legal framework of diversity

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee due to protected classes, including race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, or genetic information. Each of us belongs to at least one of these protected classes/groups, and these laws apply to all types of work situations, including hiring, firing, promotions, harassment, training, wages, and benefits.

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

Identify and name one of the EEOC protected classes/groups to which you belong. Give an example of how this protected class/group could be discriminated against in the workplace. (15%)
The EEOC provides a framework to safeguard against discriminatory practices in the hiring process. Many companies and organizations seek to hire employees that are a good “fit” for their respective institutions. Fit can be a subjective term and could have discriminatory implications. Provide an example of how “fit” could be problematic in hiring, firing, and other types of work situations. (15%)
Mention at least two types of strategies or trainings that human resources offices can offer employers to facilitate objective/neutral hiring processes. (10%)
Discuss at least one example from your current or previous workplace that exemplifies quality hiring practices. (5%)

Responses need to be separated by paragraphs and headings.

Respond to the above questions with an Intro and a Conclusion. The segment of Grammar, Syntax, Intro, & Conclusion will carry 20% of your grade.

Your responses to peers will carry 25% of your discussion grade.

The Citations and References following APA will carry 10% of the grade.

Legal Framework of Diversity

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Legal Framework of Diversity

Introduction

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a body that is responsible for the enforcement of federal government laws and regulations that make it illegal for employers to discriminate against an employee or job applicant on basis of protected classes, including color, race, religion, sex (gender, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), age, national origin, or genetic information (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, n.d.). All employees and applicants belong to one or more of these protected groups or classes. The regulations and laws enforced by the EEOC apply to all employment and work situations, including recruitment, hiring, promotions, training, harassment, wages, benefits, and firing. In this paper, the sex/gender protected class is discussed.

Sex (Gender)

The EEOC has two laws that protect employees from sex-based discrimination: Title VII, which prohibits employers from treating employees differently because of their sex, and The Equal Pay Act, which requires women and men in the same workplace to be given equal pay for equal work (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, n.d.). Title VII also prohibits employers from making decisions that are based on stereotypes about the traits and abilities of a particular gender. The Equal Pay Act ensures that men and women doing similar jobs within a workplace are given equal wages. The EEOC also enforced laws that prohibit sexual harassment within the workplace. This includes any sexual conduct, sexual jokes, requests for sexual favors, and non-sexual conduct that is gender-based (Occhialino & Vail, 2004). The body also protects employees from being punished within the workplace because you, or a close associate, have made a sex discrimination complaint.

How “fit” Could Be Problematic

Some organizations may have occupations that require a greater amount of physical quality and strength. This may necessitate such companies to hire men since they are considered stronger and more physically able compared to women. Female applicants for such jobs may be regarded unfit for the positions, and management may be inclined to hire only male applicants. However, this can be argued as gender-based discrimination especially where the activities or roles involved do not require a lot of physical strength and female employees can do the work. The management may choose to hire male employees since they get work done faster due to their “strength”. Such a company may find itself on the wrong side of the law as a result of the gender-based discrimination of job applicants.

Strategies/Training to Facilitate Objective/Neutral Hiring Processes

The HR departments of organizations can develop strategies to ensure fair-mindedness when recruiting and employing job applicants. One strategy is using a customized resume survey process during the selection of job applicants. This is a strategy where before the selection of applicants, the names, sexual orientation, religion, age, and other information that could result in discrimination is removed from the resumes of applicants. This ensures that recruiters remain objective and select candidates based only on their qualifications. Another strategy that HR can use is the training of interviewers and recruiters and ensuring gender balance in interview panels. This will minimize the chances of having a gender-biased interviewer panel and ensure that recruiters are aware of the protected classes to avoid discrimination during recruitment and hiring.

Example

While working for one of my previous employers, the company had interview panelists that were made up of men and women from across the world. This diverse panel ensured that all job applicants were given an equal employment opportunity and selected based on qualification. The panel was fair-minded and there were no cases of discrimination facing the company over the years that I worked there.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the EEOC is an agency that ensures that job applicants and employees are treated fairly and provided with an equal employment opportunity. The body enforced various laws that ensure that employers do not discriminate against employees and applicants based on factors such as age, gender, religion, race, color, or country of origin.

References

Occhialino, A. N., & Vail, D. (2004). Why the EEOC (still) matters. Hofstra Lab. & Emp. LJ, 22, 671.

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (n.d.). Sex Discrimination. https://www.eeoc.gov/youth/sex-discrimination