Equality, Inclusion & Social Justice

We believe that it is the responsibility of every part of our organisation to honour and protect the rights, safety and dignity of the individuals who work for and with us and those of the people that visit us. The Castle Tap should be welcoming, accessible, inclusive and take responsibility for improving both ourselves and our surroundings.

This document forms part of the staff training manual and builds on the “Basic Policy & Procedure” document but it is made publicly visible as part of a bid to make sure that customers and people who work with us understand our procedures and values.

Statement

The pub should be for everyone.

Assume every person has value, a right to be treated with respect and the right to an equitable experience. Staff have the right to fair pay, equitable treatment, reasonable adjustments, training, support in their development and support whilst working. Customers are granted access to the pub, the attention of the staff, equitable access to and enjoyment of services especially the service of beverages until they forfeit those rights. You cannot forfeit these things because of something you are but you can because of something you do and most notably that is by treating someone else badly.

We aim to create an atmosphere where customers and staff feel empowered to protect those rights against those who would deny them. That is where everyone can stand up to people who are treating others badly and know they will be supported.

We will not accept any form of discrimination or harassment on any grounds including, but not limited to, actual or perceived race, religion/faith or spiritual beliefs, age, gender, gender expression or identity, health, sexual orientation, citizenship status, social class, past or present employment status, place of origin, marital status, or familial status. It is not tolerated on a staff-staff, staff-customer, customer-staff or customer-customer level and may be grounds for dismissal or exclusion from the premises. We also reject other things which create a hostile environment – this means zero-tolerance of bullying, keeping the space clear of discriminatory branding and not working with people who don’t share our principles.

We commit to creating and maintaining an inclusive workplace; to hiring a diverse workforce and helping them thrive, and to implementing hiring, training, feedback and grievance processes that reflect and amplify a range of backgrounds and experiences.

We will make an effort to identify, understand and support staff and customers with additional needs; including, but not limited to, those with mobility problems, sensory impairments, chronic conditions and neurological divergence.

We aim to make sure that every customer finds it easy to get service and use the premises in a comfortable fashion. Our commitment is to ensuring that every customer is addressed personally, is treated on their own terms as their own authentic self and hopefully enjoys being in the pub.

For these practices to work we must also be accountable – that is to provide clear and safe means for people to tell us when we fail, to listen when marginalised voices speak and when people complain and to act accordingly.