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AffirmativeAction:DefinitionandEffectsonDiversityintheWorkplaceVideo&LessonTranscript|Study.com

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Armative Action: Denition and Effects on Diversity in the

Workplace

Chapter 7 (/academy/topic/ethics-in-theCourse Progress (/academy/course/organizational-behavior-course.html#courseProgressAnchor)

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Instructor: Erin Monagan

Erin has been writing and editing for several years and has a degree in ction writing.
Armative action creates a diverse workplace for organizations. Legislation was passed to help protected
groups not have an adverse impact on employment opportunities. In this lesson, nd out the difference
between protected groups and adverse impacts.

Armative Action
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A diversied workforce is built on three principles: armative action (AA), equal employment
opportunity (EEO) and diversity. Companies are embracing diversity in order to remain
competitive in the global world. Unfortunately, this was not always the case. In order to help
rectify the years of discrimination (http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-discriminationdenition-examples-quiz.html), legal acts were passed in the United States. In 1964 the Civil
Rights Act was passed. It included a specic piece of legislation called Title VII, which
protected against employment discrimination on the basis of race, ethnic background, gender
or religious practices. The idea behind the legislation was that it would level the playing eld
and give everyone an equal opportunity.
The Civil Rights Act also gave birth to the federal agency, the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC (http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-the-eeoc-denition-lessonquiz.html)). This agency was to police any discrimination in organizations. The legal changes
created a new concept for organizations to follow called armative action, which consists of
voluntary guidelines for companies to follow to make sure that jobs are available to qualied
individuals regardless of sex, age or ethnic and religious background. Let's take a look at how
armative action works within an organization's walls. The two keys terms that will help
explain the focus of armative action are protected groups and adverse impact.

Protected Groups
Deema is a worker at a fruit wholesaler. She is a practicing Muslim, and she wears a hijab (or
head covering) to work each day. She has worked for the fruit company for over a year. In the
past year, she has excelled in her job and recently applied for a promotion in the accounting
department. Her competition is another woman who did not have the same amount of
experience as Deema. Unfortunately, Deema did not get the position, and she has recently
found out through coworkers that it was due to the fact that the accounting manager felt that
Deema's dress was inappropriate at work. Deema heard that the boss said that Deema was
being disrespectful by wearing a 'hat' at work. Deema would be considered a member of a
protected group since she has been identied as a previous target for employment
discrimination.

Adverse Impact
Deema was treated unfairly, so she was facing an adverse impact. This is when members of a
protected group are treated unfairly by an employer's personnel action. Deema called for an
investigation. She contacted the state agency who investigated Deema's claims and found out
that she was correct in her assumption that the company was in violation of the guidelines
established for armative action. Deema's experience should have been considered for the
position, and her head attire should not have been a factor.

Diversity (http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-diversity-denitionmeaning-quiz.html) Equals Armative Action

Deema's example shows that in order for armative action to be successful, companies need
to document and measure their organization's strengths and weaknesses in promoting
diversity. Companies can conduct a cultural audit to see how diverse the organization really is
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according to gender, race, ethnicity and religion. A diverse workforce is invaluable and needed
if the organization wants to be successful in today's market. Any manager or employee who is
uneducated about diverse cultures needs to attend cultural training classes. In Deema's case,
her boss received a reprimand from the state, and he had to attend extensive diversity training
classes.

Lesson Summary
Armative action consists of voluntary guidelines for companies to follow to make sure that
jobs are available to qualied individuals regardless of sex, age, or ethnic and religious
background. Protected groups are groups that traditionally have been discriminated upon in
the past. When members of protected groups are treated unfairly, they are facing adverse
impacts. Companies need to make sure that they are creating diverse working environments
in accordance with Title VII.

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