Equal Opportunity Policy in Employment

The National Housing Development Co. Ltd. (NHDC) is committed to building an organisation that makes full use of the talents, skills, experience, competence, desire and willingness to work and different cultural perspectives available in a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-lingual society, and where people feel they are respected and valued. They can also achieve their potential regardless of their status, that is, their age, caste, colour, creed, ethnic origin, impairment, marital status, place of origin, political opinion, race, sex or sexual orientation.

The NHDC will apply its Equal Opportunity Policy at work in all its employment policies, procedures and practices.

The aims of this policy are to ensure that:

  • no one receives less favourable treatment, by reason of his or her age, caste, colour, creed, ethnic origin, impairment, marital status, place of origin, political opinion, race, sex or sexual orientation, or is disadvantaged by any conditions, requirements, provisions, criteria, procedures or practices that cannot be justified on any or more of the above-mentioned grounds, or victimised for taking action against the employer for discrimination or for assisting a fellow employee in taking such an action;
  • opportunities for employment, training and promotion are open to all candidates irrespective of their status that is, age, caste, colour, creed, ethnic origin, impairment, marital status, place of origin, political opinion, race, sex or sexual orientation; and
  • selection for employment, promotion, transfer and training and access to benefits, facilities and services will be fair and equitable, based solely on merit and not on the status of the employees or prospective employees that is, age, caste, colour, creed, ethnic origin, impairment, marital status, place of origin, political opinion, race, sex or sexual orientation.

This policy applies to all aspects of employment, from recruitment to termination of employment. We will take the following steps to put the policy into practice and implement it:

  • The policy will be a priority for the organization,
  • The Managing Director will ensure implementation of the policy on a day-to-day basis,
  • The policy will be communicated to all workers and job applicants and will be displayed on the NHDC website,
  • Workers and their representatives will be consulted regularly about the policy and related action plans and strategies,
  • The policy will be explained to all workers so that they are aware of their rights and responsibilities and on how it will affect the way they carry out their duties and also what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable conduct in the organization,
  • Managers and workers in key decision-making areas will be trained on the discriminatory effects that certain provisions, practices, requirements, conditions, and criteria can have on workers, and the importance of being able to justify decisions to apply them,
  • Complaints about discrimination in the course of employment will be treated seriously and may result in disciplinary sanctions and even dismissal,
  • Opportunities for employment and training will be widely advertised, internally and subsequently externally, and save where a genuine occupational requirement or statutory exception applies, all applicants will be welcomed, irrespective of their status, that is, their age, caste, colour, creed, ethnic origin, impairment, marital status, place of origin, political opinion, race, sex or sexual orientation,
  • All workers will be encouraged to develop their skills and qualifications, and to take advantage of promotion and development opportunities in the organisation,
  • Selection criteria will be entirely related to the job or training opportunity,
  • Grievances, disciplinary action, performance assessment, and terminations of employment, for whatever reason, will also be monitored,
  • Requirements, conditions, provisions, criteria and practices will be reviewed regularly, in the light of the monitoring results, and revised, if they are found to or might discriminate,
  • An equal opportunities action plan will be drawn up, with equality targets and timetables, to show what steps the organisation plans to take to achieve equality of opportunity,
  • The effectiveness of the policy and the plan will be monitored regularly. A report on progress will be produced each year, and published via the website, the staff newsletter, notice boards, and the annual report.