Outsourcing Online Provides Discrimination Immunity

The Means Against Discrimination

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One of the things we really enjoy about the online outsourcing industry is its equal opportunity platform. The process of vetting contractors through an online outsourcing service puts all contenders on an even playing field, biased only by skill rather than by race, age, religion or gender. Online outsourcing services eliminate a variety of prejudices largely because they exclusively focus on portfolio quality and client feedback, as this well-spoken outsourcer describes:

In fact, unless providers voluntarily reveal characteristics (a name, photo, address, etc.) that could unfairly persuade hiring decisions, online outsourcers generally don’t have the means to employ a person or company based on slanted preferences. The platform that online services provide essentially removes the instrumentation (physical contact, traditional job applications, formal resumes, etc.) typically used to propagate job discrimination.

Take a look at these two online contractor profiles, for example:

Profile 1 (via RentACoder.com)

Profile 2 (via RentACoder.com)

Can you tell which one of these profiles belongs to an African American? A female? A 75 year old? A Muslim? A transgender?

If you guessed either one of them, you would have been wrong. That’s the beauty of outsourcing through an online service. The means to commit both intentional and unintentional discrimination is gone. There’s absolutely nothing in those profiles that enables biased hiring, ultimately freeing the online outsourcer from discrimination charges. So go ahead and breathe a sigh of relief.

Why You Should Care

Not only have discrimination complaints increased 7.2 percent by Sept. 30th¹ in this year alone, you may be unaware of whose behalf the EEOC (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) can file charges.

Recommended Reading: Employment Discrimination Law, 3rd (Concepts and Insights)

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is an independent federal law enforcement agency that enforces laws against workplace discrimination. It investigates discrimination complaints based on an individual’s race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, perceived intelligence, disability and retaliation for reporting and/or opposing a discriminatory practice. [source]

The EEOC’s laws generally apply to traditional employees, but they also apply to what’s known as “contingent workers.” Contingent workers are outside of an employer’s core work force, and are employed for only a limited period of time. [source] The most common type of contingent worker is the “temp” hired from some sort of temporary agency or staffing firm — including the independent contractor.

For recent events, check our Employment Discrimination section

Because you’re outsourcing through an online service, however, – not a temporary agency or staffing firm – you’re immune from what could be one of the worst experiences a hiring entity could encounter. A discrimination suit can bring about outrageous lawyer fees, years in court, a damaged reputation, and a business so financially crippled, it could have to file for bankruptcy.

1. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/12/business/12bias.html