For my research paper, I have choose to analyze the equal employment opportunities within Hy-Vee Inc. Equal employment opportunity is a very specific yet broad determination of what is allowed and what is seen as discrimination. A lawsuit can be filed against any company that does not follow the strict guidelines put into action by the Supreme Court, Legislative Body, and Executive Branch. The objective of my paper is to explain the role that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission plays when dealing with the Human Resource department at a business during the hiring process and with the treatment of employees.
Also, I will explain the importance of equal employment opportunity laws for a general business and how they compare to those at Hy-Vee Inc. The regulations of equal employment not only stem from large companies but to those of all different size of employment. When I started my primary research, I thought it would be beneficial to me to get personal response to some questions I had regarding equal employment opportunities. I lead an interview with Rachel Wright who works for Hy-Vee Inc. as a human resource manager through a series of emails.
The basis of my interview was how Hy-Vee Inc. enforces the policies on discrimination, consequences of violating the policy, and how they provide information to employees to avoid discrimination in the workplace. All of my secondary information came from information from multiple online articles and textbooks based upon Human Resource Management practices. During and upon completing my interview with Rachel, the information I was provided was very helpful and insightful to the importance and prevention of discrimination in a workplace.
The Essay on Equal Opportunity and Discrimination
Anti-Discrimination policy for women at workplace was coined back forty years ago when U. S congress passed an Equal Pay Act of 1963 allowing women the freedom to receive the same pay as their male colleagues. Moreover, this act was mostly set as an example by almost all other the other countries that later began the process of anti-discrimination and equal opportunity for women in all fields of ...
She also assisted me in finding viable information through the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission so I could get an unbiased point of view how important the prevention and implementation of equal employment is on a day to day basis. A question I asked Rachel was, “How does Hy-Vee enforce the policies of discrimination during the hiring process and to current employees? ” She replied “We don’t stress the fact of actual discrimination to employees because there is a very broad diversion of what is to be considered discrimination.
They include race, religion, sex, age, and can get as specific as genetic differentiation. Instead, we stress the concept of inclusion of all employees during the training of new employees and development of current employees. ” This has provided positive results from her way of reiterating the aspects of discrimination into the workplace. Upon Rachel getting the job as the human resource manager she had to review and completely understand the anti-discrimination policy, among many others, so she could provide a positive environment for all employees.
Rachel also has posted many motivational posters and reminders around her store to encourage togetherness and respect between all employees. The results of her reminders were showing the cohesiveness of employees and also reflected the employees’ interaction with the customers. I also asked Rachel if she has dealt with any discrimination reports while she has been a human resource manager. She said that within her many years with Hy-Vee she has never heard of a complaint from any employees or customers that had to deal with the discrimination of someone. As an ex-employee at Hy-Vee Inc. I saw how diverse the workforce is and especially the customers. From my experience with working with such a diverse group of people, I noticed when managers reiterate the aspect of diversity and discrimination it creates a unity in the department and makes everyone comfortable with each other. This makes the employees look past what the appearance of each other while actually getting to know who they are and how they work. It has shown to me how shallow some people can be when they can’t understand that physical appearance has nothing to do with the personality and work ethic of a person.
The Research paper on Riordan Employee Discrimination Case Study
Passed by the United States Congress in 1990, the ADA addresses the barriers and discrimination that people with disabilities have traditionally faced. The ADA’s origins are in the Civil Rights Act, and expand the definitions of the Rehabilitation Act by addressing the issues of public accommodations (building and facilities must be accessible to disabled individuals including those in wheel ...
Even though the aspect of diversity is stressed pretty strongly during the hiring process, it is always effective to keep employees aware of the potential consequences for themselves and the company if it happens. In conclusion, Hy-Vee Inc. seems to implement the aspect of effective teamwork into the hiring process and implementation of the day-to-day operations very well. I thought it was very eye-opening when Rachel stated she has never heard of any discrimination complaints since there are thousands of diverse people you interact with when working in retail, especially in the grocery business.
This shows how effective the corporate ethics were implemented into the Hy-Vee stores that have great organizational culture. Although from my personal experience at Hy-Vee and my interview with Rachel does not imply that there has not been any circumstances where discrimination was involved between employees or with customers. My recommendations to Hy-Vee Inc. would be to have managers reiterate the aspects of diversity to their departments because I have seen firsthand that it is an effective approach.
