Policy and Plan Version 1.4
Effective date: 20 June 2019
Approved by: The 625 Insignia Ltd

1. Public statement and commitment
   The 625 Insignia Ltd is committed to gender equity and gender equality across our workforce, leadership, research activity, and learning provision. We aim to ensure that people of all genders have fair access to opportunity, fair treatment at work and on our programmes, and a safe environment free from discrimination, harassment, and gender based violence.

This is a public Gender Equality Plan for the purposes of Horizon Europe eligibility requirements. It is a formal document that is published on our website, signed by top management, and actively communicated within the organisation. It sets out objectives, actions, measures, targets, resourcing, and monitoring arrangements.

We recognise that fairness sometimes requires different support for different people. We therefore focus on equity in outcomes, while applying consistent standards and transparent processes.

2. Scope
   This plan and policy apply to all employees, directors, contractors, associates, tutors, consultants, volunteers, and secondees engaged by the company. It also applies to learners, trainees, and students on our programmes. It covers work related settings such as travel, fieldwork, events, remote working, and online platforms.
3. Definitions
   Gender refers to socially constructed roles, behaviours, and norms associated with gender identities.
   Sex refers to sex assigned at birth.
   Gender equity refers to fairness of access and outcomes across genders, recognising that different support may be required to achieve fairness.
   Gender equality refers to equal rights, responsibilities, and opportunities regardless of gender.
   Gender based violence includes any harmful act directed at a person based on gender, including sexual harassment, sexual violence, stalking, and coercive control.
4. Legal and standards context
   We will comply with the Equality Act 2010 and relevant UK employment, safeguarding, and health and safety duties.

We will meet the UK duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, including harassment by third parties such as customers and clients. We will deliver this through risk assessment, training, practical controls, and prompt action when concerns arise.

We will ensure that any person who raises concerns in good faith is protected from detriment. We will align our approach to reporting, disclosures, and investigations with whistleblowing good practice and relevant UK requirements as they apply to our organisation.

Where we participate in, or partner on, research and innovation activity, we will align with funder and programme expectations on sex and gender analysis and inclusive research practice, including within Horizon Europe.

5. Governance and accountability
   Board accountability sits with the Board of Directors. The Board will approve this plan, receive the annual report, and hold the organisation to account for delivery.

Operational responsibility sits with the Managing Director, supported by a named Gender Equity Lead.

Decision makers include directors, hiring managers, programme leads, research leads, and anyone with authority over recruitment, progression, pay, programme access, teaching content, and performance management.

We will maintain governance that is proportionate to the organisation’s size and activity.
The Gender Equity Lead coordinates delivery, monitors indicators, prepares the annual report, and advises on risk controls.
The People and Culture Lead is responsible for recruitment, progression, flexible working, and policy implementation.
The Programme Quality Lead is responsible for integration of gender equity into teaching, assessment, and learner experience.
The Research Lead is responsible for integration of sex and gender considerations into research design, delivery, analysis, and dissemination.

6. Dedicated resources
   We commit dedicated resources and gender expertise to implement this plan.

The minimum resourcing commitments for 2026 to 2029 are as follows.
We will allocate Gender Equity Lead time of at least 0.1 full time equivalent, or an equivalent contracted arrangement, with authority to propose changes and escalate risk to the Managing Director and Board.
We will maintain an annual budget line for gender equity activity, including training, reasonable adjustments, and external expertise, set at a minimum of 1 percent of annual payroll cost, with a minimum cash value reviewed each year.
We will secure access to independent gender expertise via an external adviser or partner organisation for at least two advisory engagements per year, and additional input following any serious incident or upheld complaint.
We will protect time for all workers to complete required training and participate in improvement activity.

7. Data collection, monitoring, and annual reporting
   7.1 Principles
   We will collect and analyse sex and gender disaggregated data on personnel and, where relevant, students and learners, and we will report annually using defined indicators. We will protect confidentiality, particularly where numbers are small. We will comply with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, including clarity of purpose, data minimisation, access control, and defined retention.

We will offer inclusive options for gender identity data collection, including an option not to say. We will publish only aggregated results and will suppress small numbers to prevent identification.

7.2 Workforce indicators
We will monitor key indicators by sex and gender where possible, including representation across roles and seniority, contract type, working pattern, pay bands, recruitment pipeline measures, progression outcomes, pay equity measures, learning and development access and completion, flexible working requests and outcomes, parental leave uptake and return rates, and reports related to bullying, harassment, discrimination, and sexual harassment, including response times and outcomes.

7.3 Learner indicators
For learners and students, we will monitor access and outcomes by sex and gender where feasible and proportionate, including enrolment, completion, assessment outcomes, and feedback themes. We will not publish learner data where it risks identifying individuals.

