Effective: 04-24-23
Supersedes: 05-12-22
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to provide clear and concise standards to promote equal employment opportunities to prospective team members and to achieve a diverse, professional workforce. Brewster Ambulance Service is committed to creating and maintaining an efficient and high-performing organization that recognizes and embraces the value of diversity in the workforce and promotesa culture that affords all individuals the opportunity to be fully productive team members. A diverse workforce provides advantages internally in terms of the human resources potential offered by a variety of diverse perspectives and experiences, and externally in aiding our ability to serve our diverse communities.
Policy
Brewster Ambulance Service is an equal opportunity employer. It is our goal to attract and obtain qualified employees consistent with position requirements. Brewster Ambulance Service provides equal opportunity to all qualified persons without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, marital status, disability, Vietnam era veteran status, citizenship, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, genetic characteristics, or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal law. The employment practices provide that all individuals be recruited, hired, assigned, advanced, compensated and retained on the basis of their qualifications, and treated according to this policy.
Brewster Ambulance Service will make reasonable accommodations for the observance of employees’ sincerely held religious beliefs, including dress and grooming standards, unless doing so would cause an undue hardship on the Company. Employees with a religious belief, observance, or practice who believe they need a reasonable accommodation due to a conflict with a specific task or requirement of the job should submit a request for the accommodation to the Human Resources Department to begin the accommodation review process. The request should include the need for the accommodation, as well as an explanation as to the religious nature of the belief or practice at issue.
Brewster Ambulance Service will also comply with all federal and state laws concerning the employment of persons with disabilities. We do not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities in regard to application procedures, hiring, advancement, discharge, compensation, training or other terms, conditions and privileges of employment. Reasonable accommodation may be made available to disabled employees based on individual circumstances.
Equal Employment Opportunity
The policies and principles of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) also apply to the selection and treatment of independent contractors, personnel working on our premises who are employed by temporary agencies and any other persons or firms doing business for or with us. We are a federal contractor committed to Affirmative Action for Minorities, Females, Individuals with Disabilities, and Protected Veterans.
Employees who feel they have been discriminated against or subject to, or witnessed retaliation by a coworker, supervisor, patient, customer, contracted partner, or vendor of the company should notify Human Resources so that the Human Resources representative may investigate. The Human Resources representative will request all reports of this nature to be documented in writing. Additionally, employees may file complaints with either or both of the following government agencies:
The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
JFK Federal Building
475 Government Center
Boston, MA
(800) 669-3196
The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination
Boston Office: Worcester Office:
One Ashburton Place – Rm. 601 455 Main Street – Rm. 100
Boston, MA 02108 Worcester, MA 01608
(617) 994-6000 (508) 799-8010
Springfield Office: New Bedford Office:
436 Dwight Street – Rm. 220 800 Purchase Street – Rm. 501
Springfield, MA 01103 New Bedford, MA 02740
(413) 739-2145 (508) 990-2390
EEO/AA Program Oversight
The Chief Administrative Officer is designated as the company’s EEO/AA manager and is tasked with monitoring all employment activity to ensure that our policies are being carried out. The EEO/AA manager has been given the necessary authority and support from senior management to fulfill the duties of the position. These duties include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Develop and implement internal and external strategies for disseminating the company’s EEO and AA policies.
2. Conduct and/or coordinate EEO/AA training and orientation as necessary.
3. Ensure that our managers and supervisors understand it is their responsibility to take action to prevent the harassment of employees and applicants for employment.
4. Ensure that all minority, female, and disabled employees are provided equal opportunity as it relates to training programs, promotional opportunities, benefit plans, pay and other working conditions.
5. Implement and maintain EEO audit, reporting, and record-keeping systems in order to measure the effectiveness of our Affirmative Action Plan/Program and to determine whether our goals and objectives have been attained.
6. Serve as liaison between our organization and relevant governmental enforcement agencies.
7. Coordinate the recruitment and employment of women, people of color, and individuals with disabilities, and coordinate the recruitment and utilization of businesses owned by women, people of color, and individuals with disabilities when possible.
