"EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER" - what does it mean?

[Mace]

I'm applying for some jobs and in some job postings I see the following.

(Blank corporation) IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

What does it mean?

[fwhc022883]

It just means that they don't discriminate you when they are considering you for a job. They only look at your abilities and attitude rather than your sex, race, etc.

[thezone]

they don't discriminate against anyone applying

[steve.m]

(Blank corporation) is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) and does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, disability, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation or any other classification protected by law.

[Mace]

So "equal opportunity employer" is different from Affirmative Action in the states where Blacks and Hispanics are given preference for jobs?

[Venusia]

Yes it is different. It means they welcome all applications, not like some countries in Europe or Asia where they specify things like Female below 34, must be 5'6" or something like that.

Affirmative action means that they use quotas to have a certain percentage of minorities.

[Kevin T]

Whats so hard to understand

equal opportunity employment

[konfusion666]

AFAIK it means the company is prepared to make special arrangements for people who need them.

i.e. physically disabled folks will have a special workstation set up which is more wheelchair accesible.

people who don't speak english well will have access to translators.

stuff like that.

don't think it has anything to do with race.

[Rehan]

From http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/E-5.401/50057.html#rid-50066 :

The purpose of this Act is to achieve equality in the workplace so that no person shall be denied employment opportunities or benefits for reasons unrelated to ability and, in the fulfilment of that goal, to correct the conditions of disadvantage in employment experienced by women, aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities by giving effect to the principle that employment equity means more than treating persons in the same way but also requires special measures and the accommodation of differences.


From http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/E-5.401/50057.html#rid-50093 :

5. Every employer shall implement employment equity by

(a) identifying and eliminating employment barriers against persons in designated groups that result from the employer's employment systems, policies and practices that are not authorized by law; and

(b) instituting such positive policies and practices and making such reasonable accommodations as will ensure that persons in designated groups achieve a degree of representation in each occupational group in the employer's workforce that reflects their representation in

(i) the Canadian workforce, or

(ii) those segments of the Canadian workforce that are identifiable by qualification, eligibility or geography and from which the employer may reasonably be expected to draw employees.

...but also:

6. The obligation to implement employment equity does not require an employer

(a) to take a particular measure to implement employment equity where the taking of that measure would cause undue hardship to the employer;

(b) to hire or promote unqualified persons;

(c) with respect to the public sector, to hire or promote persons without basing the hiring or promotion on selection according to merit in cases where the Public Service Employment Act requires that hiring or promotion be based on selection according to merit; or

(d) to create new positions in its workforce.

[deep]

It means that no matter who you are, where you are from, what colour your skin is, or what religion you practice, you all have the same chance (none) of getting the job ahead of the son of the cousin of the vice president of sales.

[Headhunter]

In some cases, it means the company sets internal quotas of minorities that they must hire to be "diverse". Don't laugh; I sometimes get told during an interview that it helps to get into their company to be non-white.

[felix]

In some cases, it means the company sets internal quotas of minorities that they must hire to be "diverse". Don't laugh; I sometimes get told during an interview that it helps to get into their company to be non-white.
what do you mean? And why is that? They said that to you? Are you white or non-white?

[vancitypimp]

you all have the same chance (none) of getting the job ahead of the son of the cousin of the vice president of sales.

lol so true

[alkaseltzer01]

It means the company is better at hiding their prejudice.

[mbg]

It means the company is better at hiding their prejudice.

Yes. It means that there is no company policy of discrimination based on gender, age, sex, or race, but that it is left up to the prejudice of the hiring manager :)

[Headhunter]

what do you mean? And why is that? They said that to you? Are you white or non-white?
Well, they're being honest; I realize this is the case with most businesses, but most are not exactly frank about it.

I'm not white, so it helps my chances.

[konfusion666]

at any rate, as we can see in this forum, racism is alive and well in Canada.

any sort of pro-active "EO" programs which go beyond the official definition probably serve to balance out the scales once you take into the account the possibly large number of racist employers.

[TrEvOrLiCioUs]

Basically it means they wont ask you ur age until after you get the job.

They will ask if you are legally allowed to work in canada and if you are between the ages of 18-65.

Those are the main ones, there are other prohibited grounds of discrimination. But they are harder to prove.

[bluetroll]

It just means that they don't discriminate you when they are considering you for a job. They only look at your abilities and attitude rather than your sex, race, etc.

fer shizzle.

[d_jedi]

In some cases, it means the company sets internal quotas of minorities that they must hire to be "diverse". Don't laugh; I sometimes get told during an interview that it helps to get into their company to be non-white.

That is so ****ing racist. Which companies told you this?

[CSR]

I think it is the law not to discriminate when employing.. but then again... look at who works all the differn't occupations

[konfusion666]

That is so ****ing racist. Which companies told you this?

HeadHunter was just trying to get people like you all riled up... looks like he succeeded.

