EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION POLICY
Hamlett films is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion in all we do, on and off screen, as we believe films and storytelling have a significant impact on shaping societal norms, perceptions, and attitudes.
We recognise that diversity and inclusion help to support creativity and innovation: they are an essential ingredient in a successful television company. We are committed to encouraging diversity and inclusion and to ensuring there is no discrimination in our company. We want our workforce to be truly representative of all sections of society. We want our company to be one in which every employee and freelancer feels respected and able to give their best.
To that end this policy provides a framework of equality and fairness for all in our employment. It expresses our commitment not to discriminate on the grounds of age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, marital status (including civil partnerships), race, ethnic origin, colour, nationality, national origin, religion or belief and sexual orientation. We oppose all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination.
This policy applies to employed and freelance staff and to people working on and off screen.
All freelancers and employees, whether part-time, full-time or temporary, will be treated fairly and with respect. Selection for employment, whether as a member of staff or on a freelance basis, will be on the basis of aptitude and ability. Access to opportunities for promotion, training or any other benefit will also be on the basis of aptitude and ability. All employees will be encouraged to develop their full potential and the talents and resources of the workforce will be fully utilised to maximise the creativity and success of the company.
We are also committed towards more inclusive on-screen representation. We recognise the power in representing and celebrating difference and diversity, providing uplift for people and perspectives traditionally not given a profile, and we believe by doing this, we promote greater participation, interaction, impartiality and creativity. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion on-screen includes working with institutes and organisations which shine a light on social injustice and give a voice to those who have been, or continue to be, silenced or marginalised.
We recognise the importance of diversifying entry routes and reducing the dependency on commonly used pipelines and have worked closely with the Head of Diversity & Inclusion – BBC Children’s & Education, to help us attract diverse talent. We recognise that to be different we need to do things differently and Hamlett Films works regularly with colleges, Universities and recruitment and training organisations such as Mama Youth and ThinkBIGGER to address underrepresentation at the recruitment stage into our core team and pool of freelancers.
We aim to:
- Actively seek to increase the number of people we work with who are from groups/communities that are under-represented in the television industry as a whole, or in particular job roles in the industry.
- Review all our formal and informal employment/hiring practices and procedures to ensure they are fair and help us to identify the best talent.
- Identify and take opportunities to increase the diversity of casting decisions.
- Ensure reasonable adjustments are made to enable disabled people to work in, or with, our company, both on and off screen.
- Actively seek to increase the diversity of our talent networks.
- Create an environment in which individual differences and the contributions of all our staff and freelancers are recognised and valued.
- Ensure every employee and freelancer is able to work in an environment that promotes dignity and respect for all. We will not tolerate any form of intimidation, bullying or harassment.
- Embed equality into all aspects of the production process. We will raise awareness and promote equality in a way that informs our culture and practices, is inclusive and removes any form of less favourable treatment or harassment.
- Ensure training, development and progression opportunities are available to all staff.
- We will support an inclusive approach to employment, and seek to offer flexible ways of working.
- We are actively working to increase representation across all dimensions of diversity in our workforce and are currently representative of the UK demographic in terms of gender and ethnicity. We aspire however to meet targets in-line with the BBC’s Diversity and Inclusion commissioning guidelines of: 50% women, 15% Black, Asian and mixed ethnicity, 8% disability and 8% LGBTQIA+ representation by 2025 so our workforce can be truly representative of all sections of society.
- We will monitor the success of this policy regularly and review our progress at least once a year. We have developed an action plan to help us achieve our specific diversity goals. The person who is responsible for ensuring this action plan is implemented is Katie Graham, Production Manager at Hamlett Films.
This policy is fully supported by the senior management of the company. Breaches of the policy may be regarded as misconduct and could lead to disciplinary proceedings.
This policy is reviewed annually.