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Working with EEO documents
Probably the most immediate action senior management can take to show their commitment to EEO and a harassment-free work place is issue a policy statement. (Companies with 100 or more employees should already have in place a policy statement about equal opportunity for women in the workplace.)
A best practice policy statement should include the following content:
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explain what discrimination and harassment are and state clearly that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated in the workplace
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list the grounds of discrimination that apply in your state or territory
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explain the consequences of a breach of the policy
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indicate who is responsible for implementing EEO
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indicate what employees should do if they have a complaint
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be signed off by the CEO or contain some other indication of support from senior management.
Policies should be distributed widely throughout the organisation by a number of different means:
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part of induction training
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included in the employee handbook
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posted on notice boards and intranets
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handed out with pay slips or included in folders that are easily available to all staff.
Employee grievances about discrimination and harassment should be addressed in a confidential, efficient and effective way. An effective grievance handling procedure, such as the Personal Grievance Policy on HR Advance, will form an integral part of an organisation's overall strategy for dealing with discrimination and harassment at work.
An employee with a grievance that is unaddressed is more likely to take a complaint of discrimination or harassment to an outside agency.
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