Equal employment opportunity (EEO) is a principle that holds that all persons should be accorded a fair chance to find or maintain employment. This means that people should be judged on the basis of merit rather than attributes such as gender, race, sexual orientation, age, religion, or disability. In the past, human resource managers and managers used certain criteria that excluded some people during the recruitment process. For instance, some places did not traditionally hire Black people.
Other places disproportionately employed more men than women or paid more money to the former despite them doing the same job. It is essential to note that discrimination does not pertain to the hiring process alone. Other employment contexts where EEO is relevant to include compensation, disciplinary actions, downsizing, and termination.
There have been numerous evolutions in human resource management that relate to equal employment opportunity. For one, there are federal laws that protect certain classes of people and prohibit employment discrimination. Examples of such laws include Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Pregnancy Discrimination Act, and Equal Pay Act. Unlike in the past, employers can be sued for discriminating against protected classes of people. Other than being legally required by law, research shows that EEO positively impacts an organization.
For instance, research shows that EEO leads to diverse workforces, and organizations that have such personnel have better employee morale and performance. They also record higher profits and have better reputational capital. Although some organizations are yet to embrace EEO, there has been a significant stride in this area in the recent past. In general, the principle of equal employment opportunity has made it possible for people of all attributes to be accorded a fair chance at employment.