Overview
Discrimination has a lasting effect on employees who are on its receiving end. One who experiences discrimination at their workplace develops feelings of being vulnerable and in many cases loses interest in their work and career development. Such employees end up suing their organisations to fight for their rights. This causes a lot of unwarranted expenses to the organisation when it actually can be avoided. Discrimination at workplaces is often brought about by differences in race, sexuality, religion, age, sex and national origin. Other minor forms of discrimination include employee's limitation regarding their physical ability or educational level. Such alienation at workplaces motivated the implementation of Title V11 of Civil Rights of 1964. The Act was enacted to address every form of discrimination and ensure every American was treated the same at their workplaces.
On July 11, 1963, President John F Kennedy called for the enactment of the Civil Rights legislation. He requested Congress to come up with a law that would give all Americans the right to be served in all social amenities that were in the public domain and protect their rights to vote (Daly, 2015). After President Kennedy assassination his successor President Johnson continued the push for the freedom of the discriminated Americans. The Senate passed the bill on July 2, 1964, and it was immediately signed into law by the president. However, the act had no sound enforcement arrangement leading to the formation of the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. The commission was given the permit to investigate every claim of discrimination and forward their cases to the Justice Department for litigation. In 1972 after successful investigations of discriminatory acts by the commission, Congress passed the Equal Employment Opportunity Act that saw the amendment of Title V11 (Cihon and Castagnera, 2010). The Act gave the commission the permission to begin their enforcement proceedings. The enactment of the Title V11 Civil rights of 1964 has had a significant influence on every other civil rights legislation in America. It opened doors for other civil rights laws with one landmark legislation being the Disability Act of 1990.
Purpose of Enacting the Act
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was enacted to stop the discrimination of America workers on the grounds of their sex, religion, race, and age. It covers all employers with more than fifteen workers on any single working day (Cihon and Castagnera, 2013). It was also used to stop any form of discrimination on any one person on the grounds of their association with people of particular religion, age, race or sex. The act has been amended to stop discrimination on the grounds of pregnancy or disability. The Act ensures that every American is protected and treated equally without the consideration of their distinct differences. It guarantees equal employment opportunities with same pay grades for every working American.
Influence of the Act on the Area of Human Resource and Compensation
The enactment of Title V11 of Civil Rights Act has ensured that both the white and the black Americans are treated equally. It enabled black Americans to get access to job opportunities and social amenities that they did not initially have access to (Cihon & Castagnera, 2010). Before enactment of the act Black American and other minorities had no access to well-paying job opportunities and were condemned to menial jobs that paid low fees. The minority which included white women, were discriminated, harassed and paid less compared to their white male counterparts. Enactment of the Act encouraged the minorities to push for equal pay and treatment as that shown to white male. The Civil Rights Act ensured that those who rose to protest any form of discrimination did not get any retaliation from their employer. This has ensured that employers listen to their employees who raise any issue of discrimination without taking any successive action against the employee.
The Future of the Act
The Act has gotten African American and other minority groups over their dark past and ensured that there is no form of discrimination on American Soil. The Act has raised the hopes of the minorities and given them the courage to fight for their rights and resist any form discrimination. The expectation and the future of the act rely on its expansion to cater for emerging issues such as homosexuality and individuals who have preferred to change their sex. Homosexuals and transgender individuals form the new group of minorities being discriminated upon.
Effects of the Act on Employer and Employee
The Civil Rights Act has changed the interaction between the employer and their employees. Employees who were initially experiencing discrimination now have a voice and can rise and advocate for their rights. Employers, on the other hand, are accepting and appreciating the advantages of having a diverse workforce in their organisations (Cihon & Castagnera, 2010). Employers who have received the Act have experienced more productivity within their employees compared to those who have not.
Conclusion
I support the Civil Rights Act as it is human to treat everyone you meet equally especially in workplaces. No one should ever be denied service based on their race, sex, age or religion. It is, therefore, important to understand that no human is superior to the other and that given a chance anybody can rise to the challenge and accomplish their goals. Diversity offers humanity with a broad option of different perspectives that is vital to the human race. It is, therefore, important the difference is not used to divide and discriminate on other but should be used as a tool for uniting people.
References
Cihon, P. J., & Castagnera, J. O. O. (2010). Employment and labour law (7th ed.). United States: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Daly, J. (2015). Human resource management in the public sector: Policies and practices. London, United Kingdom: Routledge.
