Women have been facing pay discrimination for decades – and unfortunately, continue to do so today. In fact, women earn 79 cents for every dollar earned by men, even though they make up almost 50 percent of today’s workforce. [i] When President Kennedy enacted the Equal Pay Act (EPA) in 1963, visit here http://www.eeoc.gov/, women were actually earning even less – or 59 cents for every dollar earned by...

Lately, intersectionality has been generating quite the buzz in HR. Increasingly, employers are enhancing their workforce diversity and inclusion initiatives by focusing on the intersectional perspectives and experiences of their employees. So, what exactly is intersectionality? And what role might it play in organizations’ recruitment and hiring efforts today? What is Intersectionality? “Intersectionality&rdquo...

Many federal contractors who are developing their first-year affirmative action plan (AAP) often have the same question: who should be included in my AAP? The Office of Federal Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has provided some guidance on this topic by stating that all employees who have worked in a federal contractor’s establishment during the fiscal (or plan) year should be included in the contractor’s AAP. Som...

According to the National Institute on Mental Health, 19 percent of American adults experience mental health conditions each year, such as depression, anxiety disorders (e.g. post-traumatic stress disorder), and bi-polar disorder, to name a few. The vast majority of these individuals are of working age, so it behooves America's employers to learn strategies for fostering a mental health-friendly work culture. For federal...

In an era where the Office of Federal Contract and Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has become more inquisitive into contractor recruitment and selection processes, there is a need for more awareness around the utility and benefits of using evergreen requisitions. We find that there is both a lack of regulatory guidance for their use and a need for more resources on how to use them effectively to meet business and compliance nee...

There are many good reasons employers should hire veterans, so why does this group still struggle to find meaningful employment? As a former U.S. Marine and founder of HandyVets, Inc – a company that exclusively hires Veteran technicians – I have seen time and time again the myriad of challenges that those who dedicate their lives to our nation experience upon returning from duty. Among these challenges is the f...

These are unprecedented times. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused us to rethink, retool, recalibrate and reconsider our options – all for the sake of keeping us safe. Let’s consider some of the equal employment opportunity (EEO) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) considerations. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued guidelines for emp...

One week before the typical EEO-1 filing deadline of March 31st, EEOC published a notice of information collection in the Federal Register for a 30-day comment period. As with the initial 60-Day Notice, published in September 2019, EEOC continues to seek a three-year approval for the standard EEO-1 data collection (for years 2019, 2020, 2021), but with a new Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) control number. In the 30-Day Notice...

It never fails in our office. The frantic phone call because a Department of Labor Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) audit letter shows up on a desk, two weeks after sitting on the President's desk, with the yellow sticky note 'please handle.' Before fear and panic set in, here are some pointers for keeping ahead of the scary audit letter. Explore if your organization IS covered by the Affirmat...

It is common knowledge that EEO compliance has developed into an extremely complex and sometimes controversial process. In just the last 14 years alone we have witnessed an endless stream of changes to the expectations of contractors including: Changing from eight (8) to two (2) availability factors The brief, rocky visit of the EO Survey The as yet, unrealized threat of multiple regression as a tool to find comp...