Key Terms and Definitions
Personnel Actions: Hiring, discharge, promotion, pay, benefits, reassignment, and other personnel actions affecting the terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.
Harassment: Insults, jokes, slurs, or other verbal or physical conduct or activity that create a hostile or offensive work environment or that unreasonably interfere with an individual's work performance.
Exceptions: Age discrimination law generally recognizes several exceptions. For example, a bona fide seniority or merit system may be permissible if it is not intended to discriminate on the basis of age. The employing office must prove that the conditions for a particular exception have been met.