Also, to have annual store meetings to just keep everyone up to date on the policies including discrimination amongst other aspects of company policy. From the response of Rachel it seems that herself and management staff are taking appropriate and effective approaches to prevent discrimination in the workplace. It’s also very important for Hy-Vee Inc. and their store managers to understand that it only takes one person to discriminate and that can ruin the image of the store and company. II. Theoretical Aspect (Literature Review) 2. Definition of Equal Employment Opportunity Equal employment opportunity is a policy statement that all individuals should be equally considered for a job and not be discriminated against for reasons such as their race, color, marital status, religion, disability, sex, or national origin (“Equal employment opportunity,” 2011).
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was one of the first laws that were passed regarding equal employment opportunity. This act stated that all those that were born in the United States are now citizens, no matter what their color or race.
The Term Paper on Affirmative Action Discrimination Act Employment
... major race-conscious legislation was the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This act prohibited discrimination in employment, public accommodations, education, and by programs ... but it would be up to the communities and individuals to listen and embrace the ideas and theories ... web 3. EEOC Regulations. New Regulations. The U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Retrieved July 10, 2002 from the ...
Making them citizens gave them the right to form contracts, sue others, be sewed, as well as own, sell, or lease property (Civil Rights Act of 1866).
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was just an attempt to prevent discrimination and it was not until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that racial segregation and discrimination in the workplace, public facilities, and education were outlawed. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was divided into titles and each of these titles dealt with specific classifications of discrimination. 2. 2 Definition of Discrimination
According to Mathis and Jackson (2003), discrimination is defined as “recognizing differences among items or people. ” There are two categories based on the type of discrimination, disparate treatment and disparate impact. Disparate treatment discrimination is “(1) different standards are used to judge individuals, or (2) the same standard is used, but it is not related to the individual’s jobs. ” (Mathis and Jackson 2003) An example of this is if an obese employee was required to take a special skills test that was not given to other employees working the same job.
This type of discrimination has been common in the past and many cases go unreported because the applicant is not aware others did not undergo special tests for the job. This is prominent in factory jobs that require attention and physical movement because the managers want people they think will be suitable for the position so they are not slowing production getting them in trouble for not meeting certain requirements. Disparate Impact discrimination is “when members of a protected category are substantially underrepresented as a result of employment decisions that work to their disadvantage. (Mathis and Jackson 2003) The court case that made this type of discrimination a legal issue of equal employment opportunity was the Griggs v Duke Power, 1401 U. S. 424 (1971).
This case involved African American workers who were required to have a high school diploma or take a special skills test to obtain employment or get promoted at the company. This was in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which sates, “Prohibits discrimination in hiring, promotion, dismissal, benefits, compensation, or any other terms, conditions, or privileges of employment based on race, religion, color, gender, or national origin. (Lovey) From this, Congress passes the amendment, Equal Employment Opportunity Act, which gave the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) the power to represent those that were being discriminated and make sure legal action ensued. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 solidified that companies who were partaking in this discrimination would be subjected to jury trials and punitive damages. (“The civil rights”) 2. 3 Definition of other laws regarding equal employment Discrimination has many types of aspects in the workplace as to how it can be classified.
The Essay on The age discrimination in employment act
Part 1625 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 29, Chapter XIV is the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) specifies that it is unlawful for a covered employer to discriminate in "hiring or in any other way by giving preference because of age between individuals 40 and over." Essentially this act forbids firing, refusing to hire or to promote, or treating an individual differently ...
Being discriminated against simply means that one person or a group of people are being treated unequally because of their background and beliefs. The most common and prominent reasons for discrimination is because of age, sex, race, and disability. There are many more aspects as to why an organization or a single person chooses to discriminate. The discrimination claims can include pregnancy, religion, military experience, or sexual orientation. The discrimination of race is when someone is characterized and evaluated differently based upon their ethnic origin which in many cases is determined by the color of one’s skin.
This type of discrimination as I stated before is covered in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII also states that it is against the Civil Rights Act to discriminate against an individual who is married or involved with someone of a different ethnic origin. It also states it is illegal to harass an individual through racial jokes, offensive comments, or physical conduct because of their race or color. (Discrimination in the Workplace) Discrimination based upon the orientation of sex of an individual is deemed sexual discrimination.
