Fair Employment Practices Policy

GE first began prohibiting discrimination against employees in 1936, when former CEO Gerard Swope issued the Company’s original fair employment policy. This landmark policy was put into practice 28 years prior to the passage of federal legislation.

Today, the Company continues to provide all employees with equal access to opportunities and fair treatment on the basis of merit. We prohibit all forms of illegal discrimination. By doing so, we provide an environment that allows employees to reach their growth potential and contribute to the progress of the communities where we work.

GE is committed to following the applicable labor and employment laws wherever we operate. That includes observing those laws that pertain to freedom of association; privacy; the right to engage in collective bargaining; the prohibition of forced, compulsory and child labor; immigration; working time and other wage-hour laws; and employment discrimination.

GE continues to monitor legal and other developments in labor, employment and human rights areas to keep its policy compliant as well as contemporary. In recent years, for example, we expanded our discussion of harassment to recognize a growing trend outside the United States to prohibit “bullying,” a form of harassment that may not always be considered unlawful discrimination. We also strengthened our provisions with regard to: prohibiting retaliation when employees raise concerns, preventing human trafficking violations and respecting the personal data and privacy rights of our employees. In the next version of the FEP policy, we will add “genetic information” to the list of protected characteristics (such as age, race, gender, etc.). The Policy makes clear that employment-related decisions should be made without regard to these characteristics or other characteristics protected by law.