Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Essay Example

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin. Title VII prohibits discrimination against employees on the basis of religion in numerous areas including hiring, training, terms of employment including compensation, promotional opportunities, group or organization membership, and work environment. Like most other regulations, there are instances where individuals or organizations may be allowed an exemption. As far as religion is concerned, an employer may be given an exemption if he can convincingly demonstrate that it is not possible to reasonably accommodate an employee’s or prospective employee’s religious observance or practice without undue hardship on the conduct of the employer’s business. In addition, the religious requirement also doesn’t apply to religious organizations or when individuals from a particular religion are specifically hired to perform work (U.S. Equal Employment opportunity Commission).

The case mentions the story of a 24-year old Frank Mahoney Burroughs who converted to Sikhism in 2009 while being an employee at AutoZone in Everett. According to Mahoney Burroughs, store managers would not allow him to wear turban and bracelet which are both required of male in Sikhism. In addition, Mahoney Burroughs was also subjected to jokes such as whether he had joined Al-Qaeda or was a terrorist. Mahoney Burroughs also didn’t receive any assistance from the human resources department. While those who harassed him kept their jobs and even received promotions, Mahoney Burroughs was eventually fired from the job. Thus, Mahoney Burroughs filed a discrimination lawsuit against the company in conjunction with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Mahoney Burroughs alleged in the lawsuit that the company violated federal law by subjecting him to harassment and refusing to accommodate his religious need to wear a turban. The lawsuit also claimed that Mahoney Burroughs’ firing was the result of religious discrimination as well as a retaliation for his complaints and requests for accommodation. After a federal judge, Judge William Young ruled against AutoZone, the company agreed to pay $75,000 to settle the lawsuit with Mahoney Burroughs and the EEOC. In addition, the company has also agreed to adopt a religious accommodation policy, retrain managers at more than 4,500 stores nationwide, and notify its 65,000 employees of the settlement (Rohr, 2012).

EEOC exists to enforce laws that have been created to protect job applicants and employees against discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. Similarly, EEOC also strives to protect employees against retaliation for complaint and participation in a discrimination-related investigation. EEOS reserves the authority to investigate cases where a potential violation of applicable discrimination-related laws might have occurred. If the commission believes that violation did occur, it usually tries to settle the charge directly with the employer and if unsuccessful, may proceed to file a lawsuit on behalf of an individual/s or in the greater interests of the society. The commission also works to prevent discrimination from occurring in the first place through outreach, education and technical assistance programs. The commission works with both the private sector and the federal agencies (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission).

As far as Mahoney Burroughs’ case is concerned, EEOC assisted him with filing lawsuit against his employer. Without EEOC’s help, Mahoney Burroughs might not have had access to experienced legal expert or the financial resources to go against an employer with huge resources. EEOC not only helped Mahoney Burroughs get a reasonable financial settlement but also used the opportunity to force the company to implement a company-wide training program to educate workers on the issue of religion-based discrimination. AutoZone also agreed to report its handling of requests for religious accommodation and complaints of religious harassment to EEOC (Thomas, 2012).

This lawsuit will be a significant force of social change in the society. First of all, it will minimize the future potential of religion-based discrimination at AutoZone and other companies because EEOC has shown its willingness to actively pursue such cases. The training program which is the outcome of the settlement between AutoZone and EEOC will help educate employees and change their attitude towards those from different religious backgrounds. It may also provide incentive to other companies to voluntarily implement training programs to prevent religion-based discrimination and harassment in the first place. This is because in addition to legal costs, it also harms the reputation of an organization and makes it a less attractive employer for future job applicants. Such programs are important because not only America but the whole world will increasingly become more diverse due to globalization. Respect for other religions and cultures help companies increase employees’ loyalty and satisfaction and also give them access to a larger talent pool.

A comparison of EEOC press release to a new article on a general website reveals that EEOC press release is much more detail-oriented. The EEOC press release not only specifically mentions the violation (Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964) incurred by AutoZone but also gives more specific details of the settlement reached. The EEOC press release also gives good details of the discrimination faced by Mahoney Burroughs. The news websites focus more on the general information and are better suited to the general readers who may not have much interest in every single detail. EEOC press release is more suited to those who prefer greater details to less. The difference may be due to the fact that EEOC also seeks to educate in addition to inform while general news website basically desire to inform.

If I were a senior manager of AutoZone, in addition to the training programs that are required due to the settlement reached with the EEOC and are a step in the right direction, I will also encourage employees from different religious and cultural backgrounds to form weekly or monthly meet-ups in which they educate each other on their respective religious beliefs. I will also include additional components in the training program such as educating the employees on the economic benefits of a diverse workplace where each individual is respected. I may also announce bonus plans for dealers who demonstrate outstanding leadership in accommodating religiously and culturally diverse workforce and where employees report high satisfaction rates. I will also implement a system that allows employees to anonymously report potential violations to the corporate headquarter without fearing a retaliation.

References

Rohr, R. (2012, April 3). AutoZone Settles Religious Discrimination Suit With Winthrop Man. Retrieved April 16, 2012, from http://www.wbur.org/2012/04/03/autozone-discrimination-settlement

Thomas, R. (2012, April 6). Discrimination Against Sikh Man Costs AutoZone $75,000. Retrieved April 16, 2012, from http://www.wideworldofwork.com/2012/04/06/religious-discrimination-against-sikh-man-costs-autozone-75000/

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (n.d.). Overview. Retrieved April 16, 2012, from http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/index.cfm

U.S. Equal Employment opportunity Commission. (n.d.). Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Retrieved April 16, 2012, from http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/titlevii.cfm