Our commitment
We treat people fairly and judge them on what they do, not on who they are. We want a place where people can do their best work, and a Service that agencies can use to treat their own candidates and workers fairly.
This policy covers how we recruit and engage people, how we treat each other, how we deal with customers and suppliers, and how we design the Service.
The law
The Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination because of nine protected characteristics. They are:
- age;
- disability;
- gender reassignment;
- marriage and civil partnership;
- pregnancy and maternity;
- race, which includes colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins;
- religion or belief, which includes a lack of religion or belief;
- sex;
- sexual orientation.
What we will not accept
The Act makes several kinds of conduct unlawful. We do not accept any of them, whether or not someone has a legal claim:
- Direct discrimination: treating someone less favourably because of a protected characteristic.
- Indirect discrimination: applying a rule or practice that puts people who share a characteristic at a particular disadvantage, without a good and proportionate reason.
- Discrimination arising from disability, and failing to make reasonable adjustments for a disabled person.
- Unfavourable treatment because of pregnancy or maternity leave.
- Harassment: unwanted conduct related to a protected characteristic, or of a sexual nature, that violates someone's dignity or creates a hostile or offensive environment for them.
- Victimisation: treating someone badly because they have complained about discrimination or helped someone else to complain.
Recruiting and working with people
When we recruit employees or engage contractors, we describe the work and the skills it needs, and we choose the person who best meets them. We ask only for information we need. If someone asks us to adjust how we recruit, for example the format of an interview or a test, we make reasonable adjustments.
Once someone works with us, we offer work, training and development on the same basis to everyone. We make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, and we consider requests for flexible working fairly and promptly.
Customers, users and suppliers
We treat every agency, every user of the Service and every supplier with the same courtesy, and on the same terms for the same service.
If a customer's user, or anyone else, abuses someone who works for us because of a protected characteristic, we will act. Our bullying and harassment policy explains how.
Fairness in the Service
Agencies use the Service to recruit and pay people, and they are responsible for their own decisions about candidates and workers. The Service supports those decisions; it does not make them. AI output is a draft or suggestion for a person to check, never a decision about a candidate or worker.
We do not build features designed to screen out or rank candidates by a protected characteristic. We aim to make the Service usable by people with a wide range of needs. Our accessibility statement explains how, and where we still fall short.
Raising a concern
If you think we have treated you unfairly, or you have seen it happen to someone else, tell the Director at terry@hilliernet.co.uk or on 07789 938284. We will acknowledge your concern within 2 working days and aim to give you a full response within 20 working days.
If the concern is about the Director, or you are not satisfied with our response, you can use our whistleblowing or complaints procedure. Acas gives free, impartial advice at acas.org.uk. No one will be treated less well for raising a concern in good faith.
Responsibility and review
The Director is responsible for this policy and for making sure it is followed. Everyone who works for us is responsible for their own behaviour. The Director reviews this policy at least once a year and whenever the law changes.
Equality, diversity and inclusion · version 1.0 · approved 27/10/2026 · next review 27/10/2027. Templace is a trading name of TWH Holdings Limited, company number 10663539, Meadway, Mill Road, Writhlington, Radstock, BA3 5TY.