Equality and Diversity Policy 

1. Background

1.1 Dorking Golf Club is committed, both as an employer and as a deliverer of services, to ensure that no recipient of services provided by the club receives less favourable treatment on any grounds such as a person's age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, ethnic or national origin, nationality or colour, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation (known as protected characteristics).

1.2 Dorking Golf Club is committed to ensuring that institutional racism and discrimination in general does not exist within our club.

2. Policy Statement

Dorking Golf Club is firmly committed to providing and promoting equality for all its employees, members and visitors to its facilities. The inclusion of all individuals and the equality of opportunity are key objectives of the club. The club has adopted an equality strategy that will ensure equality influences the way we provide services. To achieve this we will endeavour to create an environment in which there is respect for every individual and recognition that no employee, potential employee, member or visitor will be discriminated against irrespective of their race, colour, religion, beliefs, ethnicity, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, transgender, disability or age.

3. Scope

This policy applies to all Dorking Golf Club services, employees, officials, members, partners and contractors and is supported by the Management Committee and the Board of Directors.

4. Purpose of the Policy

4.1 Dorking Golf Club is committed to eliminating discrimination from all its practices. Our aim is to positively influence individual behaviour and to create an environment that promotes equality of treatment and of opportunity.

4.2 This policy is both evidence of and clarification of Dorking Golf Club's commitment not to discriminate in its employment or membership practices and procedures on the grounds of race, colour, religion, beliefs, ethnicity, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, transgender, disability or age. Many of these areas are covered by legislation or codes of practice, others may not be. However it is intended that no employee, potential employee, official or member shall receive less favourable treatment because of any of the above or be disadvantaged by any other condition or requirement which cannot be justified.

4.3 The Equality Act 2010 provides protection from discrimination in relation to certain "protected characteristics", namely:

Age

Disability

Sex

Sexual Orientation

Race

Religion or Belief

Marriage and Civil Partnership

Gender Reassignment

Pregnancy and Maternity

5. Forms of Discrimination

Discrimination can take many guises including verbal, physical and online conduct and can occur to both existing employees, officers, members and visitors.

Direct discrimination occurs if a person is treated less favourably than someone else because of a protected characteristic.

Indirect discrimination occurs when a neutral practice is imposed on a group of people which has the effect of putting persons with a protected characteristic at a particular disadvantage when compared to others who do not share it.

Positive Discrimination is illegal, for example, it is illegal to employ someone purely on the basis of their race, gender etc. However, it is legal to implement positive action strategies to address inequalities in the composition of the workforce.

Harassment is any unwanted conduct related to one of the protected characteristics, which has the purpose of violating a person's dignity or creating an offensive, degrading, humiliating, intimidating or hostile environment for him / her.

Victimisation is when a person is treated less favourably than others because it is known that they are taking proceedings or acting as a witness under a particular Act.

Disability Discrimination is defined as when a person with a mental or physical impairment which impacts on their ability to carry out normal duties / activities is treated less favourably than others because of it.

Bullying includes behaviour which is offensive, intimidating, malicious, and insulting or an abuse of power intended to undermine, humiliate, denigrate or injure.

6. Responsibilities

Dorking Golf Club will:

6.1 Be responsible for advocating equality in golf and will encourage people regardless of their background, ability or any of the protected characteristics.

6.2 Ensure all tournaments and activities at the club are administered in a fair and equitable way (except where specific situations and conditions prevent this).

6.3 Monitor and review all club policies to ensure that they are promoting equality and diversity.

6.4 Provide appropriate training to club officials, volunteers and staff so as to raise awareness of both the collective and individual responsibilities.

6.5 Will be responsible for dealing with any allegations of breaches of the policy through the clubs' disciplinary process

6.6 Publish the policy on the club's website

7. Complaints

7.1 Employees, officials or members who feel that they have been the subject of discrimination and that this situation cannot/ has not been resolved informally, should inform the Club Directors or the Club Welfare officer of their concerns in writing or by email. If the Directors cannot resolve the issue to the satisfaction of the complainant, the Directors will ask the Club Welfare Officer to formally investigate the matter and report back to the Directors. The complaint will be dealt with as quickly as possible and anyone raising a complaint will not be penalised for doing so. 

7.2 Dorking Golf Club requires that everyone should be treated with dignity and respect and will not tolerate any form of discrimination. It will take seriously any complaints by staff, officials or members in relation to other colleagues and will fully investigate these complaints.

7.3 If the complaints are substantiated, appropriate action will be taken.

8. Monitoring

8.1 Dorking Golf Club will ensure that its Equality and Diversity Policy and practices are regularly monitored in order that the success of its aims and objectives can be measured and continuous improvements made.

8.2 The Equality and Diversity Policy will be reviewed in the light of any new legislation and in any event will be reviewed every three years.

Reviewed and agreed by the Board of Directors of Dorking Golf Club on the 30th December 2020.

David Watson  - Chairman and Director

Paul Lawson  - Hon Secretary & Director