12 important items to consider when being an equal opportunity employer:
Start with publicly sharing that you are an equal opportunities employer and adopt employment policies that demonstrate your commitment to that principle.
Introduce an anti-harassment and bullying policy and seek to promote a good and harmonious working environment.
Recognize that some people may be disadvantaged by certain policies put in place in your work environment, practices and procedures or by the physical features of your premises and commit to making reasonable adjustments to remove or minimize those disadvantages.
Ensure that your recruitment and selection procedures are fair and are founded on the principle of objectively selecting the best person for the job.
Ensure that employment policies, practices and procedures reflect your commitment to equality. For example, working patterns should allow flexibility for those who have caring responsibilities and those with disabilities.
Deal promptly and seriously with any complaints of discrimination and harassment that you may receive.
Lead by example, demonstrating that you take the commitments outlined in your equal opportunity policies seriously by consistently applying them yourself at all levels of the organization.
Seek the support of your workforce and their trade union representatives, in your efforts to promote equal opportunities.
Inform your managers and employees about how you expect them to respond and stress the importance of complying with your employment policies. Be proactive, speak to your employees, and check that they know what you expect of them.
Provide training in equal opportunities for all employees, especially those with supervisory responsibility and those who make recruitment decisions so they are familiar with equal opportunities principles and with your policies and procedures.
Provide training in equal opportunities for all employees, especially those with supervisory responsibility and those who make recruitment decisions so they are familiar with equal opportunities principles and with your policies and procedures.
Take positive or affirmative action, where appropriate; e.g. where your analysis of monitoring data reveals that certain groups are under-represented in your workforce or are experiencing disadvantages compared to other groups. By doing so, you may be able to correct those problems, increase the diversity of your workforce, and better promote equality of opportunity in your employment.
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