Baked is committed to developing a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything we do. We believe that a diverse and inclusive environment is essential for making innovative creative work - and for building a strong, engaged group of colleagues, clients, and freelancers.
Our aim is for our team to be truly representative of all sections of society and our clients, and for each person who works for us, or with us, to feel respected and able to give their best.
Purpose
This policy’s purpose is to ensure we:
a. Provide equality, fairness, and respect for everyone hired by Baked, whether that’s freelance or permanent employment
b. Do not unlawfully discriminate because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership. pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
c. Oppose and avoid all forms of unlawful discrimination. This includes in: pay and benefits, terms and conditions of employment, dealing with grievances and discipline, dismissal, redundancy, leave for parents, requests for flexible working, selection for employment, promotion, training, or other developmental opportunities.
Our Commitments
a. Encourage equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace
b. Create a working environment free of bullying, harassment, victimisation, and unlawful discrimination, promoting dignity and respect for all, and where individual differences and the contributions of all staff are recognised and valued.
This commitment includes training managers and all other employees about their rights and responsibilities under the equality, diversity, and inclusion policy. Responsibilities include staff conducting themselves to help the organisation provide equal opportunities in employment, and prevent bullying, harassment, victimisation, and unlawful discrimination.
All staff should understand they, as well as their employer, can be held liable for acts of bullying, harassment, victimisation, and unlawful discrimination, in the course of their employment, against fellow employees, clients, suppliers and the public.
c. Take seriously complaints of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination by fellow employees, clients, suppliers, visitors, the public and any others during our work.
Such acts will be dealt with as misconduct under the organisation’s grievance and/or disciplinary procedures, and appropriate action will be taken. Particularly serious complaints could amount to gross misconduct and lead to dismissal without notice.
Further, sexual harassment may amount to both an employment rights matter and a criminal matter, such as in sexual assault allegations. In addition, harassment under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 – which is not limited to circumstances where harassment relates to a protected characteristic – is a criminal offence.
Diversity
We recognise and value the unique perspectives and experiences of all individuals and believe that a diverse workforce is essential for creating great work. We actively strive to recruit, retain, and promote individuals from underrepresented groups in the creative industry.
We are actively exploring a partnership with Creative Access, a leading diversity, equity, and inclusion organisation, to help build an inclusive creative culture through innovative recruitment programmes, consultancy, bespoke training and more.
We have committed to actively sourcing freelance and permanent talent from underrepresented groups wherever possible, by recruiting through schemes and job boards specifically supporting these groups. For example, we work with JustRunners.uk to hire production runners, and for permanent recruitment we use www.socialfixt.org (among others).
We are part of Advertising Unlocked, where agencies around the country join forces for the industry’s nationwide careers open day in search of new talent. Advertising Unlocked introduces new, potentially unconsidered career options to school and college students. Since inception, over 5,000 students have taken part.
Equity
We are committed to ensuring that everyone is treated fairly and has equal access to opportunities and resources. We strive to eliminate any biases or barriers that may prevent people from reaching their full potential.
We will make opportunities for training, development, and progress available to all staff, who will be helped and encouraged to develop their full potential.
We will make decisions concerning staff based on merit and make sure we review employment practices and procedures when necessary to ensure fairness and update them and the policy to take account of changes in the law.
Our financial bonus structure is one way we demonstrate true equity in our business. We believe everyone who works for Baked should be rewarded when we are successful. When we define success financially, we look at the amount of profit the business makes after paying corporation tax.
Every year, in April, we announce the percentage of profit share everyone will receive in their May pay. The percentage will be decided by the leadership team and will be based on our performance in the previous financial year, balancing our desire to reward success with the need to invest profit back into the brand.
Inclusion
We create an environment in which all individuals feel welcome, respected, and valued. We actively work to create an inclusive culture through open communication, training, and feedback.
We commit to creating a working environment free of bullying, harassment, victimisation, and unlawful discrimination, promoting dignity and respect for all, and where individual differences and the contributions of all staff are recognised and valued.
This commitment includes training managers about their responsibilities under the equality, diversity, and inclusion policy.
Everyone who works for us should understand they, as well as Baked, can be held liable for acts of bullying, harassment, victimisation, and unlawful discrimination, in the course of their employment, against fellow employees, clients, suppliers and the public.
We take seriously complaints of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination by fellow employees, clients, suppliers, visitors, the public and any others during our work.
Such acts will be dealt with as misconduct under our grievance and/or disciplinary procedures, and appropriate action will be taken. Particularly serious complaints could amount to gross misconduct and lead to dismissal without notice.
Further, sexual harassment may amount to both an employment rights matter and a criminal matter, such as in sexual assault allegations. In addition, harassment under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 – which is not limited to circumstances where harassment relates to a protected characteristic – is a criminal offence.
We believe in celebrating success as an entire brand, not as individuals. We regularly host activities and events, ensuring these do not only revolve around alcohol. These rewards are held in teams and brand-wide (and we’re always open to suggestions for what we should do next).
We use Officevibe - an online platform that allows us to gauge employee happiness, build better relationships and create the conditions for great work. Our use of this tool allows us to create positive change for our team in a safe, honest, environment.
Expectations
We expect all members of our team, clients, and freelancers to uphold and adhere to these values, and we will take appropriate action if these standards are not upheld. We will hold ourselves accountable for making measurable progress towards our DEI goals and will regularly review and update this policy as needed.
This policy applies to all aspects of our business, including recruitment, hiring, promotions, training, development, and other employment-related decisions. It also applies to our interactions with clients, freelancers, and suppliers.
Measuring Success
We have created measurable goals and targets and track our progress towards achieving them. We will also maintain transparency and communicate our progress.
The success of our DEI efforts will be measured by the representation of underrepresented groups, employee engagement, client satisfaction and overall business performance.
From January 2023, our additional specific KPIs look like this:
a. Offer at least 1 diversity, equity, and inclusion training session for all employees annually and measure success by employee satisfaction survey and engagement
b. Increase the percentage of new hires and new freelance talent used on a project basis from underrepresented groups to 40% within the next 2 years, through targeted recruiting and developing partnerships with diversity-focused organisations.
c. Increase the number of clients from underrepresented groups by 15% within the next year through targeted marketing and sales.