Equal Employment Opportunity
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws are aimed at prohibiting discrimination against anyone by ensuring that all applicants or employees regardless of their protected class or category such as gender, race, national origin, color, religion, and disability have a fair opportunity in a hiring process. Also, ensuring that they have equitable opportunities in competing for promotions and equal access to professional development opportunities such as training. As for Affirmative Action (AA) laws, they are a remedy in addressing past practices of discrimination. The laws were established to level the playing field for people of a protected group such as women, people with disabilities, and minorities. The minorities group comprises of African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and American Native Indians.
Affirmative Action measures are not automatic since a court of law must order their implementation. However, there have been rare occurrences of true measures across the United States. Therefore, implementation of Affirmative Action is typically considered as a voluntary goal-oriented program. EAA policies are compulsory in all hiring situations such as job advertisement and the hiring process. Although there is a difference between EEO and Affirmative Action laws, both have a common goal, which is promoting fairness in workplaces. This essay will explain the history of the establishment of these laws and their current purpose. Additionally, this essay will discuss the effects of these policies on the hiring process and their impacts on a work environment.
AA laws are policies established by the government to level the playing field for historically underprivileged people due to discrimination based on their race, gender, religion, color, or national origin. These laws generally apply to equal opportunities in employment, business, and education. AA was initially created by Executive order 10925 which was signed by President John F. Kennedy in 1961( ghgjg). The order was advocating against discrimination of employees or applicants by government employers based on race, religion, color or national origin. Additionally, the order required government employers to take affirmative action in ensuring that applicants are employed and treated equally during employment regardless of their race, religion, color, or national origin. Later in 1965, the affirmative action was extended by President Johnson to affirm the federal government’s commitment to promoting equal employment opportunities. In 1967, the Affirmative Action was further extended to include other protected categories such as women and people with disabilities by Executive Order 11375 ( gjg). The current purpose of AA is promoting social equality through the special treatment of socioeconomically underprivileged people. Most of the cases, these people are underprivileged due to historical reasons such as slavery or years of oppression.
EOO laws are policies established to ensure that that unlawful discrimination and harassment is comprehensively eradicated from all work environments. Also, these laws ensure employees are provided with equal opportunities in jobs, training, and development. The EEO laws were initially created when President Lyndon Johnson issued Executive Order 11246. The Order required every head of each executive department and agency to start establishing and maintaining an affirmative program of equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees for employment within its authority. This Order led to the first EEO Executive Order in 1969, that is, Executive Order 11478 which was signed by President Richard Nixon. This order obligated the U.S government in providing equal opportunity in federal employment for all individuals. Also, the order’s purpose was prohibiting discrimination in employment based on race, gender, color, religion, age, physical or mental disabilities. The EOO contains six federal laws for prohibiting unlawful job discrimination such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1991, the Equal Pay Act, the American with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Additionally, EOO includes one federal regulatory body for coordinating all federal EEO regulations practices and practices known as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
The policies and regulations found in both in EOO and AA have significant effects on the hiring process which include: first, how a hiring firm designs its job advertisements and selects its mode of submitting the advertisements such as web, newspaper, flyers or job board. When designing the ad, the organization must ensure that it does not discriminate against any protected class or group to comply with the policies in EOO and AA. Also, the number and variety of modes of advertisement submission determine the range of candidates reached, hence ensuring all types of the population have access to the advertisement. Secondly, how a hiring firm selects qualified candidates from a large application pool, the policies may help the organization in establishing a more standardized selection process. A more objective and standardized process can help the organization in ensuring all categories or groups of people are included in the hiring process. Additionally, the standardized process can help in ensuring the accuracy of screening results and increasing retention.
Thirdly, how an organization hires to fill a vacant promotion position, the EOO and AA regulations ensure equal opportunities for all qualified candidates. In compliance with these policies, an organization must ensure all qualified candidates are notified and allowed to apply for the position. For example, an organization should post the vacant job for a particular period and place the vacanchttps://essaygroom.com/american-airlines-strategic-analysis/y notice through an accessible mode of communication to ensure indiscrimination in the notification process. Also, the organization should develop standardized screening tests and strategies to ensure equal opportunities for all candidates.
There are several impacts of policies and regulations in both AA and EEO on the work environment. For instance, first, the policies can have a positive impact of creating a diverse workplace which can provide an organization with two significant advantages. First, enhancing the capabilities of problem-solving by an origination’s team based on access to a broader range of experienced staff from diverse backgrounds who can offer a more extensive array of potential solutions. Secondly, providing an organization that embraces a multicultural workforce the opportunity of serving multicultural communities. This is because an organization can overcome language and cultural barriers, thus creating better customer relations and loyalty. Secondly, the negative impact of AA and EOO policies is creating a stigma in the workplace. This is because when an organization hires individuals from a particular protected group or class in compliance to the policies, some employees may begin questioning the merits of their positions based on education and experience thus doubting their competency in the workplace. This can lead to the hired employees being disrespected, thus creating schisms and resentment at the work environment that affects morale and productivity.