7.4 Annual reporting
An annual Gender Equity Report will be published on our website and presented to the Board. It will include baseline data, progress against targets, actions taken, indicator trends, and improvement priorities for the following year.

8. Training and awareness raising
   We will provide awareness raising and training on gender equality and unconscious bias for staff and decision makers.

Training requirements for 2026 to 2029 are as follows.
All workers will complete an induction module within 30 days of joining, covering equality duties, inclusive behaviour, reporting routes, and bystander responsibilities.
All workers will complete an annual refresher.
Decision makers will complete enhanced training at least every two years, covering recruitment and selection, pay and progression, and handling concerns.
Tutors and programme designers will complete training on inclusive teaching practice, inclusive assessment, and safe learning environments.
Staff likely to receive disclosures will complete training on supportive responses, safeguarding, and referral routes.

Training completion will be monitored and reported annually. Our targets are 95 percent completion for all mandatory modules and 100 percent completion for decision maker modules.

9. Minimum thematic areas, measures, and targets (2026 to 2029)
   Where the organisation is small and percentages are unstable, we will use absolute numbers and narrative evidence alongside quantitative indicators.

9.1 Work life balance and organisational culture
Measures
Every role is assessed for flexible working options and the assessment is recorded.
Flexible working requests receive a written decision within 20 working days.
Meetings and internal decision making are scheduled within core hours (09:30 to 16:30 UK time) unless there is a documented operational reason.
Travel and events use a short written plan covering safety, accommodation standards, and reporting routes.
Managers apply reasonable adjustments consistently, including for pregnancy, pregnancy loss, fertility treatment, menopause related symptoms, disability, and caring responsibilities, where applicable and requested.

Targets
Baseline established by 6 May 2026.
By 6 February 2027, 100 percent of flexible working requests receive a written decision within 20 working days, and at least 90 percent of internal meetings are within core hours.
By 6 February 2027, staff survey questions on inclusion and work life balance are introduced, and the organisation aims for at least 75 percent positive responses, with an action plan for any themes of concern.
These targets are maintained through 2029.

Indicators
Flexible working log, meeting time audit, staff survey, retention and turnover by gender, sickness absence trends by gender.

9.2 Gender balance in leadership and decision making
Measures
Leadership duties, acting up arrangements, and paid associate roles use transparent selection or allocation processes with documented criteria.
Candidate pools are widened where underrepresentation is identified, including through targeted outreach and open expressions of interest.
Recruitment and promotion panels include more than one gender where feasible.
Mentoring and development support are available to all genders and do not rely on informal networks.

Targets
Baseline established by 6 May 2026.
By 6 February 2028, no standing internal decision making group is composed of one gender only, unless the company has fewer than three relevant roles, in which case actions taken to widen participation are reported.
By 6 February 2029, the organisation aims for at least 40 percent representation of each gender in senior decision making roles where numbers allow, and reports transparently on progress and constraints.

Indicators
Gender representation in leadership roles, committee and panel composition, participation in mentoring and leadership development, allocation of acting up responsibilities by gender.

9.3 Gender equality in recruitment and career progression
Measures
Recruitment uses clear role profiles, transparent pay bands, inclusive language checks, structured shortlisting criteria, structured interview questions, and structured scoring. Decisions and reasons are recorded at each stage.
Shortlisting is anonymised where feasible and proportionate.
Annual development conversations are available to all employees and result in documented development plans.
Access to acting up opportunities, project leadership, and development funding is monitored for equity.
A pay equity review is completed annually for employees and paid associates where data quality allows.

Targets
Baseline established by 6 May 2026.
By 6 February 2027, 100 percent of job adverts include salary or pay band, and state whether flexible working is available.
By 6 February 2027, 100 percent of recruitment processes use structured scoring for shortlisting and interview.
From 6 February 2027 onwards, an annual pay equity review is completed and, where gaps are identified within comparable roles or pay bands, an action plan is produced.
Where small numbers limit statistical interpretation, narrative explanation and corrective actions are still required.

Indicators
Recruitment pipeline conversion rates by gender, time to hire, pay distribution by pay band, progression rates by gender, development access, retention by gender.

9.4 Integration of the gender dimension into research and teaching content
Measures
Research templates include a required prompt to consider whether sex and gender are relevant to the research question, sampling, analysis, and reporting, and to record the decision.
Where relevant, research outputs describe how sex and gender were considered.
Teaching content, scenarios, imagery, and assessment approaches are reviewed for inclusive representation and avoidance of stereotypes.
Learner feedback tools include prompts on inclusion, safety, and the relevance of content across genders.

Targets
Baseline established by 6 August 2026.
By 6 February 2028, 100 percent of new or substantially revised teaching materials are reviewed using an inclusion checklist, and 100 percent of new research proposals include a documented sex and gender relevance statement.
By 6 February 2029, at least 90 percent of active teaching materials in regular use have been reviewed and, where necessary, revised.

