Affirmative action is a phrase that refers to a policy in which an individual's color, religion, sex, or national origin are taken into consideration with the sole purpose of increasing the opportunities provided to underrepresented parts and members of society (Arcidiacono & Lovenheim, 2016). Today, companies are at the forefront of implementing affirmative action programs aimed at increasing the number of people from specific groups within institutions and other sectors of society. With affirmative action, there is a focus on demographics with historically low representation in leadership positions, as well as professional roles. Consequently, affirmative action can be viewed as a means of counteracting historical discrimination against particular groups of individuals in society. For example, in the United States the implementation of affirmative action programs has been used as a practice to redress the negative consequences of past discrimination, especially in issues revolving around recruiting, hiring, training opportunities, and even promotions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Through affirmative action, many employers have achieved a more equitable and diverse workplace. There is a need for organizations to continue with a policy of affirmative action in hiring and managing staff. This research essay is motivated to discuss the various organizations covered by affirmative action, the historical context of the program, as well as the positive and negative implications of affirmative action (AA). Finally, there will be a defense as to why organizations should not abandon AA in line with the positive consequences it has brought to several workplaces. According to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), AA must be adopted by covered employers in their efforts to recruit as well as advanced qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and other protected veterans. As such, AA includes, but is not limited to, training programs, awareness efforts, and other positive measures aimed at ensuring equality in all workplace procedures. It is important for employers to motivate employees to adhere to written personnel policies established by management to instill a sense of responsibility and accountability (Hollenbeck, Noe & Gerhart, 2018). Therefore, all employers with written affirmative action plans and programs must ensure their implementation, while also keeping them on file and updating them annually. Keeping them on file will allow the company to access a situation and determine the best course of action based on previous plans and programs of action. These plans and programs can also be used as the backbone for future programs that the company may decide to implement. What the state Department of Labor suggests is that all employers are required by law to have AA plans and procedures in place that ensure no discrimination or bias occurs in the workplace. For example, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) is tasked with monitoring contractor and subcontractor compliance with the nondiscrimination and affirmative action provisions of the VEVRAA. More importantly, some laws and regulations cover various areas of affirmative action. Some laws focus more on the hiring process, while others may be more geared towards supporting a diverse workforce in order to improveequality. First, and most importantly, it's worth remembering that AA laws are “policies established by the government to help level the playing field for those who are historically disadvantaged due to factors such as race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. These laws typically address equal opportunities in employment, education, and business” (Anderson & Golland, 2016). The top AA's priority is to ensure that potential candidates are selected solely on their skills. Another big goal of AA is to make sure that employers treat employees equally without favoritism being a factor. Favoritism that arises from a preference toward a certain race, gender, or religion is discouraged and may result in possible fines, temporary suspension, or dismissal. Today, most people can attest to the effects of AA in different places. For example, most jobs, as well as school applications in the United States, may ask for information about the applicant such as ethnicity, gender, and veteran status. However, such cases have drastically reduced due to the implementation of AA's plans and programs. A perfect example is when many people fill out job applications. My first college job asked more general questions instead of trying to be specific. Furthermore, through the DOL, it has been observed that most, if not all, employers follow the AA's rules vis-à-vis the latter to avoid being at loggerheads with the government (Anderson & Golland, 2016) . Affirmative Action in the United States was first created by “Executive Order 10925” signed by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. Accordingly, the Executive Order required ensuring that government employers could not discriminate against any employee or applicant seeking employment because of his or her race, creed, color, or national origin. The ordinance required employers to use affirmative action to ensure that all applicants were selected based on their skills and qualifications. Once hired, individuals should be treated fairly without showing any discrimination or prejudice. In 1965, the president expanded the AA by stating that the government was solely committed to promoting equal employment opportunity. Later, in 1967, the AA was extended by “Executive Order 11375” to women by adding “sex” to the list of protected categories. This order was a huge victory for women because it allowed for greater equality in the workforce for female employees. Specifically, this order gave many women the courage to apply for jobs that had previously been considered “exclusively male.” Other sources of affirmative action include, but are not limited to, the nondiscrimination mandates of the Civil Rights Acts, the Americans Living with Disabilities Act, as well as other laws and regulations that protect groups such as veterans (Anderson & Golland, 2016) . AA's purpose remains to promote social equality through preferential treatment of community members considered socioeconomically disadvantaged. In most cases, it has been established that this particular group of individuals has been socioeconomically disadvantaged due to historical reasons such as slavery and oppression. However, AA's policies are not without opposition. For example, segregation and mistreatment of people due to race, ethnicity, and factors such as sex are decreasing in America today. Therefore, more and more people have raised pertinent concerns for the abolition of affirmative action, citing reasons such as the fact that policiesthey are no longer sustainable. Furthermore, many people still firmly believe that selecting someone primarily because they are a member of a protected class at the expense of their actual qualifications can amount to counteracting the productivity of society as a whole. For example, if an employer is forced to have a certain “female-to-male ratio” percentage, this can hinder the ability to get a job of someone who has the qualifications and experience needed just to keep those percentages balanced. Some members of the categories of individuals protected above have also been at the forefront of the campaign to abolish affirmative action, believing that it is a way of creating the assumption that they do not have the desired qualification. Therefore, some members of these unique groups believe that through the implementation of affirmative action, reverse discrimination is created through which unprotected class members are overlooked in favor of less qualified diverse applicants. As a program designed for the sole purpose of promoting access to education and careers for disadvantaged minority groups, AA has had both positive and negative implications on the workplace and society at large. As mentioned above, the idea behind the programs and the driving force was to counteract socioeconomic trends that had historically developed in the United States. Therefore, people were allowed to attend college and pursue individual careers without any form of discrimination (Jain, Sloane & Horwitz, 2015). However, by implementing it in a quota-based format, the program was crafted to allow the acceptance of underqualified individuals at the expense of highly qualified individuals due to their minority status. More than fifty years after its inception, AA has brought forth both positive and negative implications. First and foremost, AA promoted diversity as it ensures the achievement of a diverse environment. In this way, points of view and experiences are added to the situation that would otherwise be missing if the program were not implemented. Second, AA eliminated socioeconomic differences to a greater extent. For example, after the Great Recession ended in 2009, overall income per household in the United States increased by 6.9% over the next three years (Jain, Sloane & Horwitz, 2015). Third, the implementation of AA policies and programs has ensured the decline of stereotypes. While not all stereotypes have been eliminated, thanks to AA there has been a huge decline. Through affirmative action, stereotypes can be stopped as the plan creates interactions between groups who may not otherwise have interacted with each other in social settings. Additionally, AA has enabled and empowered people to chase dreams by pursuing careers they had never considered. Today, there are significant gaps for minority women in specific fields, including but not limited to technology that could potentially benefit from the diversity widely promoted by AA. As a result, through the implementation of AA, wage, minority, and gender gaps have been reduced as there are relatively more opportunities available for people to receive higher education. Finally, AA contributes greatly to reversing social losses (Jain, Sloane & Horwitz, 2015). For a long time, minority groups have found themselves at a social disadvantage. However, AA has played a vital role in changing the social losses suffered by minorities. On the other hand, through the implementation of AA, some disadvantages have been noted which have seen people significantly support its.