Civil Rights

Title VII – Civil Rights Act of 1964

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

 

Equal Employment

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, political affiliation, or against otherwise qualified persons with disabilities in accordance with the Governor’s Executive Order on Equal Opportunity and federal laws.

The major federal laws prohibiting job discrimination are:

  • Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin
  • The Equal Pay Act of 1963, which protects men and women who perform substantially equal work in the same establishment from sex-based wage discrimination
  • The Age Discrimination Act of 1967, which protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older
  • The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which prohibits employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities.

This policy is followed in all aspects of human resources management, such as recruiting, hiring, promoting, compensation, benefits, transfers, work assignments, evaluations, disciplining, demotions, terminations, state-sponsored training programs and activities, social and recreational programs, and use of VDOT facilities.

Diversity

Valuing all segments of people who participate in the dynamic of economic and social exchange is extremely important. 

Diversity factors categories of difference in terms of race and ethnicity, but also includes age, class, gender, physical abilities, sexual orientation, religious status, educational background, geographical location, income, work history and life perspectives. 

Equal employment and affirmative action programs alone do not create diversity. Building alliances across differences and working together to eradicate discrimination in business, community and personnel practices creates diversity.

 

Workplace harassment

Sexual harassment is an unlawful employment practice, which potentially can subject both VDOT and the harasser to financial liability. 

VDOT prohibits the practice of sexual harassment of any employee, applicant for employment, contractor, customer or volunteer and requires that its employees refrain from conduct that could give rise to allegations of sexual harassment.

VDOT also intends to provide a workplace that is free of any kind of harassment to ensure a productive environment. VDOT will not tolerate any form of retaliation directed against an employee or third party who either complains about harassment or who participates in any investigation concerning harassment.

Page last modified: Oct. 30, 2019