Indicator 3.4.1

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Indicator 3.4.1

by Contact on 8 October 2026

Requirement

The UoC shall not engage in or tolerate any form of discrimination, and shall ensure that all employees and applicants receive equal treatment and opportunities in all employment and recruitment practices.

How Do I Interpret This Requirement?

  • Discrimination is the unequal treatment of different of people, based on their personal characteristics, such as:

    • age

    • caste

    • colour

    • disabilities

    • ethnicity

    • gender

    • legal status

    • marital status

    • nationality

    • parental status

    • participation in trade unions

    • political opinion

    • pregnancy

    • race

    • religion

    • sexual orientation.

  • Discrimination:

    • is a global and pervasive problem

    • causes negative impacts on many levels

    • can lead to individuals suffering unequal treatment, stress and harm, at home, in society and in the workplace

    • can perpetuate poverty

    • can stifle development and productivity.

    • Sometimes discrimination can be obvious and clear, but at other times it can be difficult to detect and consequently, hard to address.

  • Equal opportunities means:

    • equal pay for equal work

    • equal living standard for equal work

    • equal employment possibilities for equal ability/engagement

    • equal promotion possibilities for equal ability/engagement.

  • Equal opportunities at work means that all employees in an organisation, regardless of their sex, race, language, religion, economic or family situation, and other characteristics, have the same opportunities for:

    • education

    • training

    • career development

    • chances to apply for and be selected for posts

    • chances to be promoted.

    • Table 3 below shows some examples of situations considered and not considered discrimination.

Table 3. Examples of discrimination situations:

Situations which are considered discrimination Situations which are not considered discrimination

A and B are both managers doing the same job at the farm. A is a man and B is a woman. A is paid a higher salary than B, because he is a man. A is a manager and B is a machine operator with less responsibility. A is paid a higher salary than B because the job has more responsibility.

A and B both apply for the same job. A has higher qualifications than B, but B is selected for the job because he comes from the same church as the farm manager. A and B both apply for the same job. A has higher qualifications than B, so A is selected for the job.

A and B are both technical assistants. A has been in the company for a longer period of time than B and both have equal performance, however, only B has received access to multiple training courses and been offered a promotion to technical manager, because A is a migrant worker. A and B are both technical assistants. A has been in the company for a longer period of time than B, but B has been showing a higher performance. B is promoted to technical manager.

Evidence of Implementation

  • terms of service between recruitment agencies and the UoC

  • documents from recruitment processes

  • payslips and pay records

  • employee contracts and terms and conditions

  • anti-discrimination policies

  • hiring and promotion policies

  • diversity and inclusion policies

  • training records for employees and managers related to non-discrimination

  • termination and disciplinary records.

Auditors Should Confirm

  • whether employees feel that they and their colleagues receive equal treatment, and that promotions are based on merit;

  • whether the composition of the workforce at different levels suggests there are no barriers for certain groups to be promoted.

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