Last updated: 3 June 2011
This Policy sets out the National Army Museum's (NAM's) intentions and obligations under UK employment and anti-discrimination legislation. As a public authority, the NAM is subject to a race, gender and disability equality duty and intends to show, where appropriate, the same commitment to promoting equality of opportunity and tackling discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, religion or belief, gender reassignment, age, family leave and working patterns.
The NAM is committed to equality and diversity, which is central to all aspects of its work as outlined in the NAM's Equality and Diversity, Access and Inclusion Policy and the NAM's Strategic Plan.
2.1 Sex Discrimination Act (1975)
The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (SDA) prohibits sex discrimination against individuals in the areas of employment and vocational training, the provision of goods, facilities and services and public functions.
It also prohibits discrimination in employment against married people. Since the Civil Partnership Act 2004 came into force on 5th December 2005, the same protection is afforded to those in a civil partnership as those who are married.
2.2 The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (Amendment) Regulations 2008
The SDA was amended to ensure compliance with the Equal Treatment Directive in two key areas, discrimination on grounds of pregnancy or maternity leave and harassment.
2.3 Harassment
The definition of harassment is extended from sex-based harassment to include conduct related to a person's sex. For example, if a supervisor makes disparaging comments about women, it will not be a defence to show that he also makes similar comments about men. The disparaging comments relate to sex. They do not need to be caused by it. The change in definition also means that the unwanted conduct does not have to relate to the sex of the claimant but can relate to the sex of another person, for example, a member of staff witnessing sexual harassment of a colleague can bring a claim of harassment themselves if they feel it has made their environment intimidating.
2.4 Liability
Organisations are vicariously liable if they have not taken reasonable steps to prevent harassment by a third party (customer, supplier, client, contractor, visitor). The employer must be aware that if an employee has been harassed on at least two other occasions that liability is incurred.
2.5 Maternity
Women only have to show they have received less favourable treatment because they are pregnant, or have exercised their rights in relation to maternity leave.
3.1 General Duty
The Government introduced a duty which, from 6 April 2007, required public authorities to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment and promote equality of opportunity between men and women (Gender Equality Duty).
The Gender Equality Duty applies across the full range of public sector activity - including service delivery, policy making, procurement and performance management - and will also require public servants to assess the impact of their functions on men and women, and to take action to tackle inequality and harassment.
The Duty also applies to the arrangements for employing staff and the monitoring of the workforce.
3.1.1 Trans-sexual staff and service users
The Duty also requires public authorities to eliminate discrimination and harassment towards current and potential trans-sexual staff. This duty extended to trans-sexual service users in December 2007.
3.1.2 Equal Pay Act
Unlawful discrimination includes contraventions of the 1970 Equal Pay Act.
3.1.3 When carrying out its functions, the NAM will have due regard to the need to:
3.1.4 Harassment
Within the NAM's general duty to eliminate unlawful discrimination and to promote equality of opportunity and good relations between people, all members of staff will have a right to protection from harassment, and a responsibility to ensure that the working environment is free from harassment and that the dignity of others is respected. As such, all members of staff are required to:
3.1.5 Sexual Harassment
This will be overseen by the NAM's strategy and policies on Equal Opportunities and Harassment, Bullying, Victimisation and Fighting at Work, and supplemented by the provision of training in areas of equality and diversity.
Progress will be monitored by the Department of Human Resources through the collection and analysis of data on recruitment, employment and retention, career progression, training, performance management, and incidents of discipline and grievance.
3.1.6 Training
All training carried out by the NAM, or on its behalf, will embrace the principles of equal opportunities. Training opportunities are offered to all members of staff irrespective of gender, marital status, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, disability, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, age, pregnancy, trade union/staff association membership or activity, or permanent, part-time or fixed-term employment status.
The NAM is committed to ensuring that there are equal opportunities for all staff in the development of their careers, through performance management, training and developmental opportunities. To support this commitment, training is made equally available to ALL staff, through the completion of personal training and development plans.
The NAM has taken steps to address issues of equality in its training provision, ensuring the availability of training programmes aimed specifically at women, for example, 'The Conference for Women', which aims to hone skills in communication, conflict management, assertiveness, leadership and coping with the conflicting demands of work and home, again with the same opportunities afforded to part time staff as their full-time colleagues.
In support of its Equality and Diversity Policies and to meet the general duty, the NAM recognises the importance that its entire workforce is properly trained, that staff awareness is raised and that staff are sensitive to equality and diversity issues. As such, the NAM provides mandatory training on equality and diversity as part of its induction programme. Feedback from the training is analysed to assess the training's quality, relevance and impact.
Equality and Diversity policies and the responsibility for ensuring that people, both within the Museum and in the wider community with whom they come into contact as part of their duties, are treated fairly and with respect will be a key component of training.
