EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL LIMITED
A Charity Registered in Scotland – SC053218
Creative Diversity and Equal Opportunities
Edinburgh International Film Festival Ltd (EIFF) understands the following as the basis of this policy.
- The Equality Act 2010 (the “Act”) is a single consolidated source of anti-discrimination law covering race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, disability, gender to include gender reassignment, age, sexual orientation, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy, and religion or belief (“Protected Characteristics”).
- The Act prohibits and makes unlawful any harassment of a sexual nature and any harassment related to a Protected Characteristic.
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to promote and encourage equal opportunities, diversity and inclusion in the workplace for all employees and workers of Edinburgh International Film Festival Ltd (EIFF), together with all applicants for roles and those engaged on individual project contracts for the Company. EIFF aims to create a working environment in which all individuals are able to make the best of their skills, free from discrimination or harassment and in which all decisions are based on merit. EIFF also aims to ensure all individuals are treated and treat others with dignity and respect, free from harassment and bullying.
Any breach of this policy may also represent a breach of the law and may result in legal sanctions, as well as in disciplinary action and possibly lead to termination of employment or engagement of the relevant individual.
Intention
This policy is intended to ensure the organisation, staff and representatives 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
Key Concepts and Definitions
Direct discrimination – Direct discrimination occurs where someone is treated less favourably because they have one or more of the Protected Characteristics they are perceived to have a Protected Characteristic; and/or they associate with someone who has a Protected Characteristic.
Age – Direct discrimination can never be justified save where the Protected Characteristic is age. In this situation, direct discrimination can only be justified where it is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.
Indirect discrimination – Indirect discrimination occurs where a policy or practice that applies to everyone particularly disadvantages people who share a Protected Characteristic. Indirect discrimination can only be justified if the policy or practice is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.
Disability – Discrimination arising from disability occurs if a person with a disability is treated unfavourably because of something arising in consequence of their disability and this treatment cannot be justified as a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. If an individual is disabled or becomes disabled, EIFF encourages them to disclose this information so that EIFF can provide appropriate support.
Victimisation – Victimisation occurs where someone is subjected to a detriment because they have (or are believed to have) complained or given information about discrimination or harassment or have supported someone else in doing so.
Harassment – Harassment occurs where someone is subjected to unwanted physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct which has the purpose or effect of violating their dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them, whether or not that person has a Protected Characteristic or not. Harassment also includes treating someone less favourably because they have submitted or refused to submit to such behaviour in the past.
Protected Characteristics
This policy is intended to ensure no unlawful discrimination because of the Equality Act 2010 protected characteristics of:
- age
- disability
- gender reassignment
- marriage and civil partnership
- pregnancy and maternity
- race (including colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origin)
- religion or belief
- sex
- sexual orientation
Integrating diversity into recruitment
The key to recruiting fairly is to have a system based on skills and experience. EIFF is committed to the following:
- Providing relevant and useful diversity training to staff, especially those actively involved in recruitment: this will help celebrate and champion diversity, which in turn should enhance creativity across the company. If you would like training please let line management know and we will arrange.
- Discuss possibilities for flexible working.
- Incorporating a diversity policy into working practices, eg. the recruitment and training of people with disabilities.
Incorporating diversity into the application and selection process
EIFF is committed to the following:
- Specifying on all job descriptions that we ‘operate a policy of equal opportunity for employment and advancement.’
- Asking each candidate the same questions, so that we compare like with like. We would like to share interview questions/format within 24 hours of interview to ensure fairness, a practice that was collectively put into practice last year for the festival. This can support neurodivergent candidates. Some candidates may also have more experience than others at interview formats. We want to level the playing field as much as possible.
- Being as flexible as possible within reason about interview times.
Interviewing or employing a person with a disability
EIFF is committed to the following:
- Asking people if they require any assistance with interview attendance.
- During interviews, never assuming that a disabled person cannot perform a task.
- Complying with the legal obligation that the interview venue is accessible; we can organise a space as required.
