What is across-the-board? Simple Definition & Meaning

Across-the-board describes a policy, decision, or action that applies uniformly and without exception to every single person, item, or category within a specified group or organization, rather than being selective or targeted.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

Example 1: Corporate Salary Adjustment
Imagine a large technology company announces an across-the-board 5% salary increase for all its employees. This means that every single person on the company's payroll, from the newest intern to the most senior executive, will receive a 5% raise, regardless of their department, performance review, or current salary level. This illustrates the term because the increase is applied universally to all categories of employees within the company.
Example 2: Government Service Reduction
During a severe budget shortfall, a municipal government might implement an across-the-board 10% reduction in funding for all non-essential public services. This would mean that every department, from parks and recreation to public libraries and community centers, would see its budget cut by the same 10% amount. This demonstrates the term as the reduction is applied equally to all identified categories of public services, rather than targeting specific ones.
Example 3: University Policy Change
A university's academic senate might pass an across-the-board policy requiring all undergraduate students to complete a new digital literacy course before graduation. This policy would apply to every student pursuing an undergraduate degree, regardless of their major, year of study, or college within the university. This exemplifies the term because the new requirement is applied uniformly to all members of the undergraduate student body.

Legal Definitions - across-the-board

Simple Definition of across-the-board

Definition of across-the-board