Description
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), Affirmative Action (AA), and diversity are terms that are distinctively different, yet closely related. They each play an important role in establishing an equitable, productive, inclusive and diverse work environment in organisations. Companies must be fully committed to ensuring that our workplace incorporates all three. They must also ensure they provide an environment that is free from threats, violence, bullying and abusive or intimidating conduct.
TERMS AND CONCEPTS
- Define and give examples of ‘equal employment opportunity’, ‘discrimination’ and ‘harassment’
- Identify the laws relating to equal opportunity that affect employers and employees
- Explain what is meant by the concept of ‘productive diversity.
EEO Terms
- Introduces and defines terms such as ‘Equal Employment Opportunity’, ‘harassment’ and ‘discrimination’, including direct and indirect discrimination
EEO Laws
- Explains the legal framework that operates around EEO in Australia, covering different legislations for different states. Looks at what constitutes ‘grounds for discrimination’ and which areas of employment are subject to EEO laws.
PRODUCTIVE DIVERSITY
- Introduces the positive impact of diversity on productivity within an organisation, highlighting the working benefits of promoting good EEO behaviour.
- Describe how conduct within organisations that contravenes equal opportunity laws may result in significant financial, operational and human costs for both employers and employees
- Briefly describe EEO tribunal procedures and provide examples of the types of damages that may be awarded to complainants by the EEO Tribunal
- Explain how employees and organisations can each benefit significantly by complying with EEO principles and by pursuing a policy of productive diversity.
EO Costs
- Considers the costs to both employers and employees of not complying with EEO laws, and also looks at the benefits of compliance.
Tribunal Procedures
- Explains the process that an EEO tribunal will undertake when considering a complaint against an organisation. Also explains the concept of ‘damages’ and the kinds of rulings that an organization can face.
EEO Benefits
- Balance the tendency for EEO compliance to be seen as a negative and punitive process, this section highlights some positive practical outcomes for employers and employees.
- Identify the equal opportunity laws that apply to workplaces in your state/territory
- Define basic EEO concepts such as ‘direct discrimination’ and ‘indirect discrimination’
- Identify the grounds of discrimination that apply in your state/territory.
LAWS AND SYSTEMS FOR EEO
- Provides a brief orientation to the topics covered in the module.
Australian EEO Laws
- Outlines the EEO laws that exist in Australia, covering the intention of the laws, what constitutes unlawful behaviour (e.g. harassment), and how the laws operate.
EEO Concepts
- Looks at how the major EEO concepts introduced earlier apply within the framework of EEO laws, with additional interactive scenarios to illustrate real-world applications.
Grounds for Discrimination
- Looks at the various State and Federal laws that operate in relation to what constitutes grounds for discrimination, and explains which laws provide which protections. All States and Territories are covered.
HARRASSMENT AND BULLYING
- Define different types of harassment and identify actions that constitute harassment
- Define bullying and identify the types of behaviour that constitute bullying
- Explain the effects of harassment and bullying on the targeted individual and on the workplace
- Outline the responsibilities and identify the liabilities of workers and managers with regard to harassment and bullying.
Defining Harassment
- Provides a technical definition of the critical concept of harassment, and follows up with numerous scenarios to encourage participants to consider how the concept applies in the real world.
Defining Bullying
- Provides a technical definition of the critical concept of bullying, and follows up with numerous scenarios to encourage participants to consider how the concept applies in the real world.
Effects of Harassment and Bullying
- Looks at the many potential effects on individuals and organisations of harassment and bullying in the workplace. Considers impacts on things such as health, career advancement, productivity and potential financial consequences.
Responsibility and Liability
- Reinforces the point that everyone has responsibility for their behaviour within an organisation, and that employers have specific responsibilities and liabilities with respect to their employees.
GRIEVANCES AND COMPLAINTS
- Explain the general mechanisms (policies, codes of conduct, grievance procedures) used within organisations to support EEO principles
- Describe what kinds of grievance procedures and EEO policies your organisation might have in place
- Identify the basic process for EEO complaints through federal, state or territory tribunals.
General EEO Mechanisms
- Covers what organisations can do to prevent discrimination or harassment and makes participants aware of how organisational policies should work to promote positive EEO behaviour.
Organisational Grievance Procedures
- Encourages participants to be aware of their organisation’s procedures for managing complaints and to utilise these procedures as the first step in taking action.
EEO Complaints Process
- Introduces the EEO bodies external to an organisation that can be approached by an employee if an issue cannot be resolved internally, and explains the complaints process.
BUILDING PRODUCTIVE DIVERSITY
- The course focuses on the positive aspects of EEO compliance. This section provides a brief orientation to the topics covered in the module.
- Explain the concepts of ‘diversity’ and ‘productive diversity’
- Outline the connection between equal opportunity requirements and the building of a workplace climate where diversity is positively valued
- Outline the competencies of diversity applicable to workers, managers and supervisors in order to foster productive diversity in the workplace.
Diversity and Productive Diversity
- Introduces the concept of ‘Productive Diversity’ in detail, and encourages participants to consider that there are many kinds of diversity, i.e. beyond cultural and ethnic.
Building Productive Diversity
- Looks at some successful models of productive diversity in different types of organisation and considers some of the positive outcomes.
Competencies of Diversity
- Explains the 8 competencies that individuals may possess which will help them work successfully in an environment of diversity.