Equality and diversity training will be periodically reviewed to ensure the content and delivery of the training meets the requirements of the NAM and its equality objectives.
In addition, the data collection of incidents that have occurred (eg discipline or grievance), along with periodic survey results and data from exit interviews in relation to equality and diversity will be continuously monitored and analysed.
3.1.7 Promotion
The NAM has an internal promotion process in operation, which gives existing members of staff greater opportunities for their own development and management experience in working at a higher grade in both temporary and permanent appointments.
3.1.8 Occupational Welfare Service
The NAM funds the provision of an Occupational Welfare Service (OWS); a confidential advisory and professional support service to members of staff in both personal and work-related issues, including harassment and bullying, discrimination, illness and disability, injury, retirement, bereavement, relationships and addiction.
The OWS has a wide range of contacts with organisations that can provide help and support with a variety of issues including debt and financial problems, domestic matters and healthcare.
3.2 Specific Duties
Specific duties apply to public authorities to ensure better performance by them of the general duty. The specific duties cover obligations in respect of policy and service delivery and employment. A Gender Equality Scheme, which is a timetabled and realistic plan, setting out the NAM's arrangements for meeting the general and specific duties, will be reviewed once every three years.
When developing its Gender Equality Scheme, the NAM will consult its employees, service users and other stakeholders who have an interest in the way it carries out its functions.
The NAM's Gender Equality Scheme will include:
The NAM, when meeting its duties, will:
3.2.1 Equality Impact Assessment
The NAM will review its functions, policies and activities as an ongoing process. This review will be used to develop Action Plans and as the starting point for Equality Impact Assessments to ensure compliance with the duties and to ensure equal treatment for the entire workforce and visitors/users. All new policies, relating to employment and non-employment issues will be equality-proofed as they are developed.
As policies are developed or reviewed, they will contain an 'equality impact assessment statement', and will be placed on a forward review programme.
Policies will initially be screened to assess the potential impact of diversity issues to determine relevance and proportionality. If this screening shows that diversity issues are relevant to the policy, a full equality impact assessment will be undertaken to ensure that any adverse impact is identified and that it is fully justified, removed, minimised or managed. Any further action will inform future equality scheme action plans in consultation with staff, initially through the Equality and Access Group.
3.2.2 Job Evaluation
Equal pay legislation states that employers must give men and women equal treatment in their terms and conditions of employment if they are employed on 'like work' (work that is the same or broadly similar); work related as equivalent under a job evaluation study; or work to be found of equal value.
Job evaluation is a method of determining on a systematic basis the relative importance of a number of different jobs. A job evaluation scheme is a way of systematically assessing individual jobs objectively, while avoiding prejudice or discrimination, and is a good basis for a fair pay system.
The NAM uses an analytical job evaluation tool, which evaluates jobs by separately appraising individual factors of compensatory characteristics, such as skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions, and combining the separate evaluations into a single points score for each job.
4.1 Equality and Access Group
The NAM's Access Group, established in 2005, has been re-confirmed as the Equality and Access Group and will consider all strands of equality alongside access issues.
The Equality and Access Group will review all elements of the Visitor/IT Audience Profile, the Staffing Profile, the Formal Education and Lifelong Learning Programmes, and the Visitor Experience (informed by visitor information and statistics produced as a result of surveys and MORI (or other) polls), questionnaires, the website and feedback from users of the Templer Study Centre, as part of the development of the EAID Strategy, in order to assess the degree of success against the stated aims. These will be used to inform the Audience Development Strategy.
The Equality and Access Group's mandate is detailed in the NAM's Strategy for Equality and Diversity, Access and Inclusion (EDAI) (246KB)
4.2 Academy of Equality
In September 2008, the NAM commissioned and funded 'The Academy of Equality' - experts in the field of equality and diversity - to provide a framework of support, training, coaching and guidance that would support the Museum in delivering its equality remit. The framework consisted of an audit of existing policies and activities, executive coaching to a new senior management team to reinforce equality at a strategic level, and outline the input and commitment required at this level to ensure delivery of equality, and training for key staff in the delivery of Equality Impact Assessments (EIA's).
This has established the foundations of an in-house equality knowledge base to take the Museum forward in its aim to deliver equality and diversity.
5.1 The National Army Museum's Mission Statement is:
To interpret and communicate the objects in the Museum's care in ways that inspire, provide enjoyment and provoke questions from diverse audiences.
5.2 The National Army Museum's Purpose is:
To explain the impact that the British Army has had on the character of Britain, Europe and the world.
The NAM has an important role on behalf of the Nation as a repository of the history and heritage of the British Army, as well as supporting the Defence Purpose through its contribution to the Army's image in society, to the remembrance of those who served, and to the education of Servicemen and Servicewomen.
