Equal Employment Opportunity

 Equal Employment Opportunity

What is equal employment opportunity...?

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Persistent patterns of employment segregation have long been challenged through what is here called “the discourse of equity”. Associated equity legislation and equal employment policies have not succeeded in changing these patterns. “The management of diversity”, a newly‐developing discourse, is claimed by its proponents to encapsulate traditional equity issues in a more managerially compelling format. Additionally, through this new discourse, progressively addresses issues associated with managing diverse people in a global context. Argues that, in the context of globalizing capitalism, a new homogeneity with different patterns of exclusion is being achieved. The pragmatic focus on “the management of diversity” may diffuse the emancipatory imperative implicit in “the discourse of equity”. Urges an examination of the extent to which traditional equity concerns have been co‐opted to divert attention from new forms of systemic employment segregation (Grice, S. 1995).

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EEO doesn’t guarantee that people of underrepresented groups will get hired. The purpose of EEO regulations is to make sure nobody will face rejection or difficulties because they’re in a protected group.

For example, under EEO laws you cannot reject a candidate simply because they’re Jewish or Christian, African or Caucasian, or because they’re pregnant. Similarly, you cannot advertise jobs asking for candidates of a certain age, and you cannot promote men over women – you can only base this decision on each person’s proven capabilities, performance and other objective criteria, rather than biases against protected groups.

If your company fails to comply with equal employment opportunity regulations, you may face complaints, lawsuit and fines. There are also the intangible costs associated with having a uniform instead of diverse workforce; you’re missing out on the benefits of different perspectives and approaches to the work at hand (Rabha, M 2019).

In the legal sense of the EEO definition, “same chances” or “equal opportunity” means that employers cannot use certain characteristics as reasons to hire or reject candidates or make other employment decisions; in other words, they cannot discriminate against those characteristics. In many countries, protected characteristics include:

• Race / color
• National origin / ethnicity
• Religion
• Age
• Sex / gender / sexual orientation
• Physical or mental disability

Advantages of equal employment opportunity

promotes diversity

People of various backgrounds, ethnicities, races, genders, etc., make up an organization's workforce. We call this a diverse workforce. Diversity is strongly linked to the concept of equal opportunity in companies.

right development opportunities

Employees seek to develop and learn in their careers. They do not want to stop their growth. As a leader, you need to understand their needs. One of the best ways to aid progress is by granting equal employment opportunities.

good organization reputation

People are always on the lookout for a company with a strong brand reputation. To build that reputation, you need an employee-centric work culture. It helps in establishing a valuable market presence (Rabha, M 2019).

References...

Grice, S. (1995), Equal employment opportunity and management of diversity.

Rabha, M (2019), 5 advantages of practicing equal employment opportunity.