Learn about several laws, regulations, policies and governing entities that human resource management (HRM) must comply with,
like the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII, the equal employment opportunity commission (EEOC), sexual harassment and affirmative
action.
Human Resource Management: Laws And Regulations
In this lesson, we will explore some of the laws, regulations, policies and governing entities that human resource management
(HRM) must comply with in an organization. These include:




the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Sexual harassment
Affirmative action
Civil Rights Act Of 1964, Title VII
The Civil
Human resource management laws and regulations
Rights Act
of 1964, Title VII prohibits employers from discriminating against
covered employees on the basis of race, color, religion, gender or
national origin. This means human resource managers must be fair in
hiring qualified employees without discrimination.
Nick, owner of Nick's Pizza, held a job fair at his pizzeria. He was
looking for a few good pizza makers, a sous chef, a bookkeeper and a
server. He wasn't very familiar with the Civil Rights Act, so prior to
holding his job fair, Nick took a class on human resource law. When it
came to making the hiring decisions, Nick knew he had to do the right
thing. He hired a diverse staff.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
(EEOC)
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission,
or EEOC, is a federal agency that enforces the rules of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII. The EEOC handles
employee claims of discrimination and implementing new
anti-discrimination laws
The EEOC does not only handle violations of the Civil Rights
Act. The commission also handles the:

Age Discrimination Act

Americans with Disabilities Act

Equal Pay Act
Role of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
 Pregnancy Discrimination Act
Although Nick knew a lot about the Civil Rights Act, he was unfamiliar with some of the other rules of employment. When his sous
chef, Maria, became pregnant, Nick wanted to terminate her. Nick didn't think she could reach over the sauce pot or lift the heavy
pans in her condition. Maria reminded him about the EEOC and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act.
Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is a form of bullying or unwanted sexual advances in exchange
for reward or favor, and it is illegal. The harassment is considered sexual in nature
whether it is verbal or physical. It can be:
 Engaging in unwanted physical touch
 Making sexual gestures
 Displaying sexual images
 Telling sexual jokes
 Looking at a person in a sexual way
 Commenting sexually about clothing or appearance
 Asking sexually-oriented questions
 Creating a hostile work environment
Definition of sexual harassment
Let's visit Nick's pizzeria again. Nick recently hired Prudence as his new bookkeeper. On the days when Nick's cousin Tony worked,
he would hug Prudence without her permission. When she resisted and demanded that he stop, he threatened to tell Nick that she
was not doing her job. This made her very uncomfortable and created a hostile and threatening work environment.
If Tony continues his groping after being warned, Prudence would have a valid claim of sexual harassment against Tony. The EEOC
would handle this type of complaint.
Affirmative Action
Definition of affirmative action
Affirmative action is a set of policies that address the inclusion of all people, mainly
minorities, in the workforce. Similar to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, affirmative action
policies establish hiring quotas for qualifying companies. This means that companies
who meet certain criteria are required to hire and promote a specific amount of minorities
or people in protected groups, which includes:

Minorities

Women
 Disabled persons
 Qualified veterans
A qualifying company is one that engages in government contract business. If a company sells to, performs services for or is
contracted by the government and has over 50 employees, the company is subject to the policies of affirmative action.
When Nick's pizzeria first opened, he did not have to comply with the policies that required hiring people in protected groups. His
was a small business with fewer than 15 employees. However, over time, Nick was contracted to sell pizza to the local army base.
Nick opened a production kitchen, hired 52 pizza makers and began making pizzas for the military staff. Because Nick was a
government contract with the army base, he is subject to the policies of affirmative action. Nick considered this in his hiring criteria.
Nick now has a diverse staff of men, women, disabled people and veterans working for him.
Lesson Summary
In summary, we have learned about some of the laws, regulations, policies and governing entities that human resource management
(HRM) must comply with. These include:
 The Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII, which prohibits employers from discriminating covered employees on the basis of
race, color, religion, gender or national origin.
 The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, is the federal agency that enforces the rules of the Civil Rights
Act, of 1964, Title VII.
 Sexual harassment, which is a form of bullying or unwanted sexual advances in exchange for reward or favor, and it is illegal.
 Affirmative action, which is a set of policies that address the inclusion of all people, mainly minorities, in the workforce.