Drama Republic

Respect at Work Policy

Drama Republic Limited (“DR”) is committed to providing a professional and respectful work environment where everyone is treated fairly and with dignity and respect. We want to make sure that fun and creativity thrive, but never in a way that hurts you or someone else.

We want to create the best working environment for our productions. We all have a responsibility to help create an inclusive and respectful work environment.

This policy applies to everyone who works with us including independent contractors and business partners. In addition, this policy applies to conduct at work and in work-related settings whether on our premises or off-site, and whether during or outside of regular work hours.

 

Equality & Equal Employment Opportunity 

We won’t treat any employee or candidate differently because of what are called ‘protected characteristics’. Protected characteristics’ are

 

We are committed to this in any aspect of the production, including in recruitment, hiring, placement, job assignment, compensation, promotion, transfer, benefits, training, demotion, discipline, grievance, or dismissals.

Our inclusive work environment also extends to transgender and gender non-conforming employees. This means that you should feel safe to express your gender identity or characteristics without fear of consequences.

 

Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to equal employment opportunities for individuals with a qualifying disability. We will provide reasonable adjustments to any qualified individual consistent with applicable law.

What constitutes a reasonable accommodation may depend on many factors including, but not limited to, the nature of the individual’s disability and the essential functions of the position. Generally, a reasonable accommodation is a modification to a job or the work environment that will allow an employee with a disability to continue to do their job (or allow the applicant to go through an application process).

 

Respect

It’s up to everyone to demand a respectful work environment at all times. We won’t tolerate sexual harassment or any other form of bullying, harassment, victimisation or discrimination.

 

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is behaviour that has a sexual content or sexual connotation that is unwanted from the perspective of the person on the receiving end and has the purpose or effect either of violating the person’s dignity or of creating an environment that they find intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive.

 

Examples could include unwelcome physical touching, making sexual remarks or requests to or about a person, telling jokes with a sexual content or displaying sexually explicit images on a computer screen or mobile device.

 

Harassment, Bullying and Discrimination

Harassment, discrimination, and bullying can take many forms.

 

Harassment

Harassment includes conduct that creates a disrespectful, intimidating, hostile, degrading, or offensive work environment for another individual based on one or more protected characteristic. Harassment can be verbal (such as slurs, jokes, insults, epithets, gestures, or teasing), visual (such as the posting or distribution of offensive posters, symbols, cartoons, drawings, computer displays, or emails), physical conduct (such as physically threatening another person, blocking someone’s way, making physical contact in an unwelcome manner, etc.), or environmental (such as excluding others or making them feel unwelcome).

Harassment also includes a course of vexatious comment or conduct against an employee that is known or ought to be known to be unwelcome that is not based on a protected characteristic.

 

Discrimination

Discrimination is when someone is treated unfairly because of a protected characteristic. Direct discrimination based on any protected characteristics is usually against the law. For example, someone is not offered a promotion because they’re a woman and the job goes to a less qualified man.

Indirect discrimination can happen when there are rules or arrangements that apply to a group of employees, but in practice are less fair to a certain protected characteristic. For example, an employer refuses a woman’s request to work part-time, saying, ‘Part-time work is too disruptive for our business; our policy is to use only full-time employees’. This isn’t direct sex discrimination because the rule is applied equally to men and women. However, it is potentially indirect sex discrimination.

 

Bullying

Bullying is any behaviour that leaves the victim feeling threatened, intimidated, humiliated, vulnerable, or otherwise upset. It does not need to be connected to a protected characteristic.

As with harassment, physical, verbal, and non-verbal conduct can all amount to bullying.  It can take various forms, from extreme behaviour involving violence and intimidation, through to subtle actions such as deliberate exclusion.  It can also take place online (cyberbullying).

 

When you are a Department Head or Manager

We expect even more of you if you are a supervisor or department head. Show your team what a respectful and safe production looks like. Beyond modelling great behaviour, you must also take steps to make sure any inappropriate behaviours inconsistent with this policy are addressed immediately.

Recognise behaviours inconsistent with this policy early, so they can be addressed before they become big concerns.

Report – inform the Head of Production /Line Producer/DR’s independent HR adviser, Fitzgerald HR (please see contact details below) what you experienced or what you have witnessed.

Respond – once aware of the issue, we will respond quickly and will take any necessary steps to remedy the concerns. You may be asked to help in this process.

 

Our Commitment

It is completely unacceptable for anyone to behave in a way that is discriminatory, bullying or creates an abusive, disrespectful, intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.

If someone on the production does behave in this way, it could violate this policy even if it falls short of unlawful harassment under local law. We won’t tolerate behaviour like this, and we’ll act as soon and however we can, in accordance with local laws.

 

If you are concerned – please tell us

It is important that we create an inclusive and respectful work environment in which employees and workers feel safe and able to raise any concerns under this policy.

If you feel harassed, bullied, or discriminated against, or you see it happen to someone else, you should report it. We cannot do anything if we do not know about it.

All complaints regarding bullying, harassment and discrimination of any kind will be taken seriously and investigated appropriately.

An individual is not required or expected to raise a concern to the supervisor or other employee who has engaged in the discriminatory, harassing, retaliatory, or bullying behaviour.

 

How to report

We have set up several options for you to communicate your concerns in whichever way suits you: –

Via email dramarepublic@fitzgeraldhr.co.uk

Via the TV and Film Charity’s 24hrs/7 days a week free support line on 0800 054 0000

 

Victimisation

Victimisation happens when a worker has complained about harassment or discrimination, or has supported a colleague in their complaint, and is then treated less favourably as a result.

We won’t retaliate against anyone for bringing a concern to our attention or for cooperating truthfully in an investigation.  We will keep the investigation as confidential as possible.  We will take action against anyone who retaliates against you if you’re involved in a complaint or investigation. We want to hear if something happens.