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Guidance for parishes on the use of genuine occupational requirements (gors) when recruiting employees or volunteers who must be practising christians to undertake the role. It covers the implications of applying a gor, questions to consider before doing so, and examples of wording for job descriptions.
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Genuine Occupational Requirements (GORs)
This summary sheet has been developed for parishes, who are wishing to recruit to a vacancy which may require a genuine occupational requirement (there is a genuine need for the jobholder to be a practising Christian in order to undertake the role). This guidance is relevant for PCC employees and volunteers.
What is a GOR?
In very limited circumstances it will be lawful for an employer to treat people differently if it is a genuine occupational requirement that the job holder must be of a particular religion or belief. When deciding if this applies, it is necessary to consider the nature of the work and the context in which it is carried out. Jobs may change over time and organisations should periodically consider whether the requirement continues to apply, particularly when recruiting (ACAS Guide on Religion and Belief in the Workplace ).
Implications to think about when applying a GOR
These are the types of questions an employer needs to ask itself before applying a GOR. This list is not exhaustive, and employers should undertake further research and obtain further advice if required.
GOR argument is limited to matters which are absolutely necessary in order to undertake the professional activity in question.
Need to be able to demonstrate and justify the reason for a vacancy requiring a GOR and relate it to the overall ethos of the organisation.
A central function of the job must reflect the GOR
There are clear links between the Christian purpose and ethos of the organisation, described in the organisation context section, and the job as stated in this description
The GOR is clearly featured in the list of the main tasks in the job description
The knowledge/skills/experience required to carry out the GOR and so reflect the ethos are clearly stated in the person specification
It is important to remember that (as the ACAS guide makes clear) employers should consider whether there are alternatives to applying an occupational requirement. For instance, if only a small part of the job requires a Christian then it may be possible to redistribute work or re- organise roles in such a way as to avoid applying a religious requirement to a particular post. Alternatively it may be sufficient for an employee to have some awareness/knowledge of the Church rather than active belief.
Think about whether the GOR needs to be denomination specific – in many cases it is likely to be sufficient for the GOR to cover a practising Christian in the CoE or another member denomination of Churches Together in England.
Useful websites
ACAS Guide on Religion and Belief in the Workplace This covers information in relation to the Equality Act legislation and the implications for employers to consider in relation to religion and belief. Appendix 1 provides detail on GORs and the things for employers to consider.
http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/f/l/religion_1.pdf
Diocese of London The Diocese of London has a webpage about GORs and has listed seven main questions which employers should ask themselves before applying a GOR to a role
http://www.london.anglican.org/kb/occupational-requirements/
Examples of wording for Job Descriptions
The following are examples only of the types of wording which could be used/adapted to include in job descriptions and person specifications for where there is a GOR and/or duties reflected. Parishes and employers need to review the requirement for a GOR and include wording on the job description and person specification to reflect the actual requirements for their role/vacancy.
Note: In accordance with the equality act 2010 it is a genuine occupational requirement that the post holder is a practicing Christian and we would expect our
There is a genuine occupational requirement for the successful applicant to be a committed Christian. It will be necessary to work on
There is a Genuine Occupational Requirement for the job holder to be a practising Christian: -
Committed to: