Equal Employment Opportunity and Discrimination

The Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) is often complex and companies might find themselves at crossroads with the law. If this happens, heavy court fines may sick companies and their images detrimentally affected by allegations of discrimination. In places where discrimination is not tolerated, diversity is encouraged as explained by Barak (2016). EEO and discrimination are two concepts that invoke fear among companies as they often attract ruthless legal scrutiny, which often leaves such companies reeling with heavy consequences. This paper will evaluate the principles of EEC and discrimination from the perspective of the Atlantic Shrimp Company.  

With 301 workers at its principal processing plant, the Atlantic Shrimp is a huge market player. Out of the workers, 73% are between 23 and 31 years indicating that the company enjoys the services of a younger workforce. The principal processing plant is located in Savannah, Georgia, and requires its workers to have at least a high school diploma or a GED to secure employment in the firm. As the situation stands now, the company’s entire cleaning crew in the principal processing plant is Caucasian. 

With the information on Atlantic Shrimp Company provided above, it is important to probe whether the company complies with the Civil Right Act of 1964. If the company does not comply with the Civil Right Act of 1964, this paper will evaluate whether the company needs to make policy changes to ensure compliance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It will be necessary to investigate whether it is important to comply with the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. If it is determined that such compliance is necessary, changes necessary to ensure compliance will be effected. it is important to comply with these laws and to make a distinction whether the company is in operation as per the requirements of the law.

Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Demographics of Savannah, Georgia

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the principal civil rights regulation in the United States. The act ensures that there is no discrimination at workplaces based on race, color, sexual orientation, religion, gender, and nationality. The act guards to ensure that there is equivalent access to public spaces and employment. It is also within the act that schools be unified as well as according to the right to vote for all citizens. Unfortunately, the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 did not put a stop on the discrimination, a subject that is heavily contested in courts. 

 The State of Georgia has Savannah as its first city. Savannah obtained its name from General James Oglethorpe who named the final American colony and as such, he was recognized for his work. Savannah revolved to become a strategic port city during the American Revolution and the American Civil Wars. According to Data USA (2019), the city has a population of 144,717 people with a mean age of 31.8. The number of employed people in Georgia is 63,097. The most common race in Savannah, Georgia, as depicted by Data USA (2019) is Black representing 53.7% of the population, while the Whites and Hispanic represent 36.7% and 5.2% of the population respectively. It is further estimated that in 2016, there were 1.46 times more black residents than any other race as explained by Data USA (2019). 

Using the data provided above, it is clear that the Atlantic Shrimp Company was not operating within the confines of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, the company has room to improve its current standing. Title VII of the Act forbids there being a majority of the workplace being dominated by a single race, especially where the population is not reflective of such a decision. For establishments with more than 15 personnel, the law is particularly strict and with the Atlantic Shrimp Company having 301 employees, the guidelines cannot be bent.  

Focusing on age, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act defines what amounts to age discrimination. The law was passed to ensure that older employees were engaged, especially based on their capabilities rather than their age> This was developed to prevent discrimination while at the same time resolve conflicts, which are synonymous with an aging workforce. It has been demonstrated that the median age of the population in Savannah, Georgia is 31.8 years old. In Atlantic Shrimp, 73% of the workforce is aged between 23 to 31 years old. Given the nature of work conducted on the plant, coupled with the statistics, the company needs to enforce more policies to ensure that it is operating within the confines of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act as described by (Harrison, 2018). Discrimination claims against the company based on age cannot be proved unless there is a significant claim that the company has employment spots specifically for the 23 to 31-year-olds.  

Policy Change Needs to Conform to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

It has been demonstrated that the company is in gross violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act compels an organization to ensure that it follows the rules of the EEO. Staff members who are above 40 years and above would for sure face discrimination in the company as observed by Sargeant (2016). Given that the Atlantic Shrimp Company does not strictly adhere to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, it is necessary to make some changes to the policies in the company. 

Adjusting the policies of the company to fit the requirements of the Act would be beneficial to the company in that, it would shield the company from vicious court battles mounted by its employees who feel aggrieved. In such an eventuality, the company would have to prove that there is no age discrimination in the company. Such allegations would attract the interest of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which would investigate and make a determination whether the company has a case to answer. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2019) claims that it is the ultimate place where people should get technical assistance, education, and outreach plans. 

The company can institute measures that ensure applicants for jobs in the cleaning department get the best deal possible. Further, the company should ensure that its members of staff who are currently in the 23-31 age brackets are not axed once they surpass the current maximum age. They need to be accorded personal development opportunities that will see them get more skills for higher placed jobs as explained by Smedley (2017). The company should make it its policy to transition a given percentage of the said workforce to higher cadres to ensure a redistribution of the age. Further, if people between the age of 23 and 31 years must do the cleaning, the company needs to provide sufficient reasons, that such a job cannot be handled by people above that age. 

Appendix

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission provides actual and factual information that relates to employment and discrimination. The information presented on the website is credible and has been designed and verified by an agency of the federal government. The EEOC is the commission that handles the issues of workplace discrimination and as such, the information present on its website is very articulate and informative. The information is meant to guide the public on how to go about cases of discrimination. The website is the trusted source of information for the public and as such, it can be treated as the gospel truth. 

The Age Discrimination Website is dedicated to the process of explaining and letting the entire populace come to the realization that age discrimination is an offense that demands action and should be abhorred by all. The website sources intellectual from different people who have in depth knowledge about age discrimination in the U.S. The website makes important references to different studies and texts with credence to give information to the public about age discrimination. It provides information on how a business can defend itself and how an aggrieved party can sue. The website gives a detailed analysis of cases and statistics about age discrimination. The website further gives an analysis of cases and their relevance to the concept of discrimination based on age in workplaces. 

References

Barak, M. E. M. (2016). Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace. Sage Publications.

Data USA. (2019). Savannah, GA. Retrieved from https://datausa.io/profile/geo/savannah-ga/#demographics

Harrison, F. (2018). Age Discrimination. Retrieved from http://www.agediscrimination.info/international-age-discrimination/usa

Sargeant, M. (2016). Age discrimination in employment. Routledge.

Smedley, K. (2017). Age Matters: Employing, Motivating and Managing Older Employees. Routledge.

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2019). Age Discrimination. Retrieved  from https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/age.cfm