Workforce Diversity Resources

Affirmative Action Overview

Understanding the Fundamentals

Equal Employment Opportunity is:

consistent with UH values.
required by law.
focused on the premise that consideration for hiring and promotion is based on qualifications and merit.

An Affirmative Action Program is:

a strategic business tool designed to ensure equal employment opportunity. An Affirmative Action Program does this by:
- monitoring the workforce to identify areas where protected classes are not fully represented or "utilized" and establishing "Good Faith Efforts" to move towards full representation.
- taking proactive steps to attract, hire, promote, and retain protected groups.
- ensuring equal pay for equal work.

Affirmative Action does not:

create a quota system.
create preferences.
discriminate against non-minorities.

An Affirmative Action Program includes:

documentation of policies, practices, and procedures in place to ensure that all qualified applicants and employees are receiving an equal opportunity for recruitment, selection, advancement, and every other aspect of their employment.
results of specified quantitative analysis.
identification of problem areas.
action-oriented programs.

Key Concepts in the Affirmative Action Plan

Underutilization is a condition in which women and minorities are not being employed at a rate that can be reasonably expected given their availability in the relevant labor pool. An Affirmative Action Plan includes specific action-oriented steps to address underutilization.

A Placement Rate Goal is:

established for job groups determined to be "underutilized."
a target that is reasonably attainable through the exercise of good faith efforts.
used to measure progress toward achieving equal employment opportunity.
not a finding, nor an admission, of discrimination.
expressed as a percentage placement rate rather than a number because the rate at which you do something is different from the number of times you do it.

UH, cannot under any circumstance, disclose the race/ethnicity of applicants, particularly to hiring managers because it is illegal to do so. UH needs to be able to show that applicants were selected for interviews without regard to their race/ethnicity, disability or veteran status.

Implementing and Monitoring the Affirmative Action Plan

UH drives toward goals through:

development of school and area-specific action-oriented programs.
professional development.
mentoring.
fostering a climate of inclusion.
strategic diversity staffing.

Departmental responsibilities include:

providing equal access to training and advancement opportunities.
having regular performance discussions with staff.
recognizing where "underutilization" exists in your area and implementing steps to address it.
conducting meetings with managers to gain support and understanding of the Affirmative Action Plan objectives.
supporting positive outreach and recruitment efforts to provide a more diverse pool of applicants from which to choose.
preventing harassment of any kind in the workplace.

Recruiting Resources

Diversity Recruiting Resources

Developing a diverse pool of highly qualified applicants is essential for UH to effectively serve our students and achieve our goals. The search committee plays an important role in actively recruiting candidates. To assist search committees in their recruiting efforts, the Office of Equal Opportunity Services has assembled a list of diversity recruiting resources.

Advertising Resources

Associations/Organizational Resources

Faculty Resources

Wellesley College
Recruitment Resources and Guides for a Diverse Faculty:
Searchable Databases, Posting Outreach Sources by Discipline
University System of Georgia
Diversity Summit Diverse Faculty Recruitment:
Policy Updates and Reports, Best Practices in Colleges and Universities, Resources from various professional and academic organizations
Society for the Teaching of Psychology
Faculty Recruitment and Retention Resources:
References from the Literature, On-Line Resources, Selected Resources and Practices at Specific Institutions, Support Programs
American Association of University Professors
Resources on Diversity and Affirmative Action:
AAUP Policy, Research, & Analysis, AAUP Actions & Initiatives, Other AAUP Resources