Discrimination & Harassment Policy

01Our Position

VYLQORA does not tolerate discrimination, harassment, bullying or victimisation in any part of its work. This is a condition of working here and of working with us, not an aspiration.

We want a working environment in which people are judged on their capability, their judgement and their contribution — and nothing else. Behaviour that undermines that is treated as a serious matter regardless of who is responsible, how senior they are, or how valuable the client relationship involved.

02Who This Applies To

This policy applies to everyone who works for or with VYLQORA, and to every setting in which our work takes place.

• Employees, contractors, consultants, interns and anyone working on our behalf.
• Candidates at every stage of a recruitment process.
• Conduct at client sites, in client teams and in any environment where a person is representing VYLQORA.
• Remote and written communication, including email, chat, video calls, shared documents and social media where the conduct affects a working relationship.
• Work-related situations outside normal hours or premises, including travel, training and social events connected to work.
• Conduct directed at our people by clients, suppliers or other third parties — we will act on this, and we will raise it with the organization concerned.

03Discrimination

Discrimination means treating a person less favourably, or applying a rule that disadvantages them, because of who they are rather than what they do.

We do not discriminate in recruitment, engagement terms, pay, allocation of work, development, promotion, discipline or termination on any of the following grounds:

• Sex, gender, gender identity or gender expression.
• Sexual orientation.
• Pregnancy, maternity, paternity or family responsibilities.
• Marital status.
• Race, colour, ethnicity, descent, national origin or place of birth.
• Religion or belief, including holding no belief.
• Caste.
• Age.
• Disability or long-term health condition, including mental health.
• Any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

04Reasonable Adjustments

We make reasonable adjustments so that disability or a health condition does not put a person at a disadvantage — in recruitment, in how work is allocated, and in how it is performed.

You do not need a diagnosis, documentation or a formal disclosure to ask. Tell us what would help and we will discuss what is workable. Requests are handled confidentially and are not recorded against you in any assessment of your performance.

05Harassment

Harassment is unwanted conduct that violates a person’s dignity, or that creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them.

Whether conduct amounts to harassment is judged primarily by its effect on the person experiencing it, not by whether it was intended to cause harm. “It was only a joke” is not a defence, and neither is a claim that nobody else objected.

• Verbal conduct: slurs, insults, mockery, persistent unwelcome remarks, or comments about a person’s appearance, background, accent, beliefs or identity.
• Written conduct: offensive messages, images or material shared by email, chat or any other channel.
• Sexual harassment: unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, sexually coloured remarks, unwanted physical contact, showing pornography, or any other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature — whether physical, verbal or non-verbal.
• Conduct that makes an employment benefit, assignment or opportunity conditional on a personal or sexual relationship, whether stated or implied.
• Bullying: persistent criticism intended to demean, deliberate exclusion, humiliation in front of others, or the misuse of seniority to intimidate.
• Repeated unwanted personal attention or contact after being asked to stop.

06Retaliation

Retaliation against anyone who raises a concern in good faith, or who takes part in an investigation, is itself a disciplinary matter — treated with the same seriousness as the conduct originally reported.

This holds even where a complaint is ultimately not upheld. What matters is whether the concern was raised honestly, not whether it was proven.

Retaliation includes exclusion from work, withdrawal of opportunities, changed treatment, informal freezing-out and pressure to withdraw a complaint.

07Reporting a Concern

If you experience or witness behaviour covered by this policy, please raise it. You do not need to be certain it breaches the policy, and you do not need evidence before speaking to us.

Concerns can be raised in confidence with the VYLQORA leadership contact at support@vylqora.com, marked "Confidential — Policy Concern". If the concern involves the person you would normally report to, raise it directly with the founder.

You may bring a colleague or a person of your choice to any meeting about your concern. You may also ask to speak with someone of a particular gender, and we will accommodate that request wherever possible.

Nothing in this policy prevents you from pursuing a statutory remedy or approaching an appropriate authority at any time, whether or not you have raised the matter with us first.

08How We Handle a Concern

We aim to acknowledge a concern within two working days and to agree next steps with you promptly.

Where the matter is straightforward and you wish it, we may resolve it informally — for example by speaking to the person concerned. You will never be pressured into an informal route, and choosing one does not prevent you from raising a formal complaint later.

• A formal complaint is investigated by someone with no personal involvement in the matter.
• The person complained about is told what is alleged and given a fair opportunity to respond.
• Both parties are kept informed of progress and of the outcome.
• Information is shared only with those who need it to investigate or to act on the findings.
• Interim steps — such as separating working arrangements — may be taken while an investigation is underway. These are precautionary and are not a finding against anyone.
• Records are kept securely and retained only for as long as necessary.

09Outcomes

Where a complaint is upheld, the response is proportionate to the seriousness of the conduct and may include a formal warning, mandatory training, removal from an assignment, or termination of employment or engagement.

Where the conduct involves a client, supplier or other third party, we will raise it with the organization concerned and, if necessary, change or end the working arrangement. We will not require a person to continue working in an environment where they are being harassed in order to preserve a commercial relationship.

A complaint deliberately fabricated in bad faith is a disciplinary matter. A complaint made honestly but not upheld is not, and will never be treated as one.

10Responsibilities and Review

Everyone is responsible for their own conduct and for treating colleagues, clients and candidates with respect. Anyone leading work is additionally responsible for setting the standard, acting on behaviour they observe, and not waiting for a formal complaint before doing so.

This policy is reviewed periodically and updated as our organization and legal obligations develop. Where statutory requirements apply to a workplace of our size — including the constitution of an internal committee and prescribed complaint procedures under applicable law — those requirements take precedence over the process described here, and this policy will be updated to reflect them.

Questions about this policy can be sent to support@vylqora.com.