Standard : Hiring and growth practices are inclusive and fair
Purpose and Strategic Importance
This standard ensures that our hiring, onboarding, and progression practices are inclusive, equitable, and transparent—creating an environment where all individuals have equal opportunity to thrive. It helps us attract and retain diverse talent, reduce bias, and build a culture of fairness, representation, and psychological safety.
Aligned to our "Inclusive & Diverse Engineering Culture" and "Psychological Safety First" policies, this standard enables teams to be stronger, more creative, and more resilient through diversity of thought. Without it, we risk perpetuating exclusion, limiting potential, and undermining our values.
Strategic Impact
- Improved talent acquisition and retention across diverse backgrounds
- Increased team creativity, innovation, and problem-solving capability
- More equitable career growth and recognition pathways
- Strengthened employee engagement and belonging
- A reputation for fairness that attracts top-tier engineering talent
Risks of Not Having This Standard
- Systemic exclusion or underrepresentation of diverse talent
- Bias in hiring, performance evaluation, or promotion decisions
- Reduced team morale, inclusion, or engagement
- Slower progress in building a high-performing, values-driven culture
- Missed opportunities for innovation through diverse thinking
CMMI Maturity Model
Level 1 – Initial
| Category |
Description |
| People & Culture |
Hiring and promotion rely on informal networks or unstructured judgement. |
| Process & Governance |
No defined approach to equity or inclusion in recruitment or development. |
| Technology & Tools |
No tooling or support for inclusive hiring or progression practices. |
| Measurement & Metrics |
No visibility into diversity, inclusion, or equity outcomes. |
Level 2 – Managed
| Category |
Description |
| People & Culture |
Teams begin exploring inclusive practices, but adoption is patchy. |
| Process & Governance |
Some inclusive practices exist, such as structured interviews. |
| Technology & Tools |
Basic templates or checklists support inclusive job descriptions. |
| Measurement & Metrics |
Diversity stats may be captured, but not consistently reviewed. |
Level 3 – Defined
| Category |
Description |
| People & Culture |
Teams are trained in inclusive hiring and equitable progression practices. |
| Process & Governance |
Fair, repeatable processes are used in hiring, onboarding, and evaluation. |
| Technology & Tools |
Tools and systems are in place to minimise bias and promote inclusion. |
| Measurement & Metrics |
Inclusion and representation data is reviewed and acted upon regularly. |
Level 4 – Quantitatively Managed
| Category |
Description |
| People & Culture |
Inclusion and equity are embedded in performance and growth discussions. |
| Process & Governance |
D&I outcomes inform leadership strategy and hiring targets. |
| Technology & Tools |
Dashboards and analytics highlight disparities and guide interventions. |
| Measurement & Metrics |
Goals are in place to improve inclusion and representation across roles. |
Level 5 – Optimising
| Category |
Description |
| People & Culture |
Diverse leadership pipelines and mentoring are standard. |
| Process & Governance |
Practices evolve through feedback, research, and continuous improvement. |
| Technology & Tools |
Advanced tools support real-time insights into fairness and bias. |
| Measurement & Metrics |
Inclusion is measured as an experience metric, not just a demographic one. |
Key Measures
- % of roles filled using inclusive hiring frameworks
- Diversity representation across levels and disciplines
- Time-to-progression by demographic cohort
- Employee sentiment on fairness and belonging
- Audit scores or gap analysis from inclusive practice reviews