Effective Date: March 1, 1996

Subject: EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

Applicable To: All classified employees, as well as exempt, appointed, and temporary, and applicants for employment with the Executive Branch of the State of Vermont.

Issued By: Department of Human Resources

Approved By: William H. Sorrell, Secretary of Administration

PURPOSE & POLICY STATEMENT

The State of Vermont is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to offering equal employment opportunities in accordance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its amendments. The State's personnel policies and practices prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation (as provided by 21 V.S.A. 495), place of birth, age, or physical or mental condition (a person with a qualifying disability) in all employment practices including, but not limited to: recruitment, hiring, promotion, demotion or transfer; layoff or termination; rates of pay and other forms of compensation; selection for training; agency sponsored social and recreational events; and all other terms, privileges, and conditions of employment.

The State of Vermont is committed to non-discrimination in employment and is strongly committed to an aggressive affirmative action program to overcome any manifest imbalance in the work force based on gender, race or disability.

Affirmative Action is synonymous with sound personnel management. Affirmative Action is a step beyond equal opportunity and non-discrimination. With Affirmative Action comes a continued commitment to identify obstacles to the employment and career advancement opportunities afforded to employees, and to work toward removing those obstacles.

With this in mind, the following policy is set in place:

1. The State will take appropriate affirmative action in all personnel actions and conditions of employment involving women, minorities and individuals with disabilities where a demonstrated imbalance exists within job groups or in the case of top management, within Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) categories, consistent with State Affirmative Action Plans and Policies.

2. The State will include, as appropriate affirmative action, efforts to recruit, select, train and promote women, minorities and individuals with disabilities.

3. Compensation, benefits, job assignments, layoffs, employee development opportunities and discipline shall be administered without bias to race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, place of birth, age, or disability.

Supervisory and management personnel are responsible and accountable for the implementation of the Affirmative Action Plan, including efforts to achieve both numerical and programmatic goals. Supervisory and management personnel shall be held accountable for their performance with regard to equal employment opportunity and affirmative action.

PROCEDURES

Executive Order No. 06-93 appointed the Commissioner of Personnel (or his or her designee), as the Equal Employment Officer for the State of Vermont. Under the guidance of the Commissioner of Personnel, the State EEO officer is responsible for developing, implementing and monitoring an Affirmative Action Program for the State of Vermont. This plan will focus on Statewide policies and procedures and will act as a guideline for the establishment of agency/department-specific Affirmative Action Plans.

Each agency/department will:

• Appoint an EEO officer and immediately notify the State EEO Officer of any change in that appointment.

• Work with the State EEO Officer to implement and maintain an Affirmative Action Program to remedy past or present discrimination.

• Work with the State affirmative action officer to set goals and timetables, establish policies and procedures, and implement corrective action plans where appropriate.

Agency/department Affirmative Action Programs will include the following:

• Development and dissemination of policy.

• Utilization analysis and identification of problem areas, goals and time tables.

• Action-oriented programs.

• Internal monitoring, audit and reporting systems.

The State EEO Officer will also be responsible for auditing agency/department activities to ensure compliance with stated goals and objectives and for reporting the results of agency/department efforts. The State EEO Officer will submit an Annual Report to the Governor and the Governor's Council on Affirmative Action, by January 31st of each year.

It is the responsibility of all agency secretaries, department heads, and division directors, to ensure compliance with this policy. Your continued cooperation and support in this Affirmative Action Program is essential to achieving this important goal.