Diversity and inclusion policy template
Copy the text below and replace everything in square brackets with your company details.
1. Purpose
This policy sets out how [Company Name] will build a workforce that reflects the communities we serve and a workplace where every employee can contribute fully. It turns our commitment to diversity and inclusion into specific programs, owners and yearly goals.
2. Scope
It applies to all locations and functions of [Company Name], to every stage of the employee journey from sourcing to exit, and to company events, communication and facilities. Recruitment partners and vendors who staff our sites are asked to support it.
3. Definitions
- Diversity: the range of differences among people, including gender, gender identity, age, disability, religion, caste, region, language, education and family situation.
- Inclusion: the everyday practices that make each employee feel respected, heard and able to progress.
- Inclusion council: a group of [Number] employees from different functions and levels, chaired by [Sponsor Designation], that plans and tracks the work under this policy.
4. Policy commitments
- Hiring outreach: we will widen sourcing to [women's colleges, ITIs in other districts, disability employment networks] and run a returnship program for professionals, most often women, coming back after a career break.
- Accessibility: new or refurbished premises will have step-free access and an accessible washroom, and we will provide assistive software or equipment when an employee asks for it.
- Language: important announcements, policies and safety instructions will be issued in English and [Regional Language].
- Festivals and faith: the holiday list includes optional holidays so that employees of every faith can observe their main festivals, and a quiet room is available at [Location].
- Caregivers: employees caring for young children or elderly parents may request flexible hours or work from home under the relevant policies, and such requests are judged on business need, not on the person's gender.
- Gender identity: an employee may update their name, gender and pronouns in company records on request, and will receive a new ID card and email address.
- Events: company events offer vegetarian food, avoid timings that exclude people who are fasting, and never revolve around alcohol alone.
- Manager capability: every people manager completes training on inclusive hiring and fair team management within [Number] months of taking on the role.
5. Procedure
- Each year the inclusion council proposes [Number] goals, for example the number of women in supervisory roles or of persons with disabilities hired, and the managing director approves them.
- HR reports progress to the council every quarter using hiring, promotion and exit data.
- An employee requests an accommodation or a change of records by writing to [HR Email]. HR replies within [Number] working days and keeps any medical information confidential.
- Disclosure of disability, caste or other sensitive characteristics is voluntary, and the data is reported only in aggregate.
6. Responsibilities
- Executive sponsor: secures budget, removes obstacles and reports progress to the board or owners.
- Inclusion council: sets goals, reviews data and suggests programs.
- HR: runs outreach, accommodations and training, and protects sensitive data.
- Managers: hire from wider pools, share work and opportunities fairly, and act on exclusionary behaviour in their teams.
- Employees: respect colleagues' differences and take part in inclusion activities.
7. Exceptions
Where a site cannot yet be made accessible, the Company will offer an alternative workspace or work arrangement until it can. Goals direct effort and outreach; no individual will be hired or promoted without meeting the stated requirements of the role.
8. Review
The inclusion council and [HR Head Designation] review this policy and its goals every [12] months, share a short progress note with all employees, and reset the goals for the next year.
What to include
Goals with named owners
Set two to five measurable goals each year and name who owns each one. Without numbers and owners, a diversity policy becomes a poster on the canteen wall.
Voluntary and protected data
Make disclosure of disability, caste or similar details voluntary, restrict who can see the raw data, and report only totals large enough that no individual can be identified.
Festivals, food and language
Inclusion in India often turns on everyday details: optional festival holidays, vegetarian food at events and notices in the language people read. Put these in the policy, not just in goodwill.
Returnships and wider sourcing
Name the channels you will add, such as returnship programs, ITIs in other districts or disability employment networks. Changing where you look changes who you hire.
Accessibility with a budget
Commit to step-free access, an accessible washroom and assistive tools on request, and give the facilities or admin team a budget line for it.
Separate from equal opportunity
Keep non-discrimination rules and complaint routes in the equal opportunity policy, and use this policy for programs and goals. Mixing them blurs what is a rule and what is an aim.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Publishing a diversity statement with no goals, budget or owner behind it.
- Treating diversity as a gender topic only and ignoring disability, region, language and caste.
- Planning every team celebration around alcohol or around a single community's festival.
- Collecting caste or disability data without consent or without limiting who can see it.
- Hiring persons with disabilities without adapting the workplace, and then losing them within months.
Run it in ZeniaHR
Holiday Calendars let you add optional holidays with a yearly pick limit, apply holidays to chosen branches and departments, and see a report of who picked which optional holiday, so employees of every faith can observe their festivals. Company Wall posts and polls reach the whole company or chosen branches, and anonymous polls help gather honest views on inclusion. For progress reviews, export employee reports as CSV and compare hiring and exits across groups.
See it on your own data
A 30-minute demo on a video call. We set up your departments, shifts and leave rules and show attendance, leave and payroll running for your team. Free for your first 50 employees.
Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
What should a diversity and inclusion policy include?
It should include a purpose, the groups and stages it covers, specific commitments such as wider hiring outreach, accessibility, language, festival holidays and caregiver support, a small set of yearly goals with owners, and how progress will be measured and shared. Complaint routes for unfair treatment usually sit in the equal opportunity and anti-harassment policies.
How do you measure diversity and inclusion in a company?
Track representation by gender, disability and other groups at each level, and compare hiring, promotion and exit rates across groups every quarter. Add survey or poll questions on whether people feel heard and fairly treated. Keep sensitive data voluntary and report only totals, so members of small teams cannot be identified.
What is a returnship program?
A returnship is a paid, time-bound program for people returning to work after a career break, often women who stepped away to raise children or care for family. It offers a real role, a mentor, refresher training and some flexibility in the first months, with a route to a regular position at the end.
Do small companies need a diversity and inclusion policy?
A simple one helps even at 50 employees. A small company can still widen where it recruits, add optional festival holidays, fix basic accessibility and train its managers. Start with two or three goals you can actually track, and expand the policy as the company grows and adds locations.