A Useful Guide for Enforcement Policies from the EEOC

The EEOC laid out its enforcement game plan in a detailed announcement last month. “What leaps off the page,” says Fisher & Philips partner Randy Coffey, “is that the EEOC is going to be expanding its efforts and is re-energized for the second term of the Obama Administration.” While cases brought against large employers often make a big splash in the news media, that should not lull small employers into thinking they can fly under the EEOC's radar.

You don't have to intentionally discriminate against employees and job applicants to get yourself in hot water with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Practices that have a discriminatory impact, or even hint at inadvertent discrimination, can drag you into considerable expense and aggravation defending your company. The EEOC has recently spelled out its enforcement areas of special focus for the next four years. The list can help you prioritize your own review of employment practices that might put you in the EEOC's cross-hairs.