Summary
An Equal Employment Opportunity regulation provides workers with equal employment opportunities. It protects workers from unlawful discrimination on account of color, sex, race, and religion. The laws of EEO also protect workers from acts such as harassment and retaliation against a person filing a charge in relation to discrimination. This facilitates good working relations between employers and employees.
There are 5 main EEO laws that guide and protect the workers. The Equal Pay Cut of 1963 (EPA) prohibits the establishment of sex based wage rates. It demands that men and women are paid fairly in regard to their experience and qualifications. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) protects certain age groups of people (Buckley, 2012). It protects employees that are more than 40 years old. The fourth law is based on The Disabilities Act.
The law protects people with disabilities working in the state and local government or the private sector. There is also the Civil Rights Act that requires people practicing discrimination to be fined by a court of law. There is also the Title VII that serves the interests of entrepreneurs. ADEA addresses the interests of organizations with more than 25 people. It encompasses government agencies and other firms within the United States.
History
President Lyndon Johnson contributed a lot to the issue of equality in employment. His activities can be traced back to the 24th of September 1965. He facilitated issues that saw the establishment of fairness in employment. This formed the foundation of the EEO administrative order.
It was on August 8th, 1969 that President Richard Nixon signed the Executive Order 11478. The Executive Order required the State Government to prohibit discrimination based on race, nationality, disability, religion and sex at the workplace. At that moment, the EEO laws were enforced. The EEO Commission is an organization entrusted with the task of overseeing that the EEO regulations, policies and practices are properly coordinated.
In 1964, the Congress created this commission to enforce the same act. The authority of the commission was to establish gender equity in organizations (Connolly & Connolly, 1979). The main purpose of the EEO laws was to prevent employment discrimination based on race, sex, nationality and religion. EEO laws ensure fairness in employment practices. Employers should follow these policies strictly.
They should educate themselves and know their roles with regard to the EEO laws. The workers should also know about these policies and regulations. The employers can facilitate this by providing information material to the workers. This will help in conflict resolution in the work environment. Employers and employees will be aware of what the law expects them to do.
Impact
EEO laws have implemented changes in the work environment. The main aspect was to ensure fairness in the working environment for all workers. EEO laws have built a sound environment for both the employer and the employee. There is mutual understanding between the two parties. The laws have facilitated awareness, not only to the employers, but also to the employees (Pemberton & Practicing Law Institute, 1975).
Employees are aware of their rights in the working environment. The EEO laws give the worker an opportunity to sue the employer when there is a breach of the regulations or policies. Workers have the right to take the employer to court on violation of the EEO laws. EEO laws have helped remove âfearâ of the worker towards the employer (Bohlander & Snell, 2010). As long as the worker is responsible, they should not worry about the employerâs actions. EEO laws avert bias in the working environment.
They have fostered equality in all and facilitated awareness to all employees within organizations. This has created a good working environment that enhances maximum productivity. Moreover, if the workers are satisfied, the complaints are few. In fact, there is good coordination among the employees of many organizations.
Impact on HR professional
The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA) has positively contributed to the work environment. Its benefits have seen the success of many firms and organizations. The law sensitizes employers on the issue of gender equality. Gender equality has been a problem in formulating the work and wages for workers for many years.
For a long time, women have been in the dark in terms of gender equality. This law makes it clear that all the people are equal irrespective of their gender. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) protects the employees that are aged above 40 years (Burstein, 1994). This encompasses matters of pension, benefits and the experience. The employees above this age deserve a significant reward for their work.
ADA addresses the working environment of employees. The regulation protects the employees with disabilities. It ensures that bias and discrimination are averted in the work environment. This motivates people to give their maximum potential in production activities. They are equal to the other employees in terms of recruitment, promotions and other benefits. Currently, there are more people with disabilities in the working environment than there were in the past years.
References
Bohlander, G. W., & Snell, S. (2010). Managing human resources. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Buckley, I. J. F. (2012). Equal employment opportunity compliance guide 2013. S.l.: Kluwer Law International.
Burstein, P. (1994). Equal employment opportunity: Labor market discrimination and public policy. New York: DeGruyter.
Connolly, W. B., & Connolly, M. J. (1979). A practical guide to equal employment opportunity. New York: Law Journal Seminars Press.
Pemberton, J. J., & Practicing Law Institute. (1975). Equal employment opportunity: Responsibilities, rights, remedies. New York: Practicing Law Institute.