Religion & Disability Policy
 

RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE

Noa's has an Equal Opportunities policy which applies to all, including Baristas, which details our commitment to ensuring that discrimination does not take place due to someone’s religious beliefs or requirement to undertake religious observance.  If you feel at any time that you are being bullied or treated less favourably due to your religious beliefs you should not hesitate to raise this with your manager.

 

If you require time off or a temporary adjustment to your normal scheduled working pattern due to a religious observance, we would request that you advise your key contact  with as much notice as possible (at least one week) in order that we can look to cover any deliveries that would have been provided to you during that time period. 

 

If you have a continuing need for time off for religious observance which significantly impacts on our operation and ability to meet our service requirements, it may be necessary for us to consider whether we can continue to engage you as a Baristas.

 

DISABILITIES AND HEALTH CONDITIONS

Noa's are committed to developing, maintaining and supporting a culture of equality and diversity in employment in which contractors and applicants are treated equitably regardless of any disability as defined in the Equality Act 2010.

 

The Equality Act 2010 replaced the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 (as amended) and sections of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (SENDA) 2001, providing extended legal protection for disabled people in various areas. It states that:

 

A person has a disability if they have a physical or mental impairment, and the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.'

 

Equality Act 2010, section 6

 

 

"Substantial" is defined by the Act as 'more than minor or trivial'.

 

An impairment is considered to have a long-term effect if:

 

 

it has lasted for at least 12 months

it is likely to last for at least 12 months, or

it is likely to last for the rest of the life of the person

 

People who have had a disability in the past are also protected against discrimination, harassment and victimisation. This may be particularly relevant for people with fluctuating and/or recurring impairments/health conditions.

 

A number of conditions may be considered to be a disability as outlined below.

 

An individual is treated as disabled without having to show their condition has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities in the following situations:

 

Where the individual has cancer, HIV infection or multiple sclerosis they are considered to have a disability from the point of diagnosis

Where a consultant ophthalmologist has certified someone as blind, severely sight-impaired or partially sighted, the Act regards them as disabled

Where an individual has a "progressive condition", initially the effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities may not be sufficiently serious to amount to a substantial adverse effect.

 

However, they are treated as disabled if their condition is likely to have a substantial adverse effect on their day-to-day activities in the future. This means that an individual with a progressive condition may quality for protection as a disabled person before the adverse effects of their condition become serious.

 

Progressive conditions increase in severity over time and, for example include dementia, muscular dystrophy and motor neurone disease.

 

Impairments can include:

 

Sensory impairments, such as those affecting sight or hearing; conditions which can range from myalgia encephalomyelitis (ME), diabetes and arthritis to depression, schizophrenia, phobias,

 

Personality disorders, autism, dyslexia, learning disabilities and injury to the brain; those affecting body organs such as asthma and heart disease;

 

Musculature conditions - injury, damage and disorders which affect bones, muscles, joints ligaments, tendons and nerves; and conditions/effects produced by injury to the body.

 

Full definitions of a disability are set out in Appendix 1 of the Equality and Human Rights commission statutory code of practice and HM Government document Equality Act 2010 Guidance.

 

Employers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to their practices and premises to accommodate disabled people, where any arrangements or physical features of premises cause a substantial disadvantage. Examples of reasonable adjustment may include:

 

Giving or arranging training

Providing more flexible working hours or arrangements

Assigning the person to a different workplace

Acquiring or modifying equipment

Making adjustments to premises

 

Adjustment to work or working practices (where reasonably practicable)

 

The Act also introduced a new public sector equality duty (PSED), which replaces the general duties in the disability equality duty. The PSED requires HEIs to show due regard to the need to:

 

Eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Act

 

Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and people who do not share it

 

Foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and people who do not share it.

 

Time off for treatment, specialist reviews and disability related sickness absence will be taken into consideration at Noa's managing ill health and sickness absence procedure.

 

Noa's aims to recruit and retain talent, skills and experience and ensure disabled contractors - as far as reasonably practicable - can fulfil their full work potential.

 

To provide so far as is reasonably practicable, equity in access to the full range of recruitment, career development, promotion, training and other employment opportunities for all contractors.

 

To ensure that there is no unfair discrimination on grounds of disability and that access to work and promotion at Noa's.

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Noa's has an Anti-Discrimination and Harassment Policy in place and require all contractors to abide by.

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Noa's has overall responsibility for equality and diversity in the work place and contractors are responsible for promoting equality, valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive culture.

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