In addition, the NAM sees its wider education role in the community as important in contributing to the delivery of the National Curriculum and Life-Long Learning.
Visitors are currently admitted to the NAM Chelsea, and all the exhibitions there, free of charge.
5.3 The National Army Museum's Aim is:
To engage new audiences, via an interactive children's learning centre, the Kids' Zone, and a redesigned website offered to new audiences - including user groups who have traditionally viewed museums as remote and irrelevant - an immediate, accessible route to visiting the Museum.
In offering events and activities, the Museum will ensure that the NAM website, events programme and membership programmes reflect our goals in promoting and encouraging equality, diversity, access and inclusion, that organised and publicised events take place in accessible places, and that services and necessary facilities offered at these events are accessible to all visitors.
The NAM is developing its strategy for outreach to a diverse audience on an ongoing basis.
Opportunities for the collection of high quality feedback and marketing data, in a suitable format, will be developed by the Equality and Access Group. Feedback questionnaires, visitor surveys, applications to use the Templer Study Centre and the website will be developed as on ongoing process, with due consideration for the sensitive nature of the data collection, thus increasing the NAM's capability for measuring success and improving its services.
Gender, including the diversity of the Museum's workforce, is overseen by the Director and Management Team and reviewed as part of the Museum's Strategic Plan.
9.1 Workforce Monitoring
The NAM will conduct gender monitoring of the workforce and publish annually the results of monitoring. It will also monitor and review its employment and recruitment activities.
The Department of Human Resources monitors, by reference to gender, the numbers of staff who:
10.1 Working Arrangements
The NAM is committed to developing policies and practices to ensure members of staff are fully supported in their employment, eg those who are affected by domestic violence [NAM Domestic Violence Policy], those suffering from ill-health [NAM Managing Attendance Policy] and those who have carer responsibilities [NAM Leave Entitlements Policy].
10.2 Flexible Working
The NAM is committed to developing its policies and practices to support flexible, part-time and home working and has maintained its flexi-hours scheme for well over ten years.
The NAM is committed to supporting female members of staff returning to work from maternity leave; over the last 5 years, the NAM has supported 80% of requests to work on apart-time basis as a result of disability and carer responsibilities.
The NAM is committed to best practice in recruitment, and welcomes and encourages applications for employment from all sections of the community as supported by its Equality and Diversity Policies, particularly where certain groups are under-represented.
The NAM has an on-going commitment to improve the methods in which information is gathered on staff and applicants during the recruitment process, and ensures, where practicable, a diverse interview board panel.
The NAM's recruitment and selection process will be reviewed as an ongoing process to meet equality and diversity criteria.
11.1 Volunteers, Work Experience and Internship Placements
The NAM's strategy for the use of volunteers, work experience and internship placements is under review with the aim of developing opportunities to compliment, support and diversify its existing workforce.
It is intended that increased use of these schemes will provide further opportunities for existing members of staff to gain a range of management skills and experience to further enhance their career development.
11.2 Appointment of Trustees/strong>
The NAM aims to encourage a diverse Board of Trustees (NAM Council) in accordance with its aims to achieve diversity, and meet the needs of the community which it serves.
12.1 The Museum's Gender Equality Scheme is a working document and will provide a framework for gender equality. We welcome comments and suggestions from staff, visitors, community groups, stakeholders and any other interested parties. The plan will be reviewed annually and regular updates will be provided on the NAM's website.
Visitors to the Museum are openly encouraged to make comment and suggestions to how the museum and it's services and facilities are functioning, and how they can be improved. This is via a Visitor Comments box located at the front Reception Desk.
12.2 Staff/Management Forum
A Staff/Management Forum was established in 2006 to encourage the discussion of issues affecting staff and working procedures, as well as the plans for the Museum as a whole. This forum is representative of the staff through individuals from different parts of the Museum. Agendas are raised, informed by staff suggestions and recent developments or changes in NAM Policy and Procedures and resolved through open discussion.
12.3 Community Groups
Community groups are to be more heavily consulted in the development of the Museum's plans and policies through liaison with the NAM's (shortly to be appointed) Community Liaison, Equality and Access Officer. Sectors of the Community, not previously reached through the marketing information or by virtue of their under-representation are to be targeted and included in many aspects of the museums work to ensure inclusiveness, accessibility and equality in all that we do.
12.4 Focus Groups
The Museum arranges annual Focus Groups discussions and consultation with members of the public in order to gain feedback in relation to proposals for exhibitions, galleries and displays and plans for the Museum; encouraging open discussion and feedback this forum helps to inform the content, relevance and ensure representation where possible through the collections of all sectors of society.