Equal Opportunities & Diversity Policy

We recruit and promote on the basis of what someone can do and what they are willing to learn. Nothing else.

Our commitment

NetFM UK Limited is committed to equality of opportunity in every aspect of employment and engagement. We will not discriminate against anyone because of a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

This is not only a legal obligation. We are a small company that competes for talent against much larger ones, and we win when we look at people other employers filter out on paper.

Scope

This policy applies to employees, directors, apprentices, work-experience placements, contractors and job applicants. It covers recruitment and selection, pay and benefits, training and development, promotion, working arrangements, discipline and grievance, and the end of employment.

Recruitment and selection

We assess candidates against the requirements of the role and nothing else. In practice that means:

We state what a role genuinely requires, and we do not pad it with qualifications we do not need. We do not require a computer science degree, or a degree at all, for engineering roles.
We use practical exercises that reflect real work, and we tell candidates in advance what they are for and how long they should spend on them.
We make reasonable adjustments at every stage of the process, and we ask every candidate whether they need any. Asking for one will never count against an application.
We do not ask about age, family plans, health or nationality beyond the right-to-work check required by law.
Where two candidates are equally suitable, we may lawfully take under-representation into account under the positive action provisions of the Equality Act 2010.

Access to the profession

Software has a well-documented access problem: unpaid internships, networks that favour people who already know someone, and entry-level adverts asking for three years' experience. We take the opposite approach where we can. We offer paid placements and apprenticeships rather than unpaid ones, we advertise openly rather than only through personal contacts, and we will consider any UK graduate who wants real workplace experience — see our careers page.

Harassment, bullying and victimisation

Harassment, bullying and victimisation are disciplinary matters and may amount to gross misconduct. Harassment is judged by its effect on the person experiencing it, not by whether it was intended. This applies equally to conduct towards customers, suppliers and members of the public, and to conduct in written channels — chat, email and issue trackers count as the workplace.

We also take reasonable steps to protect our people from harassment by third parties, including customers and site staff. Anyone who experiences that while working at a customer's premises should report it and will be supported; we would rather have a difficult conversation with a customer than leave a colleague to absorb it.

Disability and reasonable adjustments

We make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees and applicants, including to equipment, working hours, location and process. You do not need a formal diagnosis to ask for an adjustment, and you do not need to disclose a condition to your colleagues in order to have one made. Requests go to the Director of Operations and are treated confidentially.

Flexible and remote working

We work substantially remotely and treat flexible working as normal rather than exceptional. All employees have the right to request flexible working from day one, and we consider requests on their merits. Working flexibly will not affect how anyone's contribution is judged.

Raising a concern

If you believe you have been discriminated against, harassed or victimised, raise it with the Director of Operations or any director. If the concern is about a director, or you would rather not raise it internally, our Whistleblowing Policy sets out alternative routes. Complaints will be taken seriously, investigated, and handled as confidentially as the investigation allows. Nobody will be treated badly for raising a concern in good faith, or for supporting someone else's.

Responsibility and review

The Directors are responsible for this policy. The Director of Operations monitors its application across recruitment and employment decisions and reviews it at least annually.