Three National Equal Employment Opportunities Laws
Jet Blue Airways was established to adhere to corporate values of safety, caring, integrity, fun, and passion (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). These values, in turn, became the basis for the human resources policies and procedures established by the company. As a player in the highly service-oriented airline industry, the company’s commitment to its corporate values has enabled it to adhere to several key tenets of the Equal Employment Opportunity policies under the 1964 Civil Rights Act. In particular, the Equal Employment Opportunity “prohibit the discriminatory practices in hiring, discharging, promotion, layoff, and pay of workers…these policies extend to the training, selection, or recruitment of workers” (United States Commission on Human Rights 1966, p.1). In view of Jet Airways, one key policy that ensured that it complied with, and even surpassed, the equal opportunity tenet was on the aspect of pay. In particular, the company provided customized employment packages intended to “ensure overall equity in treatment” (Gittel & O’Reilly 2001, p.10). The company also waived the probationary period, which meant that employees were certain of job security. Furthermore, the company also gave above industry compensation, medical benefits, and profit-sharing benefits to the “most overlooked group in the industry – the customer service and ramp workers” (Gittel & O’Reilly 2001, p.11). Hence, as a service-oriented company that employs a lot of people, Jet Blue Airways and its recruitment policies are also significantly influenced by the Equal Pay Act, which “protects men and women who perform substantially equal work in the same establishment from sex-based wage discrimination (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2009). Consequently, since the company provides 401K benefits and insurance benefits, the company is adhering to the spirit of the Age