Our work ethic policies

At Aspire we welcome transparency and value open and honest communication with everyone we work with: collaboration and sharing are super important and we believe this will help us achieve our shared common goals. But when we say ‘communicating’, we mean talking in a way which engages everyone. 

As a participant, coach/mentor/expert, learning provider, client never hesitate to contact anyone in the Aspire team about anything top of your mind. Obtaining everyone’s views and feedback is central to our communication strategy, and we welcome constructive ideas and suggestions from our learners to how we improve. In fact, it’s necessary for us to succeed.

Key ways to do this: 

  • Understand your communication responsibilities to the Aspire team and your fellow community members
  • Know where and how to access the information you need to participate in the course
  • Participate fully and actively in all community communications
  • Show respect to anyone else’s opinions and communication.
  • Seek clarification on any communication that is not understood. 
  • Gather information, which will make you more knowledgeable about your own area of expertise. 
  • Respect information that is confidential. 

Aspire is committed to promoting an environment which is one of inclusion and the avoidance of any discrimination, making sure that all learners & receive equal treatment regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation (Protected Characteristics).

We value diversity and know that the individual experiences which people bring to Aspire can only help everyone’s continued success.  We aim to draw upon the widest possible range of views and experiences, and to respond to the needs of all individuals in a fair and equitable manner, whilst observing our commitment and responsibility to current legislation. To achieve this, we will:

  • Fulfil our social responsibility and legal responsibilities towards our learner communities in which we operate.
  • Make all opportunities (including course content and advertising) as accessible as possible to under-represented groups.
  • Conduct monitoring and to ensure processes are fair, equitable and accessible and to identify any significant under-representation.  
  • Provide the facilities and opportunity for anyone who believes that they have been treated inequitably within the scope of our policy to raise the matter through the appropriate grievance or complaints procedure.
  • Log all reported instances of harassment and take action to mitigate and minimise harassment and victimisation wherever possible.
  • Ensure that learners understand that breaches of this policy will not be tolerated and may lead to them being removed from the course and/or community groups.

You must not unlawfully discriminate against or harass other people, including current and former participants, Aspire colleagues and visitors. 

Aspire will ensure that :

  • Training materials are printed in a larger font- when required by the participant & when applicable
  • Training Venues are selected that disabled access/facilities – when applicable, as we are an online/digital training provider
  • E-learning modules offer subtitles and audio 
  • Our booking system prompts for information with regards to any special needs and if highlighted the delegate/participant will be contacted prior to starting to ensure that their needs can be met

Reporting Discrimination

If you believe that you have suffered discrimination you can raise the matter to Katie Lewis, COO, Aspire – katie@thisisaspire.com Complaints will be treated in confidence and investigated as appropriate.

You will not be victimised or retaliated against for complaining about discrimination. However, making a false allegation deliberately and in bad faith will be treated as misconduct and could result in your removal from the course.

Aspire views complaints as an opportunity to put things right for the person or organisation that has made the complaint as well as a chance to learn and improve for the future.

Our policy is:

  • To provide a fair complaints procedure which is clear and easy to use for anyone wishing to make a complaint
  • To publicise the existence of our complaints procedure in our Aspire dashboard so that people know how to contact us to make a complaint
  • To make sure all complaints are investigated fairly and in a timely way as reasonably possible
  • To make sure that complaints are, wherever possible, resolved and that relationships are repaired
  • To gather information which helps us to improve what we do

We define a complaint as an expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not, about any aspect of Aspire and its programmes, products, services. Complaints may come from any person or organisation who has a legitimate interest in Aspire (e.g. participants, clients, managers, HR contacts). A complaint can be received by phone or by email.

Confidentiality

All complaint information will be handled sensitively, telling only those who need to know and following any relevant data protection requirements.

Responsibility

Overall responsibility for this policy and its implementation lies with the COO.

Review

This policy is reviewed regularly and updated as required.

Complaints Procedure

Complaints can be raised with

  • Your dedicated Community Manager – see their details on your Aspire dashboard
  • By email: updates@thisisaspire.com

Receiving Complaints

Complaints received by telephone will be recorded in writing. When receiving a complaint, Aspire representative will:

  • Write down the facts of the complaint
  • Take the complainant’s name, address and telephone number
  • Note down the relationship of the complainant to Aspire
  • Tell the complainant what will happen next and how long it will take
  • Where appropriate, ask the complainant to send a written account by email so that the complaint is recorded in the complainant’s own words.

Aspire advises participants/learners/clients to try to resolve complaints at an informal level. This may involve arranging an informal discussion with either your Community Manager, or Programme Director, or sending in your email. If no resolution at the local level, then the complaint should be forwarded to the COO.

In many cases, a complaint is best resolved by the person responsible for the issue being complained about. If the complaint has been received by that person, they may be able to resolve it swiftly and should do so if possible and appropriate.

Whether or not the complaint has been resolved, the complaint information should be passed to the relevant local Aspire Community Manager within 1 week. On receiving the complaint, the Community Manager will record it in the complaints log. If it has not already been resolved, it will be investigated and appropriate action taken. If the complaint relates to a specific person, they should be informed and given a fair opportunity to respond. Complaints should be acknowledged by the person handling the complaint within 5 working days. The acknowledgement should say who is dealing with the complaint and when the person complaining can expect a reply. A copy of this complaints procedure should be attached. Ideally complainants should receive a definitive reply within 4 weeks. If this is not possible because for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress report should be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given. 

Your workstation

Wherever you are when you’re working at your computer,  as a broad guide, you should consider the following points to get maximum comfort when sitting at your desk.Your arms should be approximately horizontal to your keyboard and your eyes at the same height as the top of the visual display unit casing. There should be enough space underneath your desk to move your legs freely. Avoid excess pressure on the backs of your legs and knees. Your feet should be able to rest flat on the floor.

Don’t sit in the same position for long periods. Make sure that you change your posture as often as it is practical. Adjust your keyboard and screen to get a good keying and viewing position

Use of computers

Although there is no medical evidence to suggest that use of a computer or laptop can cause permanent damage to the eyes, prolonged focusing at one distance can cause tiredness, headaches and temporary visual defects and therefore is a good practice when using screens, to take short, frequent breaks and look up frequently, focusing on objects at a distance.

Equipment 

Please use equipment as per any instructions given to you and any which is faulty or damaged; avoid tampering with and instead let the seller/manufacturer know and seek expert advice.