Policy 8.4 : Equal Employment Opportunity

Policy 8.4 : Equal Employment Opportunity
1. Background

Community Enterprise Inc. is a non-profit organisation established for the purpose of supporting people with disabilities and their families living in the Shire of Hidden Valley.

The services offered by Community Enterprise include group home accommodation, in-home respite, out-of-home respite, home help and community access.

Community Enterprise is a non-profit, community organisation which is governed by a management committee elected annually by the members. Community Enterprise receives all of its operating funds from the Western Australian Government in the form of an annual grant.
 
2. Purpose and Scope
The purpose of this policy is to specify procedures and performance standards to ensure that staff selection and promotion practices within the agency are based solely on merit and are not negatively influenced by factors such as disability, ethnicity, gender, age, religious belief or political affiliations.  The policy has been framed around equal opportunity principles as they are specified in the Equal Opportunity Act (1984), Disability Discrimination Act (1992), Sex Discrimination Act (1984), Racial Discrimination Act (1975), Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act (1986) and Standard 8 of the Disability Services Standards (1993). As an agency which assists people with disabilities to remain valued members of the local community, the agency considers that it has an additional obligation to promote and demonstrate best practice in the application of affirmative action principles to the employment of people with disabilities.  This policy applies to all of the agency's programs and activities.
 
3. Policy Statement
The agency is committed to ensuring that prospective and current staff are not discriminated against on the grounds of disability, ethnicity, gender, age, religious belief or political affiliations and that equal opportunity principles are enshrined in all staff recruitment, selection and promotion practices.
 
4. Procedures

The following procedures are to be implemented to ensure that the agency meets its policy objective of operating a discrimination free workplace that promotes equal opportunity principles.

The agency will:

  1. Maintain a current written policy on equal opportunity that covers all staff recruitment, selection and promotion activities.
  2. Ensure that all staff are aware of the existence of the Policy on Equal Opportunity and have access to a written copy of the policy.
  3. Ensure that offices owned or leased by the agency are physically accessible.
  4. Recruit new employees on merit and on a fair and open basis.
  5. Look for opportunities to fill vacancies within the agency with people who have disabilities.
  6. Undertake any reasonable workplace modifications or provide any necessary equipment.
  7. Provide specialist on-site training and support where required.
  8. Promptly investigate, remedy and document any agency employee grievance regarding equal employment opportunity.
 
5. Performance Standards

The following performance standards must be met to ensure that the procedures specified in Section 4 are implemented effectively:

  1. All new employees are provided with a copy of the agency's Policy on Equal Employment Opportunity and a staff copy of the policy is kept in each service outlet.
  2. Premises owned or leased by the agency are physically accessible, including shower and toilet areas.
  3. Employee recruitment and selection is undertaken in accordance with the agency's Policy on Employee Recruitment and Selection.
  4. The workplace is modified and equipment provided where required.
  5. Employees with specific needs are provided with a suitably qualified person, internal or external to the agency, to assist the employee to perform his or her job to the agency's expectations.
  6. Any grievances that are lodged are addressed in accordance with the equal employment opportunity principles outlined in this policy and the Policy on Staff Grievances.
  7. All employees are made aware of the contents of the Policy on Equal Employment Opportunity.
 
6. Review of the Policy
This policy will be reviewed on a two yearly basis.  However, if at any time the legislative, policy or funding environment is so altered that the policy is no longer appropriate in its current form, the policy will be reviewed immediately and amended accordingly.
 
 

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