Dissemination of Affirmative Action Plan
Internal Dissemination
1. Our EEO policy and Affirmative Action Plan will be included in our online Standard Operating Procedure Manual, which is available to all team members.
2. We will discuss the policy during both employee orientation and management training programs;
3. When team members are featured in product or consumer advertising, employee handbooks, or similar publications, we will include images of male and female employees, employees of color, and disabled employees.
4. Communicate at least annually to employees the existence of our affirmative action program and make available the elements of its program as well as enable prospective employees to know and avail themselves of all of our program’s benefits.
5. All personnel involved in the recruitment, screening, selection, promotion, disciplinary, and related processes are trained to ensure that the goals and commitments in the company’s affirmative action program are implemented.
External Dissemination
1. Any recruiting efforts at schools will include specific outreach to under-represented groups of students
2. We will incorporate the equal opportunity clause into all contracts.
3. When team members are featured in consumer or help wanted advertising, we will include images of male and female employees, employees of color, and disabled employees.
4. We will communicate the existence of our EEO/AA policy to prospective employees and provide sufficient information to enable prospective employees to avail themselves of the policy’s benefits.
Workforce Analysis
Brewster Ambulance Service will periodically review its total employment process to determine whether and where impediments to equal employment opportunity may exist. This includes:
Workforce composition by job group.
We will routinely conduct adverse impact analyses to review our personnel activities, including applicant flow, hires, promotions, terminations and other personnel actions, to determine if there are selection disparities between men and women, people of color, or disabled and nondisabled applicants or employees.
We will routinely review our compensation system to determine whether there is any gender, race, ethnicity, or disability-based disparities. If any disparities are identified, we take prompt action to resolve the disparity. In offering employment to individuals with disabilities, we will not reduce the amount of compensation offered because of any disability income, pension, or other benefit the applicant or employee receives from another source.
We will routinely review all of our personnel procedures and processes, including selection, recruitment, transfers and promotions, seniority provisions, and company-sponsored training programs and other company activities to determine if all employees or applicants are fairly considered.
Selection Process
1. We will evaluate our selection process to determine if our requirements screen out a disproportionate number of people of color, women, or individuals with disabilities. All personnel involved in the recruitment, screening, selection, promotion, disciplinary, and related processes will be trained to ensure that there is a commitment to the affirmative action program and its implementation.
2. Wewill annually review all physical and mental job requirements to ensure that these requirements do not tend to screen out qualified individuals with disabilities. We will determine whether these requirements are job-related and are consistent with business necessity and the safe performance of the job, and we will remove any physical or mental requirements that do not meet these criteria.
3. If we require medical examinations or inquiries as a part of our selection process, all exams or inquiries will be conducted after a conditional offer of employment. Only job-related medical examinations and inquiries will be conducted, and the results of these examinations or inquiries will not be used to screen out qualified individuals with disabilities.
Recruitment of Employees
All solicitation or advertisements for employees will state that Brewster Ambulance Service is an Equal Opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of their race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, or status with regard to public assistance. When needed, to help address underutilization, help wanted advertising and recruitment efforts will be targeted in news media oriented towards women or people of color.
Promotional Process
Only legitimate qualifications are considered in our promotion decisions. We will conduct adverse impact analyses to ensure that women, people of color, and employees with disabilities are promoted at rates substantially similar to men, non-people of color, and individuals without disabilities.
Termination Process
We use progressive discipline before terminating employees, where appropriate. All employees are made aware of our discipline process. We will conduct adverse impact analyses to ensure that women, people of color, and employees with disabilities do not leave our company at rates substantially dissimilar to those of men, non-people of color, and employees without disabilities.
Related Items:
EEOC Workplace Discrimination Notice: Know Your Rights (eeoc.gov)
Executive Order 11246 – Equal Employment Opportunity | U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov)