EEO

Definition

Equal Employment Opportunity—the noble legal framework that says you can't discriminate based on protected characteristics. Compliance is required; actually achieving equity requires far more effort than the acronym suggests.

Example Usage

Our EEO policy is on the website, but our leadership team looks like a golf tournament in 1985.

Origin

Established through the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and subsequent legislation

Fun Fact

Despite EEO laws, wage gaps, promotion disparities, and hiring discrimination persist across nearly all industries and demographic groups

Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

Related Terms

Beginner

Bandwidth

A term stolen from telecommunications to describe how busy you are, because saying "I don't want to do that" requires emotional vulnerability. The human version of a loading bar stuck at 99 percent.

💼 Corporate / Business👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

protected class

Groups of people protected from discrimination under federal and state laws based on characteristics like race, gender, age, disability, and religion. Being in a protected class doesn't guarantee a job, but it does guarantee you can't be rejected because of that characteristic.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

knobstick

A derogatory term for a union-busting scab who refused to strike with their fellow workers, thereby condemning them to continue toiling. Picture the ultimate workplace traitor with a stick where their spine should be.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

job enrichment

Expanding a role to include higher-level responsibilities and decision-making authority to increase motivation and satisfaction. Unlike job enlargement, this actually adds meaningful work rather than just more work.

👥 Human Resources

Beginner

warm body

Any person hired to fill a position with minimal qualifications required—the staffing equivalent of 'good enough.' The bar is literally set at having a pulse and showing up.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

Employee Value Proposition (EVP)

What a company claims to offer employees beyond salary, usually something vague like 'meaningful work' or 'growth opportunities.'

👥 Human Resources

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