Federal Employment Anti-Discrimiation Laws
Several essential anti-discrimination laws dictate the employment relationship. Employers and human resource managers must be aware of anti-discrimination laws to stay compliant and avoid exposing the company to liability. Some fundamental laws include:
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
Title VII is one of the most significant anti-discrimination laws. It prohibits employers from altering the terms or conditions of employment based on a person's race, color, national origin, sex, or religion. This includes making adverse decisions such as not hiring an employee, changing their job status, altering benefits, and terminating an employee due to these factors.
Age Discrimination in Employment Act
This federal anti-discrimination law prohibits the discrimination of applicants or employees who are 40 or older. This law applies to private employers with 20 or more employees, the federal government, and employment agencies.
Older Workers Benefits Protection Act
This law protects employees 40 or older from discrimination regarding their employment benefits.
Americans with Disabilities Act
ADA prohibits employers from discriminating against applicants or employees because they have a disability, have a history of disability, or are perceived to have a disability. In addition, it prohibits discrimination that affects applications, testing, hiring, job assignments, discipline, training, medical exams, termination, and other aspects of employment.
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act
This law prohibits an employer from using an applicant's or employee's genetic information to make employment decisions. It also requires employers to keep acquired genetic information confidential. The law applies to private employers with at least 15 employees, federal government workers, state government workers, labor organizations, and employment agencies.
This is a small sampling of federal anti-discrimination laws that pertain to many employers. Therefore, it is essential employers understand discrimination in the workplace and learn ways to avoid it.
Cite this article: Lynch, N. (2017). Federal Employment Anti-Discrimination Laws: https://www.lynchlf.com/blog/federal-employment-anti-discrimiation-laws/