Compliance: Conformity in fulfilling requirement(s) as federal, local or state government contractor to enact an Affirmative Action policy. Affirmative Action (AA): Requires the company to take positive steps to increase the representation of women and people of color in its organization.
Equal Employment Opportunity
(EEO): Requires that employers ensure that they do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion or national origin in their employment practices.
CHARACTERISTICS
Non-diverse representation among legal staff. Culture is dominated by white males.
Perceptions among minorities and women of management inaccessibility and lack of commitment.
Wide gap between attitudes and perceptions of minority and women attorneys and stated goals or philosophy of company.
Gap between policy and practice.
Diversity seen as compliance with EEO legislation and another form of affirmative action.
SENIOR MANAGEMENT
Disconnect between what senior management says it wants to do and what actually gets done.
STRUCTURE
No written diversity plan or dedicated committee/task force in law department.
Diversity primarily charged to human resources and viewed as issue of recruitment of women and people of color.
RECRUITMENT
EEO/AA compliance as part of corporate wide policy. Human resources charged with recruitment of minorities and women to fill positions as they become available. Good faith efforts to increase diversity throughout the law department.
RETENTION
Succession plan does not include emphasis on diversity.
