Equality Diversity and Inclusion

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is at the heart of everything we do. It is an essential part of delivering on our commitment to provide homes and services that make life better for our tenants and service users.

Equality is about removing barriers and making sure people from all sections of the community have fair and equal opportunities to access services, homes, and employment.

Diversity is about respecting and valuing individual and group differences and treating them in an appropriate way.

Inclusion is the practice or policy of providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded. It is about creating a sense of belonging and trust.

We are committed to EDI because we know that it helps us create the homes that people need and improve the services that we deliver to all our customers. We want our organisation to respect our service users and tenants so that they get the support and services that they need to feel safe and welcome in their homes. To do this we need a workforce that understands the diverse needs of people and a workforce that carries out their work with dignity and respect for others.

This commitment to EDI helps us deliver on our vision:

'To have a respectful and welcoming workplace that enables us to attract and retain a talented, motivated workforce that represents our service users, tenants, and community.'

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Charter

Our People - Employees and Board Members

We will:

Encourage greater representation from under-represented groups to join our governing bodies and staff through:

  • undertaking a full review of our recruitment strategy,
  • ongoing analysis of attraction, retention, and promotion data to identify any areas of weakness to be addressed, and
  • encourage applications from diverse backgrounds to increase diversity of thinking and perspectives.

Have an organisational culture that is welcoming and inclusive through:

  • delivering EDI awareness sessions to all staff and Board members, with scheduled refresher sessions,
  • introducing greater flexible working and optimising the home and workplace experience,
  • establishing effective talent management and succession planning, and
  • regularly reviewing and benchmarking to ensure best practice.
Accessing our Services

We will:

Better understand the needs of all our tenants and service users through:

  • undertaking regular consultations and surveys, and
  • seeking feedback on our services and performance.

Develop community links to help identify current and future needs through:

  • building networks and contacts with relevant groups, such as Registered Tenant Organisations and Community Councils.

Ensure our services are accessible to all who need them by:

  • reviewing how tenants and service users access services, and
  • engaging with organisations that can assist us to communicate widely, reviewing our customer service standards.

Ensure our staff are equipped to meet the diverse needs of our customers by:

  • giving them the tools and training they need,
  • empowering them to make decisions and take action to enhance the customer experience.
Communicating with our Tenants

We will:

Ensure we provide fully accessible communications by:

  • continuing to work towards our website meeting as a minimum, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA conformance,
  • providing information on our website to assist in making it as accessible and usable as possible for all abilities and disabilities,
  • using and offering a variety of services, such as Happy to Translate and Google Translate, and
  • offering communications in a variety of alternative formats such as large print, audio and braille.
The Homes we Provide

We will:

Provide housing that reflects the needs of current and future tenants and service users, through:

  • the use of demographic information to identify local needs.

Support the changing needs of existing tenants and service users through:

  • providing appropriate aids, adaptations or maintenance work.
Contractors and Suppliers

We will ensure that:

Businesses that secure large contracts commit to delivering community benefits by:

  • encouraging those that tender for contracts to offer real and tangible community benefits,
  • building the commitments into any agreed contract, and
  • ensuring these commitments are met.

Individuals and businesses that contract to work for us commit to the ethos of EDI, through:

  • receiving a copy of this Charter to help them better understand our commitment to EDI and how we this will help us deliver our vision.

Contractors take prompt and appropriate action to demonstrate compliance with our expectations and requirements through:

  • monitoring and reviewing the performance of their staff and services, and
  • providing advice, assistance and training to their staff where needed.

If you think we are not delivering our commitment to this Charter or believe we can do something better to improve the lives of our tenants, service users and staff, please let us know by:

Telephone: 01397 702530
Email: [email protected]
In writing or person: Lochaber Housing Association, 101 High Street, Fort William, PH33 6DG