Equality and diversity
The equality and diversity policies of Homes England.
At Homes England, we strive to be an employer of choice. We recognise diversity through our Homes England values.
We believe that a diverse and inclusive organisation empowers teams to perform better. The diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, thoughts and ideas will provide a richer platform for us to do things differently and challenge the status quo.
We recognise that our diversity will enable us to best understand the housing needs of the communities we serve and in turn help us achieve our mission: to intervene in the housing market to ensure that more homes are built in the areas of greatest need.
We welcome everyone who believes in our mission and shares our values, regardless of their age, belief, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, maternity status, marital status, pregnancy, religion, sex or sexual orientation. We want everyone at Homes England to thrive, and this means feeling that they can bring their whole self to work and feel a sense of belonging, knowing that they play an important part in fulfilling our mission.
Working closely with our partners and stakeholders will also allow us to make an impact not just within our organisation but on the sector more broadly. Together we can create a welcoming and inclusive industry that attracts the best talent and drives productivity and innovation, which are essential for us to successfully grow communities and deliver the Government’s housing agenda.
Our Public Sector Equality Duty
As a public body the Equality Act 2010 requires us to meet certain statutory duties. These duties are unique to equality law because they give public bodies a legal responsibility to take proactive measures to address inequality.
The purpose of the statutory duty framework is to assist public bodies to tackle persistent and long-standing issues of disadvantage.
The general duty requires us to give due regard to equality in the way we go about our business as an investor, enabler, regulator and employer. In doing this we must take steps to:
- eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Act
- advance equality of opportunity between people
- foster good relations between people
We are also required to meet a specific equality duty which only applies to public bodies like local authorities, schools, government bodies and the police.
This requires us to demonstrate how we deliver equality outcomes by:
- publishing annual equality information which enables the public to hold us to account
- publishing equality objectives
Our annual equality information can be found in our Annual Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Report. The report also contains our equality, diversity and inclusion objectives for 2020-2024. Our objectives cover the whole reach of our impact – not just our internal practices. We want our commitments to deliver systematic organisational and cultural change, as well as positively impact the industry and our communities.
Our five equality, diversity and inclusion objectives:
Objective 1 – Create a more inclusive colleague experience
Improve the experience that our colleagues and candidates have with us by ensuring the employee cycle, from recruitment and onboarding to our HR policies and ongoing workplace practices, are inclusive.
Objective 2 - Work together to create acceptance and build an inclusive culture
Work together to share individual experiences and raise awareness and acceptance. Demonstrate inclusive behaviours and lead by example, embracing the work of employee network groups, allies and individual role models.
Objective 3 - Leadership commitment and action
Create a culture where the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion are visible and actively championed at a senior level and where our leaders are educated, empowered and confident in role modelling inclusive behaviours.
Objective 4 - Work with our partners and suppliers to help create a more inclusive industry
Lead by example by setting expectations on those who want to work with us and enable the sharing of best practice with our partners.
Objective 5 - Deliver homes for the communities we serve
Promote and actively contribute to the delivery of housing that meets the needs of people with protected characteristics.
Each objective has an Executive Director sponsor and we now have a Board sponsor for diversity and inclusion. More information about how we plan to achieve our objectives, and how we will measure success can be found in the report.
If you have any questions, please contact enquiries@homesengland.gov.uk.