Equal Opportunity Policy Statement
by: Iowa Legal Aid
Policy
It is the policy of Iowa Legal Aid to provide equal opportunity to all people without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, political affiliation, or religion, and to promote the full realization of that policy through a positive, continuing program to be known as Iowa Legal Aid Equal Opportunity Program.
Iowa Legal Aid is fully committed to ensuring equal opportunity and equal consideration to all similarly situated applicants and employees in personnel matters, including recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, benefits, salaries and other compensation, transfer, and layoff or termination. It is the policy of Iowa Legal Aid that no person shall be discriminated against or excluded from participation in, or be denied the services of any program or activity of Iowa Legal Aid, because of race, color, creed, national origin, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, political affiliation, or religion.
It is also the policy of Iowa Legal Aid, to the extent that it is practicable, to use its purchasing power to further the practice of equal opportunity in employment among those businesses and companies from which Iowa Legal Aid purchases goods and services or with which Iowa Legal Aid engages in other business relationships.
Iowa Legal Aid shall maintain a written procedure for processing complaints of discrimination and shall make this procedure and the agency's equal opportunity policies available to all clients, applicants for employment, employees and the community.
Iowa Legal Aid shall perform and maintain a system of data collection, record keeping, reporting and self-analysis to ensure compliance with this policy.
The governing board of Iowa Legal Aid shall establish a standing Grievance/Personnel Committee consisting of three or more members that reflects the composition of the governing Board. The committee shall perform the following functions:
Review and report to the full Board any alleged violations of this policy and the results of any complaints or charges of discrimination filed with or against the agency.
Oversee the enforcement of Iowa Legal Aid?s equal opportunity program as it relates to both the agency and the community in general.
Equal Employment Opportunity Objectives:
Equal employment opportunity is a work environment without any discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, political affiliation, or religion. The essential criteria in promotion, work assignments, and hiring shall be the ability of the individual to provide efficient, competent quality service and comply with the agency?s policies and procedures.
Guidelines to Attain Objectives:
1. Recruitment
The recruitment program will be conducted in a manner to ensure that Iowa Legal Aid is actively seeking qualified employees whose presence on the staff of Iowa Legal Aid will help effectuate this policy and create a diverse workforce. This will be done by:
(a) direct contact with professional minority groups and women employment and placement agencies;
(b) utilization of those public and private personnel agencies which submit acceptable written statements of their own equal employment opportunity policies and which appear to implement the same;
(c) placement of advertisements for employment in all media in an unrestricted manner, including publications directed toward minority groups and women, and including in the advertisements a phrase on equal employment opportunity;
(d) continuing review of present staff who may be qualified for promotion;
(e) continuing effort annually at recruiting minority and women lawyers and lawyers with disabilities.
2. Training
Learning opportunities leading to more responsible positions will be available to all staff on a planned basis. Time will be made available to staff who wish to upgrade their skills, related to their work, subject to the approval of the Executive Director.
Dissemination of Policy:
This equal employment opportunity policy will be communicated to all persons as follows:
(a) a copy of this document will be given to each employee and will be issued to all persons engaged in the recruitment, hiring, placement, training and education of employees;
(b) all sources of recruitment will be informed orally and in writing of Iowa Legal Aid?s equal employment policy;
(c) the policy will be posted on Iowa Legal Aid?s website found at www.iowalegalaid.org.
In addition, notices required by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance, the Office of Economic Opportunity, and any State notices from the Director of Labor or the Civil Rights Commission, or city government human rights agencies will be displayed in working areas.
Report and Evaluation:
The following records will be maintained for statistical purposes and will be reviewed periodically by the Executive Director and the Board of Directors to evaluate the status of the Equal Opportunity Program:
(a) Iowa Legal Aid?s employees by staff level, function, race, sex and age;
(b) promotion by staff level, function, race, sex and age.
Equal Opportunity Committee:
An Equal Opportunity Committee shall be composed of two members each from the Employer and the Union. The duties of the Committee will include the following:
(a) advising the Executive Director and Board of Directors about Iowa Legal Aid?s Equal Opportunity Program;
(b) issuing of an Annual Report about Iowa Legal Aid?s compliance with its Equal Opportunity Program. The report will include the number, type and resolution of any client complaint or employee grievance concerning discrimination, the composition of each employee classification concerning protected groups as well as any recommendations on how to better implement and improve the Equal Opportunity Program. The report of the Equal Opportunity Committee shall be presented to the Iowa Legal Aid Board of Directors.
Responsibility for Implementation:
It is the responsibility of all Iowa Legal Aid personnel to implement this policy. The Executive Director has the overall responsibility for monitoring compliance with the Equal Opportunity Program. The Executive Director will be responsible for, although not limited to, developing additional or amended policy statements (with Board approval) as needed, developing additional Equal Opportunity Programs and external communication techniques, assisting in the identification of problems and administering its policies and helping to resolve them, and keeping the Board of Directors informed of the progress of Iowa Legal Aid in attaining objectives of this policy.
Complaint Procedure:
Any complaints arising out of the work situation within the organization involving allegations of discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, political affiliation or religion will be handled in the manner allowed for grievances by Iowa Legal Aid?s Personnel Manual for Management and Confidential staff or the Contract between the Legal Services Workers of Iowa and Iowa Legal Aid whichever is appropriate. Any other complaints may be raised through the Client and Public Complaint procedure. See also the Anti-Harassment Policy.
Retaliation for filing a complaint as well as retaliation for participating in an investigation of a complaint will not be tolerated.
Review and Updating of Equal Opportunity Program:
At least once every three years Iowa Legal Aid Board of Directors shall review Iowa Legal Aid?s Equal Opportunity Policy Statement.
This policy was reviewed and adopted by Iowa Legal Aid?s Board of Directors on November 6, 2004, and October 6, 2007.
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