Cabela's reaches settlement to improve hiring of minorities

Cabela’s has reached a settlement with a federal agency after the Sidney-based retailer was alleged to have failed to adequately recruit and hire minorities.

The company has entered into a nationwide agreement to strengthen and improve its hiring and recruiting practices of minorities, a media release issued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Wednesday states.

“Those actions are based on a settlement agreement with the federal agency that resolves an EEOC Commissioner’s Charge of Discrimination alleging that Cabela’s failed to recruit and hire minorities,” the release adds.

As part of the agreement, Cabela’s will appoint a director of diversity and inclusion who will report directly to the company’s chief administrative officer.

Additionally, Cabela’s will implement goals to achieve equality in the hiring rates of white and minority applicants, and equal employment opportunity compliance will be a part of performance evaluations for managers and supervisors, the release adds.

“Two critical elements in demonstrating commitment to diversity and inclusion in an organization are first, buy-in from senior management, and second, the message has to be it is right for our business,” Julianne Bowman, director of the EEOC’s Chicago District Office, said in the release. “Cabela’s has demonstrated this commitment.”

Based on Cabela’s communications and actions, the company has made great strides to improve its hiring and recruiting practices, she added.

“Diversity and inclusion is on of my most important initiatives at Cabela’s,” the company’s CEO, Tommy Millner, said in the release, “and I am extremely pleased that we were able to work jointly with the EEOC in continuing to strengthen efforts that have been underway for the past several years at Cabela’s.”