Equal Opportunities Policy

Our Equal Opportunities Policy template is for use by any employer. It provides rules as to how staff and their management should treat staff to avoid discrimination.

Equal opportunities laws in the UK have been in place for many years now, but have also developed and been extended over recent decades. There are certain rules that every employer must observe and it is their responsibility to ensure that its employees don’t cause harassment or discrimination, as the employer can be held liable for the actions of its staff in this respect (known as vicarious liability). This policy (and of course ensuring it is followed in practice) is a good step in the direction of ensuring the employer’s legal responsibilities are complied with and that staff don’t suffer discrimination. It sends a clear message to staff that they are not to cause, or contribute to, discrimination. It also assures staff who have suffered discrimination or seen another employee suffer, that they can raise a concern with management and not fear recriminations as a result.

A simple policy can save you:

• thousands of pounds in employment tribunal awards, and
• from the damage to your reputation from the bad publicity that can result from tribunal claims.

Using our Equal Opportunities Policy template

You will find our template really quick to complete – in just a matter of minutes. The guide that comes with it will lead you through each section and explain the purpose of each. It could not be simpler.

Other HR Handbook documentation available

If you already have other HR policies, you can add this document to them as part of an HR handbook. Alternatively you can buy our complete HR Handbook and receive a generous discount of 20% on buying each policy separately. Have a look at our HR templates section for full details.

Clauses in this Equal Opportunities Policy

So you have an idea of what the policy covers, the following is an excerpt from this template’s guide:

Equal Opportunities Statement

This section explains what an Equal Opportunities Policy is and that the employer is an Equal Opportunities Employer. Also this section lists the “Protected Characteristics” – those personal attributes that you must not discriminate against by law.

Equal Opportunities Policy Outline

The first paragraph states how this equal opportunities policy applies to all aspects of employment of staff.

In the second paragraph of this section, fill in the name or position of the person with whom the workers can raise any equal opportunities concerns.

While in the third paragraph of this section of the equal opportunities policy, the procedure is expressed to be non-contractual, employers should consult employees or their representatives if they are thinking of revising their policy. Please note that if the policy has been approved after negotiation with a trade union, it may have become a contractual term of the employees’ contracts. In such a case, modify the template accordingly by deleting the third paragraph of this section (the words in square brackets).

Equal Opportunities and Discrimination

The first paragraph in this section of the equal opportunities policy sets out that this policy applies to all staff in their relationships with other employees and recruitment candidates, but also in their relationships with the public when they are representing the employer. For example, when at networking events or in their dealings with customers.

The numbered paragraphs that follow set out:

• the ways in which unlawful discrimination could occur,
• that the employees must avoid causing such discrimination, and
• that the employer has a duty to avoid these sorts of discrimination from taking place.

Paragraph number 3 refers to the possibility of harassment happening and having an Anti-Bullying Policy in place to deal with it specifically. If you need one, Legalo has such a document available. If you do not want to have one, then delete the whole of the sentence that is in square brackets.

Recruitment Process

This section sets out how to go about avoiding discrimination getting into the recruitment process.

Disability Discrimination

This part of the equal opportunities policy confirms the employer’s commitment to the legal duty to make reasonable changes to enable an individual to complete their work duties. This process requires co-operation from the disabled employee so that you can consider necessary adjustments together.

Part-Time and Fixed-Term Employees

This section states that the employer is committed to another legal duty. This is to avoid discrimination that would result in the employer treating part-time or fixed-term employees worse than those that are permanent and/or full-time employees.

Disciplinary Action

In this section it sets out that if employees don’t comply with this policy, it is a disciplinary offence.