- Complying with the legal obligation for companies to make reasonable adjustments so that people with disabilities are treated fairly. Simple alterations can have a hugely significant impact i.e. buying a different chair, supplying back and foot rests and being flexible about working hours if a person has difficulty commuting during rush hour.
We note the Employer’s Forum in Disability can provide contact details for agencies which supply sign language interpreters.
Harrassment
Harrassment generally arises where an individual has made it clear that they find certain behaviour unwelcome and that behaviour has continued unchanged. It may arise as a result of a single incident provided it is sufficiently serious. An individual who believes they are being subjected to harassment should not hesitate to use the procedures set out below. All individuals should consider whether their actions could be offensive to others.
Examples of harassment might include:
- unwanted physical contact, ranging from touching or brushing against another individual’s body to assault or coercing sexual relations;
- unwelcome sexual advances, propositions or pressure for sexual activity;
- continued suggestions for social activity within or outside the workplace after it has been made clear that such suggestions are unwelcome;
- offensive or intimidating comments;
- suggestions that sexual favours may further an individual’s career or that refusal of sexual favours may hinder it;
- the display of pictures, objects or written materials that may be considered pornographic or offensive to particular ethnic or religious groups. Note that in the context of our curation, we do not want to limit the remit of our programme to exclude any particular content whatsoever, but we will be sensitive to the sensibilities of our team and be considerate in our content warnings at every stage of submission, review and screening of work, this would include violent, sexual or graphic content and all potentially distressing images and language. We want to be as inclusive as possible, whilst maintaining our due diligence around protecting our staff.
- conduct that denigrates or ridicules an individual because of their sex, pregnancy, race, sexual orientation, disability, religion or age including abuse or insults about appearance or dress. Please note the above in the context of the content of work potentially submitted, reviewed or shown by the festival. We want to be mindful of individual sensibilities when it comes to ‘controversial’ or ‘confrontational’ work, whilst also being as inclusive as possible. Including a wide range of perspectives, but committing to due contextualisation of work including retrospectives and archive films which might need to be reframed to include content warnings for modern audiences will allow us to be as expansive as possible in our programming within a responsible framework.
- insensitive jokes or pranks; and
- shunning an individual, for example, by deliberately excluding him / her / them from a conversation.
The list is not exhaustive and other behaviour may constitute harassment.
Bullying
Bullying is offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour, an abuse of power that humiliates, undermines, denigrates, upsets, threatens or injures a person.
Examples of bullying might include:
- shouting at, being sarcastic towards, ridiculing or demeaning others;
- physical or psychological threats;
- overbearing and intimidating levels of supervision;
- inappropriate and/or unduly derogatory remarks about someone’s performance;
- abuse of authority or power by those in a position of seniority; or
- deliberately excluding someone from meetings or communications without good reason
The list is not exhaustive and other behaviour may constitute bullying.
Complaints Procedures
- If any employee or worker of EIFF, or any individuals employed on any of the Company’s projects believe she/he/they has/have been discriminated against they have the right to make a complaint.
- Normally, the matter should be raised informally in the first instance with his/her/their immediate supervisor or Line Manager (a staff structure grid is available) using the procedure provided in the EIFF Employee Handbook.
- If the complaint is not satisfactorily resolved, individuals should then make a formal complaint. Making a formal complaint does not prejudice either an individual’s right to make appropriate use of other procedures, or his/her/their statutory right in respect of an Employment Tribunal, the Equality and Human Rights Commission or any other appropriate external body.
- Any individual whose behaviour or actions are considered to be contrary to this policy may be subject to disciplinary action which may, in some cases, lead to dismissal.
- The Company operates a strict policy of non-victimisation in respect of this policy.
An annual review of the organisation’s performance against the aims set out will be carried out for presentation to the EIFF board.
If any individual experiences difficulties at work, they are encouraged to contact Paul Ridd, CEO and Festival Director at EIFF to discuss any reasonable adjustments that would help overcome or minimise the difficulty.
07432 620031