This forbids any employer to make the assumption that an individual of a specific sex cannot perform certain job responsibilities and duties because of their sex. Sexual harassment is also considered a type of discrimination based upon sex. Sexual harassment can involve acts such as talking about doing certain things or it can actually involve sexual favors which are forced upon someone. Sexual harassment can be the result of covering up mistakes one has made or be used to achieve advancement within the company. These allegations can create a work environment that is unhealthy and threatening to many people of the organization. Costello and Mains) Age discrimination is when an employer refuses to hire an applicant because of their age. This can also be applied if an employee is terminated because of their age. “The Age Discrimination Act in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967, amended in 1978 and 1986, prohibits discrimination in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment against all individuals age 40 years or older working for employers having 20 or more workers. ” (Mathis and Jackson 2003) Employees who work for the state government cannot sue in the federal court system because the ADEA is a federal law.
The Essay on Employee State Insurance Act
The Act in fact tries to attain the goal of socio-economic justice enshrined in the Directive principles of state policy under part 4 of our constitution, in particular, articles 41, 42 and 43 which enjoin the state to make effective provision for securing, the right to work, to education and public assistance in cases of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement. The act strives to ...
Age discrimination has been an increasing problem with the higher demand for products and the want for younger fast paced employees. However, employers that focus on recruiting or providing “preferential treatment” of older workers do not violate any part of the ADEA. (Mathis and Jackson 2003) Disability discrimination is when an employer discriminates against an individual because of a physical or mental disability they have. The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 coincides with the Equal Employment Opportunity Act.
The ADA states that managing employees with disabilities is to make reasonable accommodations in several aspects. Examples of accommodations that employers will make include but not limited to are, modified work schedules, special equipment, job restructuring, job reassignment, and employer-provided assistance. Luckily for employers many of these accommodations can be don’t without much expense. (Mathis and Jackson 2003) To be considered to have a disability the employee must have a medically diagnosed mental impairment or a physical disability.
The disability covers many aspects of clinical conditions such as HIV and AIDS but not certain conditions such as kleptomania or pyromania. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) of 1978 requires that any employer with 15 or more employees treat maternity leave the same as other personal or medial leaves. Closely related to the PDA is the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993, which requires that individuals be given up to 12 weeks of family leave without pay and also requires that those taking family leave be allowed to return to their job. Mathis and Jackson 2003) It is legal if an employer terminates a pregnant employee for excessive absenteeism due to the sickness that women face when pregnant because they are not being treated differently than other employees with absenteeism problems. Amongst many other types of discrimination, an employer cannot discriminate against an employee due to their military status or previous status. Two of the most important laws that protect the military veterans are the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) of 1994.
The Research paper on Affirmitive Act Employment Groups Equal
Affirmitive Action AFFIRMITIVE ACTIONInAffirmitive Action Essay, Research Paper AFFIRMITIVE ACTION In the Human Rights Act, Chapter 214 of the revised statutes, 1989, it states that in recognition that human rights must be protected by the rule of law, this Legislature affirms the principal that every person is free and equal in dignity and rights without regard to race, religion, religious creed, ...
These laws require employers to recognize leaves of absence return to employment rights, prompt reemployment on return, protection from discharge/retaliation, health insurance continuations, and continued seniority rights. The employers are not required to pay the veterans while on military leave but many firms provide some sort of compensation (Mathis and Jackson 2003) III. Practical Aspect 3. 1 Background and description of Hy-Vee Inc. The company was started in 1930 by Charles Hyde and David Vredenburg when they opened a general store in Beaconsfield, Iowa. The name Hy-Vee came in 1952 with a contraction of Hyde and Vredenburg.
The two owners expanded into Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota. To date there are 235 supermarkets and more than 56,000 employees located through the Midwest. Hy-Vee supermarkets offer a diverse series of products such as, bakeries, catering services, floral products, meal solutions, full service deli and meat products, health markets, coffee shops, casual dining, gas stations and pharmacies. With sales that exceed $7. 6 billion throughout all the stores, Hy-Vee ranks among the top 20 supermarket chains in the top 50 private companies in the United States.
Supermarket News has honored the company with a Whole Health Enterprise Award for its leadership in providing services and programs that promote a healthy lifestyle. (Hy-Vee Inc. ) 3. 2 Discussion There have been many companies that get sued and lose settlements over discrimination. Large well-known companies such as Wal-Mart, Target, Apple, Marriot, and Google amongst many others have dealt with these problems in the past and will continue to. When doing my research of discrimination cases against Hy-Vee I was not able to find any that the plaintiff had won according to their discrimination allegations.
