Equal opportunity policy template

1. Purpose

[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer. This policy ensures that decisions about recruitment, pay, training, promotion, transfer, discipline and separation rest on qualifications, skills, performance and business need, and never on personal characteristics that have nothing to do with the job.

2. Scope

The policy covers job applicants, employees of every level and employment type, trainees and interns. It binds every manager, interviewer and HR team member who takes or influences an employment decision, at all locations of [Company Name], and any recruitment agency acting for us.

3. Definitions

• Discrimination: treating a person less favourably in an employment decision because of a protected characteristic.
• Protected characteristics: gender, gender identity, religion, caste, tribe, place of birth, region, language, colour, age, marital status, pregnancy, disability, health condition including HIV status, sexual orientation, political opinion and membership of a workers' union.
• Reasonable accommodation: a change to equipment, workspace, schedule or process that allows a person with a disability to do the job, without placing an undue burden on the Company.

4. Policy

• Recruitment: job advertisements state the skills and experience the role needs. They state no preference for gender, age, religion or community unless a genuine occupational requirement exists and HR has approved it in writing.
• Selection: all candidates for a role face the same core questions and the same scoring sheet. Interviewers do not ask about marriage plans, pregnancy, religion or caste.
• Pay: employees doing the same work or work of a similar nature receive equal pay regardless of gender. Any difference must be explained by grade, experience, performance or location.
• Training and promotion: openings are announced openly and decided on criteria stated in advance.
• Pregnancy and family duties: no employee loses a role, a raise or a promotion because of pregnancy, maternity leave or caring responsibilities.
• Disability: the Company provides reasonable accommodation to candidates and employees who ask for it.
• Night work: women are rostered on night shifts only with their consent and with the safety arrangements required by law, and declining night work will not affect their appraisal.

5. Procedure

• HR reviews every job advertisement and job description before it is published.
• Interview panels for roles at [Grade] and above have at least [Number] members, and scoring sheets are kept for [Number] months.
• Each year HR compares pay within every grade by gender and reports any unexplained gap to [Approver Designation] with a plan to close it.
• A candidate or employee who believes a decision was unfair writes to [HR Head Email]. HR reviews the decision, speaks to those involved and replies in writing within [Number] working days.
• Where discrimination is found, the decision is corrected wherever possible and the person responsible faces action under the Disciplinary Action Policy.

6. Responsibilities

• HR: publish the policy, check advertisements and pay data, and handle complaints of unfair treatment.
• Managers and interviewers: record the reasons for hiring, pay and promotion decisions, and judge people only on job-related criteria.
• Employees: treat colleagues fairly and report decisions or behaviour that appear discriminatory.

7. Exceptions

Programs that help under-represented groups, such as a returnship for women after a career break or a hiring drive for persons with disabilities, do not breach this policy. Requirements set by law or by a genuine need of the job, such as a valid driving licence for a driver, are also permitted.

8. Review

[HR Head Designation] reviews this policy every [12] months alongside the annual pay comparison and hiring data, and updates it whenever the relevant law changes.