Glossary
Affirmative Employment
requires managers, supervisors and personnelists to take additional
efforts to recruit, employ and promote qualified minorities, women and disabled individuals wh
have been excluded from receiving these benefits due to past an present employment practices.
Affirmative Employment Plans
are required by Section 717 of the Equal Employment
Opportunity Act of 1972, Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Vietnam Era
Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974. These documents state strategies and goals for
recruiting, hiring and advancing minorities women and the disabled.
Civilian Labor Force
represents the number of persons sixteen years of age or older employed
or seeking employment. Civilian labor force statistics are developed by the Bureau of the Census
U.S. Department of Commerce.
Complainant
is an individual who has filed a formal, written complaint of employment
discrimination.
Discrimination
means making differences and distinctions among people, ideas, places and
things. Treating people differently with respect to employment because of their race, color, sex,
national origin, age, religion, or disability is considered illegal discrimination.
Disparate Impact
is an employment policy or practice, while neutral on its face, adversely
impacts against a particular racial, ethnic or sex group. A neutral policy or practice ma have an
adverse effect on disabled individuals or religious groups.
Disparate Treatment
occurs when people are treated differently , with respect to the terms and
conditions of employment because o their race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age or mental
or physical disability.
Diverse Work Force
was first used as a phrase in the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. This
means that the Federal government should make a conscientious effort to hire and retain
individuals with varying racial and ethnic backgrounds which ect our nation's diversity.
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
embodies the principle of fai treatment in Federal
employment and personnel matters without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin,
age or hysical or mental disability.
Equal Employment opportunity Commission (EEOC)
provides guidance on affirmative
employment program planning and discrimination complaint processing to Federal agencies.
EEO Groups
are defined under the regulations as White males, White females, Black males,
Black females, Hispanic males, Hispanic females, Asian American/Pacific Islander males, Asian
American/Pacific Islander females, American Indian/Alaskan Native males, and American
Indian/Alaskan Native females. Disabled males and disabled females are also considered EEO
groups.
Facility Accessibility
under Federal law requires buildings owned and leased by the Federal
government to be accessible and usable by disabled individuals. This includes entrances into
buildings, elevators, restrooms, water fountains, cafeterias, conference rooms and office
equipment.
Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program
(FEORP) Plan
states objectives and
strategies for the recruitment of minorities and women. It is aimed at eliminating under-representation of minorities and women in the Federal work force.
Final Agency Decision
is a document issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce which makes
the agency's final determination on a complaint of discrimination.
Major Occupations
are mission-oriented occupations or those occupations with 100 or more
employees. Major occupations at NOAA include Cartographer, Fishery Biologist, Meteorologist,
Computer Specialist and Oceanographer.
Numerical Objectives
are quantifiable goals designed to eliminate a manifest imbalance or
conspicuous absence of women and minority groups. These are not the same as mandatory
quotas.
Occupational Categories
are major employment categories for whit collar and wage board pay
systems. Specifically, these include professional, administrative, technical, clerical, other, and
blue collar occupational categories (often referred to by the acronym PATCOB).
Proposed Disposition
is a document issued by the NOAA EEO Office when a formal
discrimination complaint is not resolved after an investigation has occurred. This document
proposes a finding of discrimination or no discrimination based on the merits of the complaint.
Reasonable Accommodation
is a change made by management to the terms and conditions of
an individual's employment. Such changes are usually required to accommodate an employee's
or applicant's known disability or religious beliefs, unless this would create an undue hardship on
the agency .
Sexual Harassment
constitutes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and
other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:
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submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of
an individual's employment;
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submission to or rejection of such conduct by a individual is used as the basis for
employment decisions affecting such an individual; or
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such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's
work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.
Under-representation
exists when the percentage of employees in the Federal work force for a
given occupational category or grade level is less than the corresponding percentage
representation in the civilian labor force. Also refer to the terms "manifest imbalance" and
"conspicuous absence."