delivery policies. If our evaluation reveals any gaps in our policies, we will take the necessary action.
Commitment beyond legislation
We are fully committed to both meeting and exceeding our obligations under current legislation. By doing more than what’s required by law, we build on RFEA’s existing reputation for diversity and ensure we equip all our staff with the knowledge to sustain and enjoy a fully inclusive working environment.
This commitment will be reviewed jointly by senior management, employees and our Board of Trustees on a regular basis.
