What Are Merit-Based Opportunity Profiles?
Merit-Based Opportunity Profiles evaluate employment decisions to determine whether outcomes align with legitimate, job-related factors such as experience, education, tenure, and performance. The goal is to confirm that opportunities are being distributed based on merit—not influenced by non-job-related characteristics.
This analysis provides a structured way to assess fairness while supporting consistent, compliant decision-making across the organization.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why were Merit-Based Opportunity Profiles created?
With the removal of traditional affirmative action requirements for certain employers, organizations still need a structured, defensible way to evaluate employment practices. Merit-Based Opportunity Profiles provide a compliant alternative focused on objective, job-related factors rather than demographic targets or placement goals.
How is this different from affirmative action analysis?
Unlike affirmative action plans, Merit-Based Opportunity Profiles do not establish goals or utilization analyses. Instead, they focus on whether employment decisions can be explained by legitimate business factors, helping organizations document fairness and consistency in their practices.
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