Equality and diversity

Equalities

The Council is an equal opportunity and Investors in People (IIP) accredited employer and wholeheartedly supports the principle of equalities and diversity in employment.

We want to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment and that they are given the assistance needed to attain their full potential. Our employment processes and conditions will be free from discrimination and every effort will be made to remove any unnecessary and unjustifiable barriers to employment, training and promotion.

We believe that it is in the Council’s best interests and all those who work for it, to value and respect the diversity of every individual and to give equal opportunity to progress within the organisation.

Recruitment

Everyone involved in recruitment decisions has been trained in equality and diversity issues and has a responsibility to uphold the reputation of the Council. All job applicants are asked to complete monitoring data about themselves. This is not made available to recruitment panels but is used to help us check that we are employing people in a fair and non-discriminatory way.

Applications from disabled candidates

We want to attract the best and most talented people to work for us and we will interview all applicants with a disability who meet the minimum criteria for a job vacancy. Therefore, please state within your application if you have a disability and advise us of any reasonable adjustments, we should consider to support you during the recruitment process.

Barking and Dagenham is a disability confident employer, which means that we meet five commitments regarding the recruitment, employment, retention and career development of people with disabilities. We also place great emphasis on supporting our disabled employees and give them a voice through our well-established network for disabled staff, and support from our dedicated HR specialists.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS)

  • Barking and Dagenham is a disability confident employer and thereby operates a Guaranteed Interview Scheme. This guarantees progression to the first stage of a selection process (such as test, assessment exercise and interview) to any candidate with a disability who has applied under the GIS scheme.
  • In addition to this, as part of the Armed Forces Covenant, we also operate a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any member of the Armed Forces that meets the minimum shortlisting criteria.

Equality and diversity statement

Barking and Dagenham is a vibrant and diverse Borough, which is something we are proud of. We value the diversity of people who live or work in and visit the Borough and it is our vision is to create a place where people understand, respect and celebrate each other’s differences.  

We aim to be an exemplar employer and a vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects. We are committed to achieving these goals by ensuring our employment practices do not discriminate against a group or individual on any unjustifiable grounds.  We support a model of flexible working and have a variety of working arrangements that allows for this.    

We are a Disability Confident and a Defence Employer Recognition Scheme employer. We welcome applications from disabled people and members of the armed forces and guarantee them an interview them if they meet the essential requirements for the job as detailed on the person specific