The EEOC Isn’t Playing Around - And Why That Matters

According to preliminary data, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed an astounding 143 lawsuits in the fiscal year 2023, a 50% increase from 2022. Who is the EEOC and why does this matter to you, as an employer?

The EEOC is responsible for “enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and related conditions, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.”

This means those 143 lawsuits filed are all related to employees being discriminated against by employers or potential employers.

While many different topics were covered in the lawsuits filed, the range of issues included but was not limited to barriers in recruitment and hiring, protecting vulnerable workers and those from underserved communities, qualification standards and inflexible policies that discriminate against individuals with disabilities, the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, advancing equal pay, combatting unlawful harassment, and preserving access to the legal system.

How can you as a business owner prevent finding yourself at the arbitration table with the EEOC? The EEOC provides a summary guide for small business owners (which can be found here) which lists best business practices and how to find help, including:

• Provide equal pay to male and female employees who perform the same work,

• Ensure that employees are not harassed because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, or genetic information,

• Respond promptly and adequately to discrimination complaints,

• Provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees who need them for medical or religious reasons,

• And more

Need help navigating through it all? Contact HHB for a helping hand.