Diversity

Diversity and our values

• Valuing diversity enables us to be customer focused, responding to what our customers say, creating new approaches to service delivery and demonstrating a respectful approach to our customers.
• Our approach to diversity is an inclusive approach to the delivery of services and employment, accepting that each individual is unique and has something positive to offer.
• Equal Opportunity is the creation of greater balance, and the elimination of imbalance in delivering services, employment and training.
• Diversity and equal opportunities span the provision of housing and related services, services to all of our residents, and all aspects of employment, including staff, contractors and Board members.
• Both terms embrace race and ethnic origin, nationality, religion, belief, culture, gender, sexual orientation, disability and age.
• Diversity and equality are two sides of the same coin, the aim of which is to ensure inclusiveness. Diversity goes beyond eliminating discrimination and ensuring equality of opportunity. It recognises that everyone has a contribution to make to society and to East Thames.

Our diversity commitment will deliver:

• Forums that actively involve residents in determining the nature, level and extent, of provision of services.
• Understanding and respect within the Group and within the neighbourhoods we serve. This means working towards the elimination of all forms of discrimination and not tolerating any aspect of anti-social behaviour in our neighbourhoods.We will act firmly and appropriately against any person who acts in an anti-social manner.
• Partnership working with our many stakeholders that work with us in the diverse neighbourhoods of east London and Essex, ensuring that partners, contractors and consultants adopt compatible diversity policies, undergo appropriate training, and are reflective of the neighbourhoods in which we work.
• Provision of housing and related services, including access to home ownership for the disadvantaged in our neighbourhoods, access to housing and training opportunities for young people, refuges for women and support services for older people and for people with a learning disability or mental health needs.
• “Best practice” human resources procedures, ensuring equality of opportunity for all applicants and staff, and fair and equal access to training and promotion.
• Provision of services which identify and are responsive to the varying needs of diverse communities. This ranges from all corporate and subsidiary communications, to the carrying out of repairs and front line services.

We will achieve this through:

• Diversity champions' groups at Board and officer level,and positive action initiatives to encourage a better balance of under represented groups on boards and in the workforce.
• Resident involvement initiatives, e.g. giving residents a voice at board level and in other forums to influence the development of their homes and services.
• Audits of disability access, and of cultural and other groups within our neighbourhoods, in order to target appropriately the groups most in need of our resources.
• Initiatives to promote shared ownership, removing barriers from those groups who have been unable to purchase their own home.
• A high profile campaign against anti-social behaviour,harassment and bullying, supported by more flexible diversity training programmes.
• Better communication and improved information in a range of formats, to cater for language preferences and disabilities such as visual and hearing impairments.
• Making diversity a quality measure in all our areas of business and promoting diversity as a sound business objective.