[rookie]

IMO it means nothing... Welcome to the real world!

Good Luck!

[DragonZealot]

Public Relation gimmick to avoid being targeted by the human rights advocates.

[Tulsytsan]

It just means that they don't discriminate you when they are considering you for a job. They only look at your abilities and attitude rather than your sex, race, etc.

That is what it should mean. What it really means is that if you are a white male, you are out of luck. Every company today should be an equal opportunity employer. If you have to say that then obviously you haven't been in the past or you are looking for your token minority so that you can continue to have a clean image. The days of the equal opportunity employer should be long gone.

Personally, and this is just my humble opinion, the most qualified person for the job should get it. Nothing else matters. If the job calls for the ability to dead lift 100lbs, then a woman can have the job if she can lift 100lbs. If the job calls for the ability to speak cree, then a black man can have the job if he speaks cree.

We shouldn't have to hire a female to do a job she isn't qualified for because we want to be an equal opportunity employer. So does equal opportunity mean equal? Not likely!

[midget_man]

That is what it should mean. What it really means is that if you are a white male, you are out of luck. Every company today should be an equal opportunity employer. If you have to say that then obviously you haven't been in the past or you are looking for your token minority so that you can continue to have a clean image. The days of the equal opportunity employer should be long gone.

Personally, and this is just my humble opinion, the most qualified person for the job should get it. Nothing else matters. If the job calls for the ability to dead lift 100lbs, then a woman can have the job if she can lift 100lbs. If the job calls for the ability to speak cree, then a black man can have the job if he speaks cree.

We shouldn't have to hire a female to do a job she isn't qualified for because we want to be an equal opportunity employer. So does equal opportunity mean equal? Not likely!

I agree with you. Equal opportunity would suggest some form of equality, when in fact there is none. Much like feminism that "preaches" equailty but "practices" otherwise. It seems these companies dont want to be a target of "hey, why is evryone in the office white" comments, so they almost "seek out" non-whites to avoid be labelled racist. However nobody complains when the practice is reversed like at Canada Computers (Asian) or Futureshop (Middle Easterners and South Asians).

The "right person for the job" credo only means the "right person for the job as long as you are a non-white woman with one leg, two noses, a tail and speak ancient sanskrit".

[konfusion666]

The "right person for the job" credo only means the "right person for the job as long as you are a non-white woman with one leg, two noses, a tail and speak ancient sanskrit".

talk about going waaaay overboard with an analogy. ever thought that the reason Future Shops (et al.) have so many "minorities" is because "minorities" are not really the minority in places like Toronto? Toronto is something like 50% non-white now.

[midget_man]

talk about going waaaay overboard with an analogy. ever thought that the reason Future Shops (et al.) have so many "minorities" is because "minorities" are not really the minority in places like Toronto? Toronto is something like 50% non-white now.
And Futureshop employees are 100% non white. So whats your point??

And not only that, it seems to me that they are not just "non-white", but they are all from a single ethnic background.

[konfusion666]

i think you're just referring to FS's in a particular area and NOT nation-wide, or even province-wide!

[Txiasaeia]

It means that no matter who you are, where you are from, what colour your skin is, or what religion you practice, you all have the same chance (none) of getting the job ahead of the son of the cousin of the vice president of sales.

LOL! Nice!

[midget_man]

i think you're just referring to FS's in a particular area and NOT nation-wide, or even province-wide!

I speak of my own personal experience and discussions with countless others regarding the 16 FS locations in and around the GTA. I have no first hand knowledge of other stores in Canada or around the province, but when you figure that the stores in the GTA make up around half the locations in the whole province I would say it is a pretty good cross section. It has never been too much of a secret that the reign of Hassan Khosrowshahi and his old Iranian guard had a penchant for hiring practices that favoured those (males) from Iran. It is slowly starting to change now that BB owns FS, but the front office staff and management is still made up of the same henchmen from the old owners era.

[benf]

In some cases, it means the company sets internal quotas of minorities that they must hire to be "diverse". Don't laugh; I sometimes get told during an interview that it helps to get into their company to be non-white.

That is usually the case with provincial or federal government jobs.

When it comes to government, equal opportunity means they have hiring quotas, and if your a visible minority, you have a greater chance of getting hired vs an equally qualified 'white' guy.

[guest10586]

It means the company is better at hiding their prejudice.

Yep, I gotta agree. Probably there so minorities or women won't yell at them. "Look, we can't hire you cause we are a equal opportunity employer. It says right here and we have our quota for minorities and women."

[Gee]

There is no such thing as Equal Opportunity. That is just crap.

When was the last time you heard a male receptionist? When you call a company on the phone, you want to be greeted by a soft female voice. Not some guy saying, "Hello, what do you want?" Even the women want to hear a woman's voice when they call. Same goes to some immigrant with an accent. Do you want someone to spend 2 minutes to say ha-row, I healp you today?


