Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Creating an environment where no-one is excluded!
Zoocha is totally committed to the principles and practice of equal opportunities as an employer. Our directors and all those in the organisation are empowered to recruit and manage employees, advocate our policies and make every effort to ensure that all actions and decisions have equity at their core.
To achieve this:
- Zoocha explicitly acknowledges the diversity of provisions that is required to ensure that all people, regardless of their race, sex/gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, social or economic background are free from any form of discrimination
- Zoocha recognises that equal opportunity is about recognising that people are different and therefore require different provisions.
- Zoocha is committed to consulting widely in order to respond to diversity.
The Zoocha culture, policies and processes explicitly ban any discrimination, including (but not limited to) on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
Zoocha aspires to provide a diverse workforce, a composition of which reflects that of the broader community.
From the moment each team member joins Zoocha, they are informed and educated about the culture, policies and procedures that ensure Zoocha is a diverse environment with a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination.
This starts with a structured induction process where they are able to read and understand the policies which underpin our approach to diversity and equality. Each individual is given a staff handbook which summarises these principles, policies and procedures and directs them to where each document can be found.
Knowledge and understanding of the Zoocha approach to diversity is promoted during monthly team meetings as well and one to one reviews with each team member.
Zoocha believe that policies alone are not enough to build an inclusive culture or workplace and that promoting diversity shouldn’t be a box-ticking exercise. At Zoocha, it is about ensuring that no one feels left out, excluded or undermined because of their age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage/ civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, or factors such as social background.
Zoocha actively promotes an inclusive working environment which allows and encourages people to be themselves at work. This means creating a culture where discrimination is eliminated, and an environment of equal opportunities where everyone recognises the positive contribution a diverse workforce and community can make.
At Zoocha, diversity and equality are fundamental principles that underpin our culture. Actively promoting a diverse workforce is at the forefront of decision making and it is therefore essential to understand how we are performing. To assess our performance, Zoocha monitor:
- Diversity of our workforce measured against local and national averages
- Employee attitudes to our diversity performance
- Partners and suppliers diversity performance
- Clients policies and culture with regards to equality and diversity
Zoocha understands our potential to influence the well-being of our team and regards their well-being as a top priority. Our approach to looking after the well-being of the team is centred on the following factors:
- Autonomy – individuals have a level of discretion about how they undertake their work with involvement in organisational decision-making.
- Respect – all team members have a 'voice' at work which is valued and respected.
- Variety – the opportunity to undertake a wide range of tasks and activities.
- Purpose – ensuring individuals understand the value of their work, to Zoocha, to the client and in a wider social/ economic context.
- Clarity of expectation – clear and regular communication of what is required of them to excel in their role at Zoocha.
- Support – an environment in which co-workers offer support to each other, regardless of role or seniority.
- Social activities – Zoocha regularly organises team social activities to enable the team to interact outside the confines of their role.
- Skills – a tailored training and skills development plan.
- Environment – a safe, fun and relaxed working environment.
- Security – Zoocha endeavours provide clear and achievable career prospects.
- Fairness – Zoocha explicitly ban all forms of discrimination and treat each individual equally and fairly.
Last updated: 15th July 2023