News Flash! Federal laws prohibit employment discrimination. Okay, so you already knew that, but are you taking it serious? As an employer, it is your responsibility to ensure that your organization's leadership team understands, supports, and complies with not only federal laws but also your state laws, to ensure non-discrimination. If you are wondering what the most common charges were in the last year, The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released a detailed breakdown report for the 72,675 charges of workplace discrimination the agency received in fiscal year 2019, which ended Sept. 30.
Here is the results by alleged bases:
1. Retaliation: 39,110 (53.8 percent of all charges filed)
2. Disability: 24,238 (33.4 percent)
3. Race: 23,976 (33.0 percent)
4. Sex: 23,532 (32.4 percent) (7,514 sexual harassment charges)
5. Age: 15,573 (21.4 percent)
6. National Origin: 7,009 (9.6 percent)
7. Color: 3,415 (4.7 percent)
8. Religion: 2,725 (3.7 percent)
9. Equal Pay Act: 1,117 (1.5 percent)
10. Genetic Information: 209 (0.3 percent)
(These percentages add up to more than 100% because some charges allege multiple bases.
If you see any discrimination categories that may be a potential risk factor for your business, address it now before it becomes an issue.
Check out www.eeoc.gov for more information on federal laws and your state website for your state laws on workplace discrimination.
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