What are Some Functions of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission?

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, is the federal government’s agency that is tasked with interpreting and enforcing federal laws that prohibit various forms of discrimination. The EEOC fulfills their purpose through conducting investigations, interpreting the law and mediating settlements between employees and employers. They also hold hearings, issues regulations and litigate discrimination claims.

Civil Rights Compliance Enforcement

The EEOC’s primary job is to interpret and enforce federal laws that prohibit employment-based discrimination. The most important one is Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that forbids workplace discrimination based on race, color, gender, religion and national origin. The EEOC pays careful attention to how HR professionals post job ads, screen and interview employees. Employers are forbidden from asking questions related to the civil rights categories during interviews. The Civil Rights Act also prohibits harassment based on these attributes and any retaliation against employees who file a complaint or exercise their rights under the law. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act was created in 1976 as a form of illegal sex discrimination. Related to this, the Equal Pay Act mandates that employers must pay men and women equally for doing the same work.

Disability Discrimination Compliance Enforcement

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects applicants and employees who either have a disability or are incorrectly assumed by the employer to have a disability. The ADA requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations that allow employees with disabilities to perform their job duties. The definition of reasonable accommodation is actually quite vague, so companies must prove that the proposed changes or modifications for the disabled employee will cost a lot of money and interrupt normal business operations. The EEOC must interpret many workplace scenarios for employers because certain situations cannot be adjusted for certain disabilities and some can easily be adjusted. For example, a production employee who must quickly move between processing lines and machines must have full physical mobility. However, a desk job that requires the employee to use the computer to contact clients all day can easily be adjusted.

Additional Compliance Enforcement

The EEOC also enforces a few lesser known laws. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) forbids age discrimination against applicants and employees over the age of 40. This law usually applies to companies who are forced to close locations and lay off employees because they tend to target older employees. It also applies to hiring and promotion practices because many companies discriminate against older applicants who they feel lack flexibility and the ability to quickly learn. The ADEA requires employers to provide equal benefits for older employees and release certain information to older employees as part of severance packages or early retirement programs. One of the new laws, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), forbids prohibits discrimination based on genetic information. It prohibits employers from gathering genetic data about employees and requires any legally obtained data to be kept confidential.

The EEOC issues regulations that interpret the laws that Congress passes related to discrimination. These regulations define important terms, establish compliance procedures and highlight any gray areas. The EEOC accepts discrimination complaints from employees and applicants. They evaluate the information in order to either dismiss, investigate or mediate the charge. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission plays an active role in minimizing discrimination in private and public employers.

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