One of the cases I came across was Oglesby v. Hy-Vee in the district court for the district of Kanas on December 1, 2005. Oglesby brought a suit against Hy-Vee alleging employment discrimination, harassment and retaliation in violation of the Age Discriminations in Employment Act (ADEA).
Oglesby stated he was repeated called out by his immediate supervisor for not willingly showing customers where items would be located and just telling them what aisle or section its located. He also stated he was being call “grandpa” “abuelo” and “old man” by numerous employees and managers.
Once this continued for a while, Oglesby told the store director and later filed a claim against Hy-Vee since he didn’t think appropriate action was taken. The result of this case did not result in monetary value since he could not prove he was subjected to the hostile work environment and which claims could not be recovered. There was a sex discrimination case that was filed against a manager of a Hy-Vee in Iowa City, IA in 2004. A 19 year old girl filed claims against her manager who promoted sexual tendencies with her often. She was finally left with no choice after he manager exposed himself to her while trying to kiss her.
The manager was terminated when he pled guilty to indecent exposure. Although this was not a case against the actual corporation, it proves that it can only take one person like the aforementioned manager to ruin a reputation of a store. Ruth Comer, a spokeswoman for Hy-Vee stated “We do a great deal of training for managers on sexual harassment issues and don’t tolerate sexual harassment in the workplace,” about the incident. While interviewing Rachel, I had asked her if she has ever heard of any claims from other employees of discrimination.
She said “I have heard many rumors or statements from the various Hy-Vee employees I’ve worked with about discrimination and harassment claims. All of the instances have not made it outside the store level due to the accommodations made by the managers and store directors that dealt with it. It is not something that is taken lightly but we take necessary actions so those types of things can be avoided and kept from reoccurring. ” When I was working at Hy-Vee I did notice that the managers would take appropriate actions when someone was involved in a case but it never ended in termination.
Working in retail you find that there is a lot of gossip which can cause many problems. I noticed this was not the case here. When a problem arose, the employees involved would end up not working the same shifts or switching to a different department if they worked together. IV. Conclusion and Recommendations 4. 1 Conclusion The laws that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has enforced are clearly stated and mandatory to follow, in which action will be taken if they are not. Since Hy-Vee Inc. employs over 56,000 workers, it is especially important for each member of the company to be aware of the laws.
From my interview with Rachel, it was made clear to me that they are currently implementing ways of eliminating discrimination at Hy-Vee and making it known that it is important to report anything. Concluding from research that I found on Hy-Vee, it shows they have areas that they can improve. Hy-Vee recently has also created the policies and informed their employees of what to do in certain situations by giving employees resources to report violations of the laws and policies. 4. 2 Recommendations What I would recommend to Hy-Vee is create a few more ways to make sure the employees are aware of the laws and policies.
One way of doing this is could be hosting yearly meetings for managers to come up with ways to remind the employees of the discrimination laws and the present it to them. Another way that Hy-Vee can remind employees of the policies is to post signs in meeting rooms such as break rooms, office buildings, and lunch areas so that the employees are reminded on a daily basis. Employees could also fill out surveys as to how they think Hy-Vee is doing regarding the policies and if they feel comfortable in the setting they work in.
Managers could bet trained to create closer bonds with employees to make them more comfortable about bringing forth their problems and concerns. List of References: Costello & Maines (2013).
Sex-Based Discrimination | Workplace Discrimination. Retrieved April 19, 2013, from http://www. costellomains. com/Sex-Based-Discrimination–2-25173. html United States Senate. Committee on the Judiciary (2012).
The Civil Rights Act of 1964. Retrieved April 2012, from http://www. judiciary. senate. gov/about/history/CivilRightsAct. cfm US Supreme Court Center (2004).
Griggs v. Duke Power Co. – 401 U.
S. 424 (1971) :: Justia US Supreme Court Center. Retrieved April 2012, from http://supreme. justia. com/cases/federal/us/401/424/ Hy-Vee Inc. (2013).
Company. Retrieved April 2012, from http://www. hy-vee. com/company/ US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2013).
Types of Discrimination. Retrieved April 2013, from http://www. eeoc. gov/laws/types/index. cfm Mathis, R. L. , & Jackson, J. H. (2003).
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