Work Policies

Below are the basic details of our work policies for employment while at Little Mercies Ltd.

Equal Pay

This is a right and not a privilege or policy, and is a legal requirement. If two people are doing the same job, and the same level, or work of equal value, then they are entitled to equal pay. There can be no discrimination based on sex or gender, and those people will be paid equally and accordingly.

Discrimination

The Anti-Discrimination Policy emphasizes creating a safe and inclusive workplace by preventing discrimination based on protected characteristics. It details the behaviors considered discriminatory and the actions taken against such behaviors, ensuring fairness and equality for all employees.

Discrimination is any negative action or attitude directed toward someone because of protected characteristics, like race and gender. Other protected characteristics are:

• Age
• Religion
• Ethnicity / nationality
• Disability / medical history
• Marriage / civil partnership
• Pregnancy / maternity/ paternity
• Gender identity / sexual orientation

Discrimination and harassment

Our anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies go hand-in-hand. We will not tolerate any kind of discrimination that creates a hostile and unpleasant environment for employees, interns or volunteers.

This is not an exhaustive list, but here are some instances that we consider discrimination:

• Hiring managers disproportionately disqualifying male or female job candidates on purpose.
• Managers bypassing team members with specific protected characteristics (e.g. race) for promotion without being able to formally prove (e.g. with documentation) the reasons other employees were selected instead.
• Employees making sexist comments.
• Employees sending emails disparaging someone’s ethnic origin.

Employees who harass their colleagues will go through our disciplinary process and we may reprimand, demote or terminate them depending on the severity of their offence.

We recognize that sometimes discrimination is unintentional, as we may all have unconscious biases that could be difficult to identify and overcome. In case we conclude that an employee unconsciously discriminates, we will support them through training and counseling and implement processes that mitigate biases as we indicate in the next section. But, if this person shows unwillingness to change their behavior, we may demote or terminate them.

We will not be lenient in cases of assault, sexual harassment or workplace violence, whether physical or psychological. We will terminate employees who behave like this immediately.

Parental Pay and Leave

You have the right to up to 52 weeks’ maternity leave if you’re having a baby and are legally classed as an employee.

You have this right from your first day of starting a job.

By law, you must take at least 2 weeks off after your baby is born. After this, how many of the 52 weeks you take is up to you.

You get the same amount of maternity leave and pay even if you have more than one baby, for example twins.

Harassment

Our anti-harassment policy expresses our commitment to maintain a workplace that’s free of harassment, so our employees can feel safe and happy. We will not tolerate anyone intimidating, humiliating or sabotaging others in our workplace. We also prohibit wilful discrimination based on age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, racial, religion, disability, or any other protected class detailed above.

This workplace harassment policy applies to all employees, contractors, public visitors, customers and anyone else whom employees come into contact with at work. For more details on how to recognize, report and deal with sexual harassment and harassment from outside our company, please refer to our sexual harassment policy.

Harassment includes bullying, intimidation, direct insults, malicious gossip and victimization. We can’t create an exhaustive list, but here are some instances that we consider harassment:

• Sabotaging someone’s work on purpose.
• Engaging in frequent or unwanted advances of any nature.
• Commenting derogatorily on a person’s ethnic heritage or religious beliefs.
• Starting or spreading rumors about a person’s personal life.
• Ridiculing someone in front of others or singling them out to perform tasks unrelated to their job (e.g. bringing coffee) against their will.

Sexual harassment is illegal and we will seriously investigate relevant reports. If an employee is found guilty of sexual harassment, they will be terminated.

How to address harassment

If you’re being harassed, whether by a colleague, customer or vendor, you can choose to talk to any of these people:

• Offenders. If you suspect that an offender doesn’t realize they are guilty of harassment, you could talk to them directly in an effort to resolve the issue. This tactic is appropriate for cases of minor harassment (e.g. inappropriate jokes between colleagues.) Avoid using this approach with customers or stakeholders.
• Your manager. If customers, stakeholders or team members are involved in your claim, you may reach out to your manager. Your manager will assess your situation and may contact HR if appropriate.
• HR. Feel free to reach out to HR in any case of harassment no matter how minor it may seem. For your safety, contact HR as soon as possible in cases of serious harassment (e.g. sexual advances) or if your manager is involved in your claim. Anything you disclose will remain confidential.

Punishment for harassment depends on the severity of the offence and may include counseling, reprimands, suspensions or termination.

 

Health & Safety

We are committed to creating a hazard-free workplace. To this end, we will ensure workplace safety through preventative action and emergency management.

Preventative action

Preventative actions are any actions we take to avoid injuries or illnesses related to the workplace. We will periodically conduct risk assessments and job hazard analyses to uncover health risks to employees. And we will establish preventative measures to address risks accordingly.

At a minimum, we will:

• Hold employee training sessions on safety standards and procedures.
• Make sure employees who work in dangerous locations are safe.
• Provide protective gear like gloves, protective uniforms and goggles.

We also expect you to take safety seriously. Always use protective equipment and follow standards whenever necessary. If you deliberately disregard our guidelines, we may terminate you for your own and others’ safety.

Emergency management

Emergency management refers to our plan to deal with sudden catastrophes like fire, floods, earthquakes or explosions. Our emergency management provisions include:

• Functional smoke alarms and sprinklers that are regularly inspected.]
• Technicians (external or internal) available to repair leakages, damages and blackouts quickly.
• Fire extinguishers and other fire protection equipment that are easily accessible.
• Fire escapes and safety exits that are clearly indicated.

Smoking

We are a smoke-free workplace. You can smoke outside according to local laws. Any other area in our workplace (like restrooms, lobby, offices, staircases, warehouses) is strictly smoke-free to protect non-smokers.

We also advise you to:

• Extinguish your cigarettes and discard them in outdoor ashtrays, cigarette urns.
• Avoid smoking when you have scheduled meetings with clients or vendors.
• Avoid smoking near flammable objects and areas.

Setting off fire alarms and causing fires by smoking are serious offenses. If you are found responsible, you may face disciplinary action up to and including termination.

Prescription drugs

If you feel that a prescription drug (e.g. an anxiety mediation) unexpectedly affects your senses, thinking or movement, ask for the rest of your day off. If your manager suspects substance abuse, you may face disciplinary action.

We expect employees who hold safety-sensitive jobs (e.g. machine operators or drivers) to be fully alert and capable of performing their duties at all times. We may terminate you if we conclude your prescription drug use creates severe safety risks. If you need to use prescription drugs for a limited time and you think they may impair your abilities, use your PTO or sick leave.

If your job includes secondary tasks that are safety-sensitive and your prescribed drugs affect your ability to perform these tasks, we can make reasonable accommodations to ensure you and your colleagues’ safety.