If you want to attract top talent in a tight labor market, you should strive to become an equal employment opportunity (EEO) employer. To be an EEO employer, you must treat applicants and employees equally. Your company cannot discriminate based on the individual’s protected class. Through a strong EEO policy, you can build an inclusive work environment and attract the best quality candidates.

Practical Steps for Building Your Company’s EEO Policy

In a recent podcast on Mission to Grow, Mary Simmons, Asure’s vice president of HR compliance, discussed what it takes to ensure an inclusive environment and strong anti-harassment policies. According to Simmons, organizations need to use the Platinum Rule. “The Platinum Rule is that we’re treating others the way they want to be treated.”

Being an EEO employer goes beyond simply not discriminating.

• You must ensure every applicant or worker has access to equal employment opportunities.
• Employers must follow EEO laws.
• Your workplace must support diversity and inclusion.
• Managers and employees should be trained on anti-harassment measures. They should never discriminate against someone because they are part of a protected class, such as their race, gender, or national origin.

Through the best EEO policies, you can create a supportive work culture that brings in top applicants. 

Create Non-Discrimination Policies 

Simmons says, “There should be an EEO policy in everybody’s handbook. We include it in every single handbook we do, mandated state or not.” Federal law requires employers to display an EEO poster in their workplace. At the very least, your employee handbook should include the same poster and information that is included on the federal EEO poster.

As a part of your non-discrimination policy, you should clearly define what protected classes and characteristics are. You should also discuss the steps involved in reporting cases of harassment.

Unfortunately, it’s fairly common for the harasser to be a manager. Because of this, you need to place multiple people in charge of receiving harassment reports. You can even specify that any manager can receive a harassment report, so employees have many ways to report harassment in your workplace. 

Incorporate EEO Guidelines Into Hiring and Recruitment

Incorporating EEO guidelines into your hiring and recruitment process isn’t just a smart business move. It’s also a legal requirement. As a part of improving your hiring and recruitment, you should consider the following techniques.

• Creating objective job descriptions and requirements.
• Base your hiring decisions solely on these objective requirements.
• Make sure your selection criteria don’t exclude protected groups.
• Open up promotions to a broad pool of applicants and widely publicize the criteria.
• Periodically review your hiring and recruitment practices to ensure they’re in compliance.

Conduct Your Promotions Fairly

To ensure EEO compliance, your promotions should be based on objective criteria. This is one of the reasons why it is so important to create EEO-compliant job descriptions that use objective requirements. If you have an EEO-friendly job description, you can use standardized requirements for making promotion decisions at your organization.

It’s a good idea to review your promotions to see if they are being conducted fairly or not. For example, having a disproportionate number of promotions among a certain demographic could indicate a discrimination issue. When this happens, review the rubric you use for promotions. You may need to make some of the requirements more objective or quantifiable to ensure everyone gets an equal opportunity. 

Train Employees and Managers on Anti-Harassment 

As a part of your EEO policy, you should include required training on anti-harassment. Managers should receive special training because they play a key role in identifying, intervening, and reporting harassment. 

Depending on the state you live in, you may be mandated to offer anti-harassment training. There are currently six states that mandate this type of training as well as several municipalities. 

Whether you’re mandated to provide anti-harassment training or simply want to ensure a better work environment, there are a few important things you should do. You should keep a record of the program and each individual’s training completion. Additionally, the training program should involve a bystander intervention policy because this kind of policy is one of the most effective ways to counteract harassment. 

Protect Workers from Retaliation 

If you want employees to report harassment, you have to protect them. As a part of your EEO policy, you should include non-retaliation requirements. Employees must receive clear assurances that they won’t be punished if they come forward to report harassment. 

Keep Records 

One of the most important things your HR department can do is keep records. Besides having a record of your EEO policy, you should clearly record training on the EEO policy and anti-harassment. These records should involve the name of the training, the date the training occurred, the name of the employee, and their signature. 

In addition, you should carefully document every EEO complaint and your investigation. Other than ensuring a fair process, your records can serve as proof if you are ever audited or subjected to a lawsuit. 

Create a Complaint Process

It’s impossible to know if you have an EEO issue if you don’t have a way to receive and process complaints. This process should be clearly detailed in your EEO policy, and you should use the same investigative steps each time. By always using the same processes, you can ensure that each case is dealt with as fairly as possible.

At the end of the complaint process, you will need to determine your company’s best course of action. Your EEO policy should detail the repercussions that employees may face if they harass other workers.

More importantly, a documented complaint process helps your company act in a clear, consistent manner. By being consistent and fair in everything you do, your company can protect itself legally. Additionally, your business can create a fair, supportive environment for all of your employees.

Learn More About Incorporating EEO Rules Into Your Workplace

The right EEO policies can help your company navigate growth with ease. These policies help you avoid legal missteps while ensuring a better organizational culture. With a few key changes, you can improve your HR policies and enjoy having better employment practices. 

If you’re ready to take the next step in building your company’s EEO policy, Asure can help. For more information, reach out to our team of small business HR and payroll experts today.