Equal Opportunity Employer Policy (EEO policy statement)
The Equal Opportunity Policy emphasizes fairness and diversity in the workplace. It ensures that all employment aspects, from hiring to termination, are free from discrimination based on protected characteristics. The policy promotes an environment where everyone’s rights are respected and valued.
This equal opportunity employer (EEO) policy statement template can help you draft an equal opportunity employer statement, follow EEO laws and ensure fairness in your workplace. Modify it based on your needs.
The equal opportunity policy should include:
- Definitions of protected characteristics like age, gender, ethnicity, and religion.
- Guidelines ensuring fairness in hiring, training, performance evaluation, and termination.
- Procedures for reporting violations and the potential disciplinary actions for non-compliance.
Equal opportunity employer policy template
EEO Policy brief & purpose
Our equal opportunity employer policy reflects our commitment to ensure equality and promote diversity in the workplace.
This equal employment opportunity policy is the pillar of a healthy and productive workplace. Everyone should feel supported and valued to work productively so we are invested in treating everyone with respect and consideration.
Scope
Our equal opportunity employer policy applies to all employees, job candidates, contractors, stakeholders, partners and visitors.
Equal opportunity is for everyone, but it mainly concerns members of underrepresented groups – they’re the ones who are traditionally disadvantaged in the workplace. We don’t guarantee employment or promotions for people in those groups, but we will treat them fairly and avoid discriminating against them either via conscious or unconscious biases.
Policy elements
Being an equal opportunity employer means that we provide the same opportunities for hiring, advancement and benefits to everyone without discriminating due to protected characteristics like:
- Age
- Sex / Gender
- Sexual orientation
- Ethnicity / Nationality
- Religion
- Disability
- Medical history
What is an EEO policy?
We built our equal employment opportunity policy around preventive and affirmative actions to ensure fairness in all aspects of employment. These aspects include:
- Hiring
- Training
- Evaluating performance
- Administering compensation and benefits
- Terminating employees
We also want to make sure that equal opportunity applies to other instances. For example, we don’t retaliate against employees and we are committed to prevent and resolve any kind of harassment against our employees, including sexual harassment.
Our HR department is responsible for assessing our company’s processes and ensuring they are bias-free. Whenever we find biases interfering, we will act immediately to refine our processes, train our people to combat their biases and protect possible victims of discrimination. We will give everyone the chance to work in an environment where their rights are respected.
Actions
To promote equal opportunity, we first ensure we follow EEOC regulations and EEO laws that apply to each part of our company.
We will also take additional actions to promote fairness and diversity as part of our equal employment opportunity policy. We will:
- [Use inclusive language in all signs, documents and webpages.]
- [Modify structures and facilities to accommodate people with disabilities.]
- [Provide parental leave and flexible work arrangement policies.]
- [Hire, train and evaluate employees through job-related criteria.]
- [Allow employees to take religious or national holidays that aren’t included in our company’s official schedule.]
- [Train employees on communication and diversity.]
- [Implement open door practices so employees can report discrimination more easily.]
Grievance Procedure
All supervisors and managers are responsible to use equal opportunity practices and make decisions based on objective, non-discriminatory criteria. Everyone should comply with our policy at all times.
If you see or suspect that our EEO policies are being violated, feel free to inform HR immediately. If you suspect that someone is behaving in a wrong way but doesn’t realize it, you could also talk to them directly.
Disciplinary Consequences
When someone discriminates, they will be subject to disciplinary action depending on the severity of their actions. For example, unintentionally offending a coworker might warrant a reprimand, but harassing someone systematically might result in demotion or termination.
| Disclaimer: This policy template is meant to provide general guidelines and should be used as a reference. It may not take into account all relevant local, state or federal laws and is not a legal document. Neither the author nor Workable will assume any legal liability that may arise from the use of this policy. |