Gender Equality Policy

AquaInSilico is an equal opportunity employer. All of our operations are underpinned by Equal Opportunity, Inclusiveness & Gender Equality Principles.

AquaInSilico provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment, such as in conditions of employment, training or experience for or in relation to employment, promotion or re-grading, or classification of job, and in other employment decisions without discrimination on grounds of gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability or race.

All employees at AquaInSilico will be treated with respect, dignity, and with consideration for differences in order to bolster each individual’s potential to work and grow. This applies regardless of sex, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, religious or other beliefs, impairment, sexual orientation, or age.

This Equal Opportunities Policy constitutes part of AquaInSilico’s quality and development work. In Equal Opportunities, we operate in order to create a good work and growth environment that is free from discrimination, harassment and unequal treatment. Promoting equal opportunities means to work on knowledge, attitudes, values and behaviour. These efforts should be well rooted in AquaInSilico and permeate all of its activities.

1. Eligibility

The Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy and the procedures contained within apply to all employees of AquaInSilico.

2. Definitions

Under employment equality legislation, it is illegal to discriminate directly or indirectly on pay or non-pay issues on any of the following nine grounds:

– Gender
– Age
– Disability
– Family Status
– Sexual Orientation
– Marital Status
– Race
– Religion
– Membership of the Traveller Community

3. Responsibilities and resources

All staff are responsible for ensuring that they are familiar with and comply with the AquaInSilico Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy and that equal opportunities principles are respected.

Each employee is responsible for familiarising themselves with the Equal Opportunities and Diversity policy and ensuring that the employment decisions are made and implemented in accordance with AquaInSilico’s equal opportunities policy. All persons involved in decision making shall act in a non-discriminatory manner.

Any individual with a concern, grievance, or complaint of discrimination or retaliation under this policy should utilise the appropriate procedure from those available:

– Staff Policy on Duty of Respect and Right to Dignity or;
– Staff Grievance Procedure.

Violation of the Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy can result in serious disciplinary action up to and including dismissal. Retaliation, which is conduct constituting any interference, coercion, restraint or reprisal against a person complaining of discrimination or participating in the resolution of a complaint of discrimination, is considered a violation of this policy ana disciplinary offence.

Prevailing upon management, trade unions, colleagues or students to practise unfair discrimination or to act in a way which is contrary to the spirit of this policy is considered a violation of the policy.

Violation of this policy is a disciplinary offence and staff disciplinary procedures may be applied as appropriate.

4. Dignity and respect policy

Bullying is repeated inappropriate behaviour, direct or indirect, whether verbal, physical or otherwise, conducted by one or more persons against another or others, at the place of work/study and/or in the course of employment, which could reasonably be regarded as undermining the individual’s right to dignity and respect. An isolated incident of the behaviour described in this definition may be an affront to your dignity but, as a once off incident, is not considered to be bullying.

Sexual harassment includes acts of physical intimacy, or requests for sexual favours or any act or conduct by a harasser, including spoken words, gestures or the production, display or circulation of written words, pictures or other material that is unwelcome to the recipient and could reasonably be regarded as sexually offensive, humiliating or intimidating to the recipient.

The unwanted nature of sexual harassment distinguishes it from flirtatious or sexual behaviour, which is entered into freely and mutually. It is the damaging impact of the unwanted behaviour on the recipient, not the intention of the harasser, which counts.