It may seem like common sense. You shouldn’t discriminate against any of your employees, prospective candidates, customers, or anyone for that matter. Unfortunately, it still very much happens, and that is why the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is still in place. The EEOC (which is separate from OFCCP) manages federal laws that ban organizations from discriminating against applicants or employees based on race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability or genetic information.
We know it still happens, because in the last month alone, a few defense contractors settled federal discrimination cases. One contractor was required to pay just over $82,000 after discriminating and retaliating against a Black woman who worked as a recruiter. The EEOC alleged the recruiter opposed what she believed were discriminatory hiring practices and then was fired. Another contractor violated federal law by refusing to allow an employee to have a beard as a religious accommodation. After he complained to the EEOC, they didn’t schedule him for additional work.
UNDERSTANDING THE EEOC
In both of these cases, the employer’s conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans retaliation and race discrimination, requires organizations to accommodate “sincerely held religious beliefs absent undue hardship and prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion.”
The first also included a violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, which prohibits retaliation against employees based on age.
Here are three things you should be aware of under EEOC as an HR professional in the defense contracting world:
- Understand federal laws, regulations, EEOC sub-regulatory guidance, and more: You can view all of the laws, regulations, policy guidance, and download fact sheets, best practices, and other information organized by basis of discrimination on this page.
- Compliance and training: Ensure that your HR, recruiters, and all other employees are trained on EEOC laws, making these practices a part of your hiring culture. Make sure communication is open between HR and employees if there are concerns, and foster an environment where people feel comfortable speaking up if there are potential compliance issues.
- Recruiting: EEOC isn’t just an HR principle – it should be ingrained in your recruitment practices. Hire with EEOC in mind, make sure your processes are objective by self-evaluating (or peer/employee evaluating) every year, and employ methods that expand and diversify your candidate pool.
For more information and to stay up to date on EEOC guidance, click here.
THE CLEARED RECRUITING CHRONICLES: YOUR WEEKLY DoD RECRUITING TIPS TO OUT COMPETE THE NEXT NATIONAL SECURITY STAFFER.
