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POL-22

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy

How we make sure everyone who works for us, shops with us or plays in our gaming room is treated fairly and with respect, in line with the Equality Act 2010.

Applies to: All staff, volunteers and contractors, job applicants, customers, members and anyone attending our events.

1. Purpose

GG Entertainment Group Ltd runs an independent games shop at 4 Cavendish Walk, Bolsover, with a gaming room upstairs. Trading cards, retro games and tabletop games bring together people of every age and background. We want all of them to feel welcome.

This policy sets out what we do to prevent discrimination, how we treat staff and customers, and what happens when someone gets it wrong.

2. Scope

This policy covers recruitment, pay, training, promotion, discipline and dismissal. It also covers how we serve customers, run the trade-in counter, run events and tournaments, and manage the upstairs gaming room and our community spaces linked to the shop.

It applies to employees, workers, volunteers, contractors, job applicants, customers and members.

3. Policy statement

We will not discriminate against anyone because of a protected characteristic. We treat people on merit and with courtesy. We value the different experience and perspectives people bring, and we want our staff and our customers to be able to be themselves in the shop.

4. The law and protected characteristics

The Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination because of nine protected characteristics:

  • Age
  • Disability
  • Gender reassignment
  • Marriage and civil partnership
  • Pregnancy and maternity
  • Race, including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origin
  • Religion or belief, including lack of belief
  • Sex
  • Sexual orientation

Types of unlawful treatment

Direct discrimination
Treating someone worse because of a protected characteristic, or because of their link to someone who has one.
Indirect discrimination
A rule or way of working that applies to everyone but puts people with a protected characteristic at a disadvantage, without good reason.
Harassment
Unwanted conduct related to a protected characteristic that violates someone's dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.
Victimisation
Treating someone badly because they have complained about discrimination or helped someone else to do so.
Failure to make reasonable adjustments
Not taking reasonable steps to remove a disadvantage faced by a disabled person.

5. Staff and recruitment

  • We advertise jobs fairly and choose people on skills, experience and ability to do the job.
  • Interview questions stay focused on the role. We do not ask about health, family plans or age before offering a job, except where the law allows.
  • We make reasonable adjustments for disabled staff and applicants, such as changes to duties, hours, seating or equipment.
  • We support staff who are pregnant, on maternity or other family leave, and those who are going through gender reassignment.
  • We consider requests for time off for religious observance where we can run the shop safely.
  • Pay, training and promotion decisions are made on fair, recorded grounds.

6. Customers, members and the gaming community

Everyone who comes in is served with the same courtesy. In practice this means:

  • Staff give the same quality of service and the same fair trade-in offer to every seller, whoever they are. Photo ID is asked for from every seller as set out in the Trade-in and Buying Policy, and for no other reason.
  • Membership, day passes, member drops and event entry are offered on the published terms, never on a protected characteristic.
  • Banter, jokes, usernames, deck names, artwork or merchandise that demean people because of a protected characteristic are not allowed in the shop, gaming room, at events or in our linked online spaces.
  • Staff may ask someone to stop, and may ask them to leave, in line with the Gaming Room Rules and Code of Conduct.
  • We welcome beginners, families, older players, young people and people who play differently. Experienced players are expected to help new ones, not gatekeep.
  • Where we can, we run events at times and in formats that suit a mix of players, and we ask about access needs when people book.

Our approach to access, including the upstairs gaming room, is set out in the Accessibility Statement (POL-24).

7. Roles and responsibilities

The Managing Director, Richard Allison, is responsible for this policy, for dealing with serious concerns and for reviewing it. The Managing Director makes sure staff are trained in what it means at induction and at refresher intervals.

The person in charge of a shift must deal with incidents at once and fairly, and report them to the Managing Director. Every member of staff must follow this policy, challenge unacceptable behaviour where it is safe to do so, and report concerns.

8. Raising a concern

If you think you have been treated unfairly, or you have seen someone else treated unfairly, tell the person in charge of the shift or the Managing Director. Staff can also use the grievance procedure in the Staff Handbook (POL-29). Customers can use the Complaints Procedure (POL-25).

We will take every concern seriously, look into it promptly and keep it as confidential as we can. No one will be treated badly for raising a concern in good faith.

9. What happens if this policy is breached

Staff who discriminate, harass or victimise anyone may face disciplinary action, up to dismissal for gross misconduct. Customers or members who do so may be asked to leave, have their membership or booking ended, or be banned from the premises. Where behaviour may be a crime, we may report it to the police.

10. Monitoring and review

We review this policy every 24 months, and sooner if the law changes or an incident shows it needs improving. We look at any complaints or concerns raised to see whether something should change.