Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Affirmative Action (AA) are not required in today\’s evolved organizational climate. EEO and AA enforce quotas on organizations that must be met during the hiring process, thus hiring unqualified applicants. Evaluate this statement. Do you agree or disagree? Explain.
Discussion 8-2: Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action
I disagree with the statement indicating that “Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Affirmative Action (AA) are not required in today’s evolved organizational climate. EEO and AA enforce quotas on organizations that must be met during the hiring process, thus hiring unqualified applicants.” EEO is a concept that guides organizations not to discriminate against employees on the basis of race, gender, religion, age, or disability (SHRM, 2022). On the other hand, AA is a combination of standards set by employers to direct the proactive recruitment, placement, and promotion of people from protected groups including race, gender, religion, age, or disability. Both EEO and AA are required in today’s organizational climate due to the constant rise in the diversity of populations. AA basically helps to create an organizational climate in which candidates or people from different cultural backgrounds have an equal opportunity for employment (SHRM, 2022). EEO and AA encourage diversity inclusion.
Although EEO and AA set conditions that organizations must meet during the hiring process, it does not encourage the hiring of unqualified applications. Leaders of an organization are charged with the responsibility of creating policies that guide the hiring process and that encourage the hiring of qualified candidates. An organization that adheres to EEO and AA processes must still interview applicants to identify those with the skills and knowledge required for the job (The American Association for Access, Equity, and Diversity, 2022). The hiring team must ensure that they do not favor employees on the basis of race, gender, religion, age, or disability when selecting applicants after an interview process.
References
The American Association for Access, Equity, and Diversity. (2022). History of affirmative action, diversity and inclusion. https://www.aaaed.org/aaaed/About_Affirmative_Action__Diversity_and_Inclusion.asp
SHRM. (2022). What is the difference between EEO, affirmative action, and diversity? https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/hr-qa/pages/eeo-affirmative-action-diversity.aspx