Most employers only think about their EEO statement in terms of complying with the law. What companies don’t realize is the other potential benefit, which is demonstrating their employer brand and attracting more candidates to apply. Crafting a sincere EEO statement shows your commitment as a company to equal opportunities, making you that much more desirable to candidates. Make yourself stand out as a company by demonstrating your culture and brand through your statement.
Use your statement as another way to market your company; many candidates nowadays are looking to work for companies that emphasize diversity and inclusion among their team. Word choice is powerful, and the words you include in your EEO statement can speak to your company’s culture and values. For example, using diversity-related words or gender-inclusive words such as “LGBT” can help speak to all audiences, and “accommodations” when it comes to disabilities. You also want to speak in first-person and make sure that the statement is coming from your company, use words like “we” “our” and “us” to make sure you’re referencing your company’s values as a whole.
To make your EEO statement unique and more powerful in communicating your company’s message, try out these cool ideas:
- Add in a point of contact for candidates with disabilities to reach out to, such as a phone number or email.
- Emphasize that you choose candidates based on experience, accomplishments, and merit to strengthen your message against discrimination.
- Use positive power words that may not be in a typical EEO statement, such as “appreciation,” “consideration,” and “respect.” For positive action verbs, you can use “integrate,” “celebrate,” or “embrace.”
To conclude, here’s a great example of an EEO statement written by Google that is concise, cohesive and ties all of these aspects together.
“At Google, we don’t just accept difference – we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products and our community. Google is an equal opportunity employer. Employment at Google is based solely on a person’s merit and qualifications directly related to professional competence. Google does not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding), or any other basis protected by law.
It is Google’s policy to comply with all applicable national, state and local laws pertaining to nondiscrimination and equal opportunity. The Company’s EEO policy, as well as its affirmative action obligations, includes the full & complete support of the Company, including its Chief Executive Officer. Because it’s just the right thing to do. We hope you think so, too.”
Do you have an EEO Statement you are proud of? Share it and let’s keep the learning going together!
