Equal Opportunities

Introduction

LodeStar is an Equal Opportunities Organisation and is therefore committed to developing a working culture that is fair and inclusive, enabling all employees to make their distinctive contributions to the benefit of the organisation and its artistic programme. It is also committed to developing an artistic programme, managing artists, hirers and customers that is fair and inclusive. LodeStar seeks to eliminate all forms of discrimination and recognise that discrimination can occur in the following areas: sex, race, religion, colour, national or ethnic origin, physical or mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, responsibility for dependants, age, socio-economic background, health, HIV status, or other medical background, trade union or political activities, and spent offences.

General Statement
LodeStar’s Equal Opportunity Policy will apply to all those applying for or in employment, either full, part-time, temporary and freelance and management. It will also be applied to all activities undertaken by LodeStar, artistic programme and contracts, events and services, on and off-site, artists, hirers and customers. Therefore all those in employment, full, part-time, temporary and freelance will act in accordance with the Equal Opportunities policy in carrying out their roles, duties, towards their colleagues, customers, clients, and in programming events.

To ensure the effectiveness of this policy, LodeStar will monitor employment, programming, and contracts.

1. LodeStar will review the policy and if necessary make amendments on an annual basis
2. The review will take into consideration any input by any member of staff
3. Production of annual statistics and attendance is used to review the effectiveness of the programme policy
4. Casual staff to hold regular meetings with department managers to review working conditions and practices
5. The results of these reviews are fed back to senior management and are used to review the effectiveness of the policy

Equal Opportunities in Employment

Sex Equality in Employment
LodeStar undertakes not to discriminate unlawfully, either directly or indirectly, against a job applicant or one of its own employees or any person that the company is in a contract with, either as freelance, hirer, management member, or a customer, on grounds of gender, sexuality or marital status.

Racial Equality in Employment

LodeStar’s policy is to ensure that no job applicant or member of staff or any person that the company is in a contract with, either as freelance, hirer, management member, or a customer, receives less favourable treatment by reason of race, religion, nationality, colour, or ethnic origin.
The only exception to this will be lawful discrimination where ethnic origin is a genuine occupational qualification, which determines selection for a particular job.
LodeStar will monitor the effectiveness of this policy periodically.

Equality of Employment for People with A Disability

LodeStar’s policy recognises that while some people with a disability are capable of performing the same jobs as able-bodied people, others may be limited by their disability in the work they can perform, but this limitation may be counterbalanced by the skills and effort they can contribute.

Therefore in fulfilment of this recognition:
In all recruitment, people with a disability will be given full and fair consideration.
Special arrangements will be made to enable short-listed disabled applicants to attend for interview.
If necessary and practicable, job requirements will be modified to enable a person with a disability to be employed or a newly disabled employee to continue working for the company.
An employee with a disability will be given equal opportunity for training relevant to their job or for promotion.

Equal Pay in Employment

LodeStar’s policy is to ensure that all persons employed are paid according to the company pay structure within the salary scale set for the employee’s grade and that there will be no discrimination between employees with similar levels of responsibility.
The salary scales and company pay structure will be reviewed annually.
Employee’s salary will be reviewed annually, and if there are pay rises these will be partially allocated according to the employee’s level of responsibility.

Equal Opportunities in Training and Promotion

LodeStar’s policy is to ensure that all persons employed will be given equal opportunity in training relevant to their job or for promotion.
All staff will be made aware of opportunities for training and promotion.
Training needs of all staff will be included in a company training plan.
Training and promotion will be monitored to ensure that no direct or indirect discrimination occurs by sex, marital, parental or disability status, or on the grounds of full or part-time employment.
Where it is noted that employees in the above category are not being given training or are not applying for promotion, positive action will be taken where possible to encourage and enable such employees in the future.
Such steps will include identifying training needs to enable future promotion applications.
It is a company policy that any employee within the company may apply for any vacant post when recruiting takes place, and that selection will be on the grounds of merit and qualification.

Maternity / Paternity

1. LodeStar’s Policy undertakes not to discriminate against any person employed on the grounds of maternity / paternity
2. Leave will be granted according to employment law.
3. A person may return to their previous job after maternity/paternity leave, or all efforts will be made to find a suitable alternative position in the company accommodating the needs of the employee.
4. The company will consider flexible working arrangements and/or consideration will be given to jobs, which can be carried out on a part-time basis
5. The company recognise that domestic responsibilities apply to both sexes.

Implementation of Policy

1. The recruitment of all staff includes an application procedure that ensures an applicant sex, race, age and physical or mental abilities do not influence the selection of candidates for interview
2. Arrangements will be made to allow applicants with disabilities to attend for interview
3. An induction procedure ensures that all staff are aware of the Company Rules, their rights, Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures, and the Equal Opportunities Policy
4. Permanent staff receive annual equal opportunities training as part of The LodeStar’s annual training plan. This covers recruitment, interview, induction, contracts, employment law and customer care
5. This policy will be monitored and supervised by the Employment Sub-committee of the Board of Directors.

Equal Opportunities in Activities

Artistic Policy

LodeStar considers that its programme can actively contribute to the promotion of equality. Therefore:

1. Through programming, LodeStar will seek to promote an awareness of equality for all people and seek to address the cultural needs of all groups of people
2. An annual programme strategy is approved by the Company to ensure that the programme adheres to the organisation’s Artistic Policy and Equal Opportunities Policy
3. The overall programme strategy is reviewed at least every 2 years

Programming and Marketing

The artistic policy requires that activities and events are programmed for adults and children, young adults, students, school pupils, special needs and minority groups.

1. The marketing team produce an annual Marketing Strategy, which reviews how the programme is promoted and ensures the widest possible access
2. The marketing team meet weekly to monitor the marketing strategy on an ongoing basis
3. To ensure as wide as possible access, advertising is carried out in local press through press releases, the web site, and mailing
4. Distribution of marketing materials is carried out as broadly as possible through the company’s networks, local council and includes such places as local libraries
5. Research and audience surveys are carried out from time to time and the results are considered by the programme and marketing teams
6. Adjustments are then made to Programme and / or marketing, responding to the need of the audience
7. Audience Development Plans are developed from research and audience surveys together with the Programme and Marketing strategies
8. Hirers and Performers

LodeStar will encourage the use of its events by disabled persons and minority groups as hirers, performers or customers.

Pricing Policy

LodeStar endeavours to keep the cost of tickets as low as possible and provides free carer entry for disabled and special needs people.

Evaluation

Regular meetings review this policy to ensure there is the right balance of work presented by and for minority groups.
Through market research questionnaires, user meetings, comments, suggestions, programming and marketing meetings, LodeStar will be able to evaluate this policy on an ongoing basis.

Public Events – audience figures and breakdown of the audience make-up are analysed, and adjustments to strategies made by the marketing and booking staff.

Updated 12/09/2024

© LodeStar Leisure Ltd 2025