Indicators
Audit of teaching reviews, audit of research proposal templates and approvals, learner feedback themes, evidence of content amendments.

9.5 Measures against gender based violence including sexual harassment
Measures
Prevention is implemented through risk assessment, training, clear reporting routes, and proactive controls, including controls for third party harassment.
A code of conduct is published for events and learning environments and is provided to clients and participants in advance.
Reporting routes include a route outside line management and an anonymous route.
Investigations are timely, fair, and impartial, with supportive practice and learning actions captured and acted on.

Targets
Baseline established by 6 May 2026.
By 6 February 2027, 100 percent of workers complete prevention and reporting training, and 100 percent of events and courses provide a code of conduct and reporting routes in joining information.
From 6 May 2026 onward, the organisation aims to acknowledge reports within two working days in 95 percent of cases, complete an initial risk assessment within ten working days in 90 percent of cases, and conclude investigations within 30 working days in 80 percent of cases where complexity permits, with documented reasons for delays.

Indicators
Training completion, number and type of reports, time to acknowledgement and risk assessment, time to outcome, staff and learner confidence in reporting routes, actions taken to reduce repeat risks.

10. Policy on gender based violence and sexual harassment
    10.1 Standards of behaviour
    All workers and learners must treat others with dignity and respect. Behaviour that constitutes harassment, sexual harassment, bullying, coercion, unwanted sexual conduct, intimidation, stalking, or retaliation is prohibited. This includes behaviour in person and online. It includes conduct by third parties such as clients and programme participants.

10.2 Prevention and risk control
We will take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment and related misconduct, including by third parties, through risk assessment, training, clear expectations, supervision, and prompt action where risk is identified.

10.3 Reporting routes
Concerns can be raised through a line manager or programme lead, the Gender Equity Lead, an independent nominated director, or an anonymous route via a dedicated email inbox managed by the Gender Equity Lead and one director, with access restricted and logged.

Where there is immediate risk or a serious safeguarding concern, workers should contact emergency services and then inform the company as soon as it is safe to do so.

10.4 Response standards
We will acknowledge reports within two working days. We will undertake an initial risk assessment within ten working days. We will provide clear information on process, support options, and expected timeframes. We will aim to conclude investigations within 30 working days where complexity permits, and we will explain delays when they occur.

10.5 Support, confidentiality, and protection from detriment
We will offer support which may include time away from duties, changes to working arrangements, signposting to specialist services, and access to independent advice. Information will be shared on a need to know basis.

Retaliation, disadvantage, or pressure to remain silent is prohibited and will be treated as misconduct. We will not use confidentiality terms to prevent lawful reporting of discrimination, harassment, or criminal behaviour. We will protect anyone who raises concerns in good faith from detriment, consistent with whistleblowing protections and good practice.

10.6 Investigation and outcomes
Investigations will be fair, impartial, and timely. They will be led by a trained investigator who is not in a conflict of interest. Outcomes may include informal resolution where appropriate, formal disciplinary action, removal from projects, termination of engagement, and referral to professional bodies or the police where required. Lessons learned will be captured and used to improve prevention.

11. Implementation timetable
    Table 1. Implementation actions and milestones

Time period	Priority actions
February to May 2026	Appoint the Gender Equity Lead and confirm role holders for People and Culture, Programme Quality, and Research. Establish baseline workforce dataset and learner data approach. Publish reporting routes and an anonymous inbox. Complete the initial risk assessment for sexual harassment and third party harassment across work settings.
June 2026 to February 2027	Deliver induction and mandatory training programme and embed completion monitoring. Implement recruitment templates and structured scoring. Introduce staff inclusion and work life balance survey items. Publish the first annual Gender Equity Report by 6 February 2027.
February 2027 to February 2028	Complete the first annual pay equity review and publish an action plan proportionate to organisational size. Implement teaching content inclusion review for new and revised materials. Embed sex and gender relevance assessment into research proposal templates. Strengthen leadership development access monitoring.
February 2028 to February 2029	Review targets based on trend data and organisational changes. Complete a full refresh of this plan by 6 February 2029, including updated baselines, revised targets, and an evaluation of impact.

12. Communication and publication
    This plan and policy will be communicated to all workers at induction and annually thereafter. It will be published on our website and referenced in recruitment materials and programme documentation.
13. Review and continuous improvement
    We will review progress annually, informed by indicators, staff feedback, learner feedback, and any incidents or complaints. The Board will approve updates following each annual review. A full refresh will be completed at least every three years.
14. Sign off
    Signed for and on behalf of The 625 Insignia Ltd

Name: Antony Blatston
Role: Managing Director
Date: 20/06/2019

Contact:
Email: admin . requests @ the 625 . com
Postal address: The 625 Insignia Ltd, 124 City Road London, EC1V 2NX