EQUALITY DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION POLICY
Last update: September 2026
1 Purpose
This Policy sets out Saka Grid Consultants Ltd's commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in its employment practices, engineering delivery and professional relationships. SGC shall provide fair opportunity, treat people with dignity and respect, and prevent unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation.
SGC uses the UK legal term equality. For Achilles and similar client requirements, this Policy also covers equity by identifying and removing avoidable barriers and providing proportionate support or reasonable adjustments where needed.
2 Scope
This Policy applies to directors, employees, workers, job applicants, associate engineers, consultants, subcontract designers and others working for or representing SGC. Relevant conduct expectations also apply to suppliers, visitors and project partners when interacting with SGC personnel or acting on SGC's behalf.
It applies to recruitment and selection, appointment, work allocation, remuneration, development, performance management, promotion, termination, workplace conduct, remote work, site visits, client engagement and other business activities.
3 Policy Commitments
SGC shall:
• make employment and engagement decisions fairly, consistently and on objective criteria relevant to the role or assignment;
• provide equal access to work, development and progression, subject to competence, capability and business requirements;
• maintain a working environment where people are treated with dignity and respect;
• not tolerate unlawful discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment, victimisation, bullying or retaliation;
• consider reasonable adjustments for disabled applicants and personnel and address other avoidable barriers where practicable;
• respond promptly and proportionately to concerns; and
• review its arrangements as SGC grows or its workforce and operating model change.
4 Equality Act Protection
SGC shall not discriminate unlawfully because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. Protection also applies where the law covers discrimination by association, perception, previous status or a combination of circumstances.
Unlawful conduct includes direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation. A requirement or practice that appears neutral shall be reviewed where it places people sharing a protected characteristic at a particular disadvantage.
5 Recruitment Appointment and Work Allocation
SGC shall define roles and assignments using genuine requirements and shall assess candidates and delivery resources against relevant competence, qualifications, experience, professional conduct, capacity and client or project requirements.
For engineering and safety-related work, equality and inclusion shall operate alongside, and shall not reduce, competence, technical assurance, health and safety, CDM, security, independence or client obligations. Decisions shall remain evidence-based and proportionate to the risk of the work.
SGC may take lawful and proportionate positive action to address disadvantage or under-representation. This Policy does not establish quotas or permit unlawful positive discrimination.
6 Reasonable Adjustments and Inclusive Working
Applicants and personnel may request reasonable adjustments for disability or a long-term health condition. Requests should be made to the Engineering Director as early as practicable. SGC shall discuss the need with the individual, consider available information and implement reasonable measures where required.
Adjustments may relate to recruitment, communication, equipment, working arrangements, access, meetings, travel or site attendance. Adjustments shall be compatible with essential role requirements and shall not remove applicable safety controls or competence requirements.
7 Conduct and Responsibilities
7.1 Engineering Director
The Engineering Director owns this Policy and is responsible for implementation, fair decision-making, appropriate adjustments, handling concerns, maintaining suitable records and arranging review.
7.2 People Working for SGC
Everyone working for or representing SGC shall:
• treat others fairly, professionally and respectfully;
• avoid conduct that may discriminate against, harass, bully or victimise another person;
• support reasonable adjustments and inclusive working arrangements;
• challenge or report inappropriate conduct where it is safe and reasonable to do so; and
• cooperate with any proportionate review or investigation.
8 Raising and Handling Concerns
A person who experiences or witnesses conduct inconsistent with this Policy should report it to the Engineering Director promptly. A concern may be raised verbally or in writing and shall be handled sensitively, objectively and as confidentially as reasonably practicable.
Where a concern involves the Engineering Director or the person is not comfortable reporting directly, SGC shall arrange access to an appropriate independent external adviser. The Engineering Director shall not control the assessment of a complaint made against them.
SGC shall establish the relevant facts, allow affected people a fair opportunity to respond, take proportionate action and keep an appropriate record. No person shall suffer retaliation for raising a genuine concern, supporting another person or participating in a review.
9 Third Parties
SGC expects associates, consultants, subcontract designers and relevant suppliers to comply with this Policy when working for or representing SGC. SGC may address material non-compliance through instruction, corrective action, removal from an assignment or termination of an appointment, subject to the applicable contract and circumstances.
SGC does not assume responsibility for the internal employment practices of independent organisations but shall not knowingly appoint or continue to use a third party where serious discriminatory conduct creates an unmanaged legal, ethical or delivery risk.
10 Information Training and Monitoring
This Policy shall be communicated during proportionate induction or appointment arrangements and made available to relevant personnel. Additional briefing or training shall be provided where role, behaviour, legal change, client requirement or identified risk justifies it.
At its current scale, SGC shall monitor implementation through recruitment and appointment decisions, adjustment requests, concerns, outcomes and lessons learned. SGC is not committed to numerical representation targets or routine collection of sensitive demographic data. Any future equality monitoring shall have a defined purpose and comply with SGC-POL-003 Data Protection Policy.
11 Non Compliance
A breach may result in corrective action, removal from work, termination of an appointment or disciplinary action, as applicable. Serious unlawful conduct may be referred to an appropriate authority or professional body where legally required or otherwise justified.
12 Monitoring and Review
The Engineering Director shall review this Policy at least annually following approval and sooner after a significant legal, organisational or operational change, a material concern, or evidence that the arrangements are not effective.
Review shall remain proportionate to SGC's size and risk profile and may consider concerns raised, recruitment and appointment practice, reasonable adjustments, third-party issues and relevant client feedback.