Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
What is Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)?
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) is ensuring that hiring is done without discrimination on the basis of legally protected classes, including race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, and physical or mental disability.
Any organization with over 15 employees (including full-time, part-time, temporary, and seasonal employees, work program placements, and volunteers) who have had this number of employees (or more) for over 20 months are subject to Equal Employment Opportunity laws.
Example
Our recruiting tool allows us to view applications with the names obscured, allowing us to more easily comply with Equal Employment Opportunity laws.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What organizations are required to follow Equal Employment Opportunity laws?Any organization with over 15 employees (including full-time, part-time, temporary, and seasonal employees, work program placements, and volunteers) who have had this number of employees (or more) for over 20 months are subject to Equal Employment Opportunity laws.
- What classes are protected under Equal Employment Opportunity laws?The following classes are currently considered protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (establishing Equal Employment Opportunity):
- Race
- Skin color
- Religion
- Sex (including pregnancy status, sexual orientation, or gender identity)
- Age (over 40)
- National origin
- Physical or mental disability
- Genetic information (including family medical history)
- When were Equal Employment Opportunity laws first passed?Equal Employment Opportunity was federally established by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, passed in 1964. Additional classes have been defined as “protected” by various statutes introduced since, including Age (1967), Military History (1974), Disability (1990), Family History and Genetic Information (2008), and Sexual Orientation or Transgender Status (2020).
- What actions are covered under Equal Employment Opportunity laws?Equal Employment Opportunity laws cover any actions that affect someone’s job status, including hiring, firing, transferring, promotions, and setting wages. EEO laws also apply to advertising for job positions, the choice to refer or not to refer applicants, and the legal classification of employees.
