11.7 Age Discrimination-Defenses-Bona FIDE Occupational Qualification (BFO) is an affirmative defense that an employer may use to justify an otherwise discriminatory practice of hiring, promoting, or firing an individual based on age. The BFO defense is used to protect an employer from liability for discrimination when the practice is reasonably necessary to the normal operation of a business. The BFO defense must be based on a reasonable belief that the protected characteristic is necessary for the job and that there is no reasonable alternative to the practice. Types of BFO defenses include: age discrimination in hiring, age discrimination in promotion, age discrimination in firing, and age discrimination in compensation. For each of these types of discrimination, the employer must prove that the age of the employee is essential to the job and that there is no reasonable alternative to the practice.
11.7 Age Discrimination-Defenses-Bona FIDE Occupational Qualification (BFO) is an affirmative defense that an employer may use to justify an otherwise discriminatory practice of hiring, promoting, or firing an individual based on age. The BFO defense is used to protect an employer from liability for discrimination when the practice is reasonably necessary to the normal operation of a business. The BFO defense must be based on a reasonable belief that the protected characteristic is necessary for the job and that there is no reasonable alternative to the practice. Types of BFO defenses include: age discrimination in hiring, age discrimination in promotion, age discrimination in firing, and age discrimination in compensation. For each of these types of discrimination, the employer must prove that the age of the employee is essential to the job and that there is no reasonable alternative to the practice.