Not trying to sound racist or anti-feminist etc. But lets face it, the best person for the job is sometimes gender, language and race specific.

Equal Opportunity, means everybody has the same chance of getting fired.

[konfusion666]

It has never been too much of a secret that the reign of Hassan Khosrowshahi and his old Iranian guard had a penchant for hiring practices that favoured those (males) from Iran.

i'm not sure how true that ever was since the "brown people" that many saw at FS were Indians and not Iranians. I can understand how, if you're white, they all look the same.

[Mace]

Me still konfused...

On the one hand I read Equal Opportunity Employer means the company doesn't discriminate. (In that case, shouldn't *ALL* employers be "Equal Opportunity Employers"? So why the need to specify that on job listings?)

On the other hand I Equal Opportunity Employer means the company *does* discriminate and employs hiring quotas (which is BS IMO).

Also, the majority of students and in my program *are* minorities. So when we're applying for co-op jobs... would that mean the white guy gets preference?! :idea:

Duhh....

[Bortman]

Equal opportunity in Saskatchewan means that if your an Indian, a woman, or an Indian woman you'll get preference to any other person who applies. Pretty much any visible minority will have preference. Sorry if that offends, but its the truth. I saw someone else post about being a white male your out of luck, thats pretty much the truth.

[konfusion666]

Also, the majority of students and in my program *are* minorities. So when we're applying for co-op jobs... would that mean the white guy gets preference?! :idea:


this is what i`m talking about, and why all the "if you`re a white male you`re out of luck" comments are a bit annoying. for example someone noticed the I.T. department I work at was 60% visible minority and said "duhhhhh, must be hiring quotas."

umm, HELLO? have you looked at the racial distribution of a typical Waterloo CS co-op batch? or how about (going for the low end) a typical I.T. school graduating class (MCSE etc.) it`s at least 50% visible minority if not more (seeing as how plenty of "races" are good at "looking Italian").

sorry if I offend anyone, and granted there are a few jobs where being an overweight disabled hermaphrodite Jehova`s Witness Vulcan who can only speak Swahili would result in an easy job application due to "quotas" but there are much less of these jobs than the "oppressed white males" seem to suggest...

[uzer101]

The "right person for the job" credo only means the "right person for the job as long as you are a non-white woman with one leg, two noses, a tail and speak ancient sanskrit".

i'm with you brother! where abouts are you located all of our local clans need new members!! how dare those 'paskiteniz' take away the 6 figure jobs at futureshop!! :cheesygri


btw i have noticed the same but it only applies to the GTA and other areas of high population concen. of the 'paskiteniz' ....btw howcome all the construction companies have the same 'kind of people' working for them?? i say we rally against that too!! or we can bomb the place whatever you say 'brother'!

[konfusion666]

i'm with you brother! where abouts are you located all of our local clans need new members!! how dare those 'paskiteniz' take away the 6 figure jobs at futureshop!! :cheesygri


btw i have noticed the same but it only applies to the GTA and other areas of high population concen. of the 'paskiteniz' ....btw howcome all the construction companies have the same 'kind of people' working for them?? i say we rally against that too!! or we can bomb the place whatever you say 'brother'!

oh, don't be so mean. midget_man is a poor Oppressed White Anglo-Saxon Male. he has every right to be a Neo-Nutzi. :rolleyes:

[webdoctors]

LMAO, but honestly what it means is they don't care who U R , as long as you will do the job for them the cheapest. IT doesnt matter if U R a PHD candidate in your 30s or a 10 yrs-old in China, if U can do the job the cheapest, U will get the job. Hence the large number of employed children in CHINA :lol:


There is no such thing as Equal Opportunity. That is just crap.

When was the last time you heard a male receptionist? When you call a company on the phone, you want to be greeted by a soft female voice. Not some guy saying, "Hello, what do you want?" Even the women want to hear a woman's voice when they call. Same goes to some immigrant with an accent. Do you want someone to spend 2 minutes to say ha-row, I healp you today?


Not trying to sound racist or anti-feminist etc. But lets face it, the best person for the job is sometimes gender, language and race specific.

Equal Opportunity, means everybody has the same chance of getting fired.

[smartcdn]

just reviving this thread to avoid starting a new one...

What about "Employment Equity" is that the same as "Equal Opportunity Employer"

Anyone ever try this or see this? Some ads suggest for you to self-identify in the resume or cover letter.

I wonder how they do that...just write a short sentence saying "I am a ...."?

[xxjessmicaxx]

Yes it is different. It means they welcome all applications, not like some countries in Europe or Asia where they specify things like Female below 34, must be 5'6" or something like that.

Affirmative action means that they use quotas to have a certain percentage of minorities.

What type of companies use Affirmative action in Canada?!

[Dustbunny]

What type of companies use Affirmative action in Canada?!

It's called the Employment Equity Act here in Canada. Similar principals as the US version.