Performance Appraisal and the Law

Performance Appraisal and the Law
Student's Name
University Affiliation
Professor's Name
Course Title
Due Date
Performance Appraisal and the Law
Ensuring adherence to the law is key to avoiding unnecessary lawsuits. When conducting a performance evaluation, two key acts should be considered. These are the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 set new public sector performance evaluation regulations. However, over the years, it has provided some key guidelines for all sectors on the best ways to implement performance evaluation systems that will significantly eliminate lawsuits. On the other hand, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provides for the non-discrimination of employees. This act can be seen as the one that most deeply affects performance evaluations (Faingold, 2022). Adherence to the provisions of this act will help eliminate potential lawsuits. Further, this adherence will grant the employer an edge in cases where a lawsuit is made against them.
The following is a brief description of each of the two acts mentioned above. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 has several provisions. First, it prohibits employers with more than 20 employees from discriminating against any employee older than 40 when making certain hiring/ employment decisions (US Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, 2022). Additionally, it provides that if an employee lodges a lawsuit against an employer, the employee must sufficiently prove to the court that discrimination occurred. The act also prohibits discrimination of employees based on race, gender, color, religion, or national origin. Some states add that an employee cannot be discriminated against based on their sexual orientation. On the other hand, the Civil Service Reform Act provides criteria for carrying out performance appraisals. Although it is meant for government agencies,...