Equal employment opportunity is a parameter that every government struggles to balance. Federal laws are paved in a precise manner that would safeguard employee rights and benefits. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is a monitory body that regulates and intervenes in cases concerning employment discrimination in workplace settings.
A country functions on a foundation of moderation to monitor and manage the functioning of major sectors. Governments work for the people and are run by the people. Multiple ministerial departments have been established over the years to look after entitled spectrums precisely. These departments and schemes are targeted to work for civilian welfare.
US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was established to monitor and regulate whether any eligible or potential candidate applying for a job profile is being held for the process of hiring and selection without Discrimination (based on age, gender, race, sexual orientation, national origin, disability or genetic information, and pregnancy status). In addition, this commission works for the progression of employees and safeguards them from any equitable treatment.
The EEOC’s vision is to create a respectful and inclusive work environment of equal employment opportunities for all. EEOC’s mission is to aggregately prevent and suggest remedial measures to cope with unlawful employment discrimination and provide everybody with equal employment opportunities for all in the workplace. Equal Employment Commission covers employers with at least 15 employees and 20 employees in case of age discrimination. EEOC also includes labor unions and employment agencies located in federal territorial parameters.
ADA directs the vast definition of disability under EEOC. ADA defines disability as when an individual deals with a physical or mental condition that limits a major life activity synch as normal activities like walking, seeing, talking, or bodily functions like circulatory and endocrine functions. Or an individual who has a history of disability would also be counted in disability-recognized strata. Or when an individual is dealing with a medical condition that does not need to be long-term, permanent, or severe to substantially limit the scope of participation or performance. If an employee or worker is ill-treated at work due to “disability” (as defined by the ADA) then the EEOC can intervene and sue the organization.
Purpose of EEOC
US EEOC was established to suggest corrective measures and inclusive guidelines for employees working at organizations located in the territorial area of the United States. EEOC is a federal suggestion that is expected to have opted by every federal state and their parameters of compliance could vary at prominent levels.
The purpose of the EEOC is to establish a system of formulation which lacks any scope of biases or Discrimination against the job applicant or employees. Such a system is fledged with rules, regulations, limits, and consequences in case of discrepancies. This committee detects such cases of Discrimination and acts into it as a custodian working body.
EEOC nullifies the chances of Discrimination against any job applicant or employee due to the enforcement of federal laws. The grounds of Discrimination could be based on gender, race, religion, age, marital status, pregnancy status, or any medical information. As a part of their job, EEOC administers federal suggested laws, holds hearings, conducts investigations, takes complaints, and sometimes acts as a mediatory body to levy a settlement between the employer and the employee.
How does EEOC prevent Discrimination?
EEOC monitors intervene and pave regulations that every federal, state, local or private corporation is expected to stay compliant with. Or corporations located in the national territory are also accounted to remain compliant with EEOC regulations. As per the monitoring role, EEOC ensures that every accounted or targeted corporation, irrespective of its scale, is compliant with suggested regulations or not. As per the intervention role, EEOC intervenes or acts legally against corporations or managing bodies accountable for non-compliance with EEOC. Finally, and primarily, it paves a precise set of rules and regulations to eliminate or diminish the practice of harassment and Discrimination in a workplace setting.
Employee’s rights
under EEOC
Employees and employers are the primary stakeholders of EEOC. Accordingly, the commission solely safeguards employees from Discrimination and harassment in a workplace setting and recommends a mandatory set of rules and regulations for employers and managerial bodies.
- Firstly, it is the employers/employees who should hold responsible for maintaining the sane decorum of the workplace and paving and practicing non-discriminatory measures to keep the workplace environment free of any prejudice and discrimination in the workplace
- Employees are expected to report any discrimination occurring in the workplace to their HR or manager without expecting any consequences that would affect the status of the employee in the organization. Also, an employee can request a workplace change or reasonable accommodation concerning their disability situation or religion.
- And the corporation has to maintain a privileged status with employees’ medical data. And disclosure of an employee’s medical information from the employer’s end would lead to legal prohibitions.
- EEOC prohibits any discrimination and harassment of employees who are forty or above in age. Laws mandated by EEOC safeguard employees from being discriminated against based on their age.
A set of responsibilities to stay compliant with EEOC are mentioned below:
- As an employer, an individual
has to feel responsible at a sole level to maintain the decorum at an
individual level and keep the environment as professional and cordial as
possible. Employers must ensure that stuff like harassment, demotion,
(Because you think someone is not capable to do the job), retaliation,
discrimination on the basis as defined under EEOC as well as other acts
which are regulated by the agency don’t take in the workplace.
- HR and Managers are the basic authorities who would be sought when EEOC intervenes. It is the manager’s role to monitor the decorum of the workplace environment and intervene at their level in possible situations. Yet it is the manager’s responsibility not to tolerate discrimination in their territory and not treat employees in a discriminatory manner.
