Built by Rankite, the SEO team behind Swordfish AI's +400% revenue and Zluri's +45% organic growth. See the case studies
The four-fifths rule, also called the 80% rule, is the standard first-pass check for adverse impact in hiring, promotion, and other employment decisions. Enter the number of applicants and the number selected for two groups, and the calculator above works out each group's selection rate, the impact ratio between them, and whether that ratio clears the 80% threshold.
Start by dividing each group's number selected by its number of applicants to get a selection rate. Take whichever group has the higher selection rate as your benchmark, then divide the other group's rate by that benchmark. If the result comes out below 0.8, or 80%, the lower-selection-rate group falls short of the four-fifths threshold and the process is flagged for possible adverse impact.
The four-fifths rule is written into the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures, adopted in 1978 by the EEOC and codified at 29 CFR 1607.4(D). A selection rate for any race, sex, or ethnic group that is less than four-fifths of the rate for the group with the highest rate is generally treated by the EEOC and other federal enforcement agencies as evidence of adverse impact, which shifts the burden onto the employer to justify the selection procedure as job-related.
Courts and the EEOC treat the four-fifths rule as a starting screen rather than a legal standard on its own. A process can pass the ratio and still show adverse impact under a more rigorous statistical significance test, particularly with large applicant pools, and a process can fail the ratio on a small sample without that gap being statistically meaningful. Use this calculator to spot-check a selection process, and treat a failing result as a prompt to review the process in detail, not as a finished legal conclusion. If your small business needs a broader look at how your hiring or marketing processes hold up to scrutiny, a free SEO audit is a good place to start a conversation about the rest of your growth operations.
Want this done for you? Rankite offers monthly SEO management and SEO strategy session.
Work out the true cost of filling an open role from your recruiting spend.
Calculate your turnover rate and see how it compares to your industry.
Compare the true cost of hiring an employee against a contractor.
Get a free, no-obligation SEO audit and a 30-minute strategy session. We'll show you exactly where the growth is hiding.
Fill out the form and we'll get back to you within one business day. Prefer email? Write to us directly at contact@rankite.com.