Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Policy | Perpetio

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Policy

Last updated: October 2023

PREAMBLE

Perpetio OÜ (hereinafter "the Company", "we" or "our"), through this Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Policy (the "Policy"), we: (1) strive to provide equal opportunities to all people without discrimination on the basis of gender, marital status, sexual orientation, race, color, nationality, religion, age, disability, trade union activity or political beliefs, or any other grounds; (2) value diversity because each of us is unique in terms of our backgrounds, personal characteristics, experiences, skills, or motivations; and (3) strive to foster an inclusive culture because it creates a happier and more productive work environment for all of us and helps everyone to expand their range of problem-solving capabilities through these different perspectives, experiences, and skills.

SCOPE OF APPLICATION

This Policy applies to everyone who works for us and covers all stages of employment, including the recruitment of candidates for vacant positions.

OUR OBLIGATIONS

We believe that a culture of equality, diversity, and inclusion not only benefits us, but also contributes to the well-being and enables our team to perform better because they can be themselves and feel they belong. We strive to create a work environment based on dignity, trust and respect, free from discrimination, harassment, bullying, and victimization. We guarantee and ensure that our recruitment, promotion and working conditions are fair and acceptable in accordance with internal company policies to all those who wish to work with us.

OUR EXPECTATIONS

We expect you and each member of our team to take personal responsibility for adhering to, supporting, promoting and putting this Policy into practice. Our culture is shaped by our daily interactions in the workplace, so creating the right environment is a shared responsibility of all of us. We expect you to treat your colleagues and third parties (including customers, vendors, contractors, clients, and partners) fairly, with dignity, trust, and respect. Any of your relationships with colleagues or third parties must be free from any form of discrimination, harassment, victimization, or bullying. In the event that any member of our team is found to have committed, authorized or condoned acts of discrimination, harassment, victimization or bullying, we will take action against them, including (for victims) in accordance with our Disciplinary Procedure. You should be aware that you may be personally liable for discrimination and harassment.

DEFINITION OF ACTIONS THAT CONSTITUTE A BREACH

  1. Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, religion, or sexual orientation. Discrimination typically results in unfair treatment of groups based on perceived statuses based on ethnicity, race, gender, or religion. It involves depriving members of one group of opportunities or privileges that are available to members of another group.
  2. Harassment is unwanted behavior related to a protected characteristic that has the purpose or effect of: degrading another person; or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, offensive or abusive environment for someone else. Sexual harassment is conduct of a sexual nature that has the purpose or effect of degrading a person's dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, humiliating, offensive or offensive environment; and less favorable treatment related to gender or gender reassignment that results from rejection of or submission to sexual conduct.
  3. Victimisation is treating another person detrimentally either because that person has made a complaint of discrimination or harassment, or because they have supported someone else who has made such a complaint, for example by giving a witness statement that supports the allegations.
  4. Bullying is behavior that is hurtful, intimidating, malicious, offensive, abusive, or an abuse of power or authority, and usually persistent, that is intended to undermine, humiliate, or injure the recipient. Bullying can be physical, verbal, or non-verbal. It does not necessarily take place face-to-face and can be carried out via email, phone calls, online or social media. Bullying can occur at work or outside of work. Any member of our team will be disciplined for committing the above actions up to and including dismissal, with the submission of documents on this fact to the relevant state authority.

EQUALITY

Fair treatment in the workplace is applied to all our team members throughout their working lives, from recruitment and selection to any relationship with us. We take reasonable and appropriate steps to encourage as many diverse people as possible to apply for jobs. To do this, we: (1) clearly describe job duties and requirements for candidates for positions, and communicate job openings in a manner that does not limit the audience on the basis of gender, race, marital status, disability, age, part-time or fixed-term status, sexual orientation or religion; (2) our recruitment team must not discriminate in any way and must receive appropriate diversity and inclusion training; (3) each decision maker must examine themselves and other members of the recruitment team to ensure that no stereotypes, unconscious bias or prejudice play a role in recruitment decisions. All team members will be provided with appropriate training regardless of gender, race, marital status, disability, age, part-time or fixed-term contract status, sexual orientation or religion. We expect all of our team members to actively support our equality, diversity, and inclusion initiatives by attending any proposed or required events and workshops to learn about the issues that others face and how to help them address those issues in the workplace.

DISABILITY INCLUSION

Recruiting people with disabilities involves a proactive recruitment team, meaning that various elements such as advertising, application forms, assessments, interviewing, job descriptions, employee characteristics and selection criteria should be designed to be as inclusive as possible. To ensure such inclusivity, candidates are interviewed at the outset about any necessary reasonable adjustments that may be required throughout the selection process: providing easy access to the interview room, modifying or replacing psychometric tests, providing alternatives to telephone interviews for deaf candidates, providing appropriate seating for candidates with back problems, and other accommodations. It is important to note that those involved in the interview process are clearly instructed not to ask about the health or disability of job applicants without prior authorization from the CEO. Such authorization is granted only in exceptional circumstances and when there are specific legal grounds for such inquiries.

Discussing disability can be challenging for some people, especially as disability can be hidden. To promote the inclusion of people with disabilities, it is crucial to create a psychological safety net where people feel comfortable sharing their experiences without fear of negative repercussions. This can only be achieved by treating people with dignity, trust and respect, and we expect everyone to uphold these values. We have a zero-tolerance policy on ageist language, which includes negative, inappropriate or offensive language towards people with disabilities, whether in the form of jokes or banter. Any use of such language may result in disciplinary action as outlined in our Disciplinary Procedure. If you have a disability, you are not required to disclose it, but we encourage you to let us know for potential support, i.e. adapting our facilities, changing aspects of your role or adapting our working practices. If your disability affects your work, please contact the CEO to discuss possible reasonable adjustments. We may need to consult with you and your medical advisor to provide appropriate support.

OTHER

We continuously analyze diversity and inclusion data (in accordance with our data protection obligations) to assess the impact of this Policy and our equality, diversity, and inclusion strategy. The policy will be continually reviewed to reflect changes in legislation, demographics, and internal business requirements. This Policy has been approved by the CEO of Perpetio OÜ, if you would like to receive further information regarding this Policy, please contact the CEO of Perpetio OÜ.