Frequently Asked Questions

Discrimination in employment and occupation refers to any distinction, exclusion or preference that results in individuals being unfairly disadvantaged or excluded from the workplace or labour market. This can be based on race, colour, religion, sex, disability, political opinion, national origin, social background or any other characteristic unrelated to job performance. Freedom from discrimination, or non-discrimination, is a fundamental human right.

Equality in the workplace focuses on ensuring every person can flourish at work, experiencing equal opportunities and treatment. That is, all persons, regardless of their personal characteristics can participate in and contribute according to their capacity without interference of discrimination or bias. 

Equality acknowledges that individuals have different circumstances, and that some groups have historically faced discrimination. Achieving equal opportunities is not about treating everyone the same, but about ensuring that resources and opportunities are distributed according to people’s specific needs and contexts.

No. The Non-discrimination and Equality Analysis Tool is a self-assessment tool intended to provide companies with a better understanding of where they are in their progress towards ensuring non-discrimination and equality in the workplace. The voluntary tool will help companies of all sectors, sizes and regions to understand the concept of non-discrimination and equality and identify areas where further action can be taken. The tool is based on self-reporting and is meant to be a learning platform. The data is not third-party validated and thus does not serve as a reporting mechanism, auditing or certifcation tool.

We encourage companies to take the assessment on a regular basis to monitor the effectiveness of your policies and practices and to measure progress over time.

This tool is publicly available and free to use. No fees are associated with accessing or using the tool.

Congratulations on completing the assessment! Take this opportunity to celebrate your company’s strengths. Use the insights and resources provided to identify next steps and continue strengthening your commitment to workplace non-discrimination and equality across your business.

Kindly note, the listed areas of improvement are for your company’s knowledge. No follow-up to your results will take place, but we encourage you to take the results into consideration as you evolve your strategy, policies and practices.

If you have questions or feedback to the survey, please reach out to nde-tool@unglobalcompact.org with any inquiries.

Companies should always comply with national laws. However, where legal frameworks fall short of international labour and human rights standards, companies are encouraged to align their practices with globally recognized principles. These include the core labour standards of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the UN Global Compact’s Labour Principles, such as the elimination of discrimination in employment and occupation. Even if the relevant conventions (e.g., ILO Convention No. 111) have not been ratified in a given country, companies can still demonstrate leadership by promoting non-discrimination and equality to the fullest extent permitted by law and by being transparent about any legal constraints they face.

Protecting your privacy is a top priority. All data entered into the self-assessment is strictly confidential. Results will never be attributed to individual companies or disclosed publicly. Data will only be used in aggregated form to identify broader trends in workplace non-discrimination and equality practices, and to inform areas where additional support and resources may be needed.

Additionally, all data is stored on a modern and fully secured server. All user interactions and data sent to the self-assessment are encrypted using TLS connections that are comparable to online banking encryption. This ensures the complete privacy of all user data entered into the site during the self-assessment.

By using the tool, you will not only benefit from gaining a better understanding of your company’s progress on ensuring workplace non-discrimination and equality, but you will also contribute to the collection of valuable data at the aggregate level that will inform future work on workplace non-discrimination and equality.

While not mandatory, companies are encouraged to voluntarily share their results with stakeholders to promote dialogue and drive action towards strengthening workplace non-discrimination and equality.

All company results are confidential and will not be publicly disclosed. You will only be able to view another company's results if they choose to publish them independently (e.g., on their website). The UN Global Compact may release reports highlighting overall trends based on aggregated, anonymised data, but individual company scores will never be shared.