Dive Brief:
- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released it 2016 Annual Performance and Accountability Report this week, showing that it resolved 6.5% more cases in 2016 than in fiscal year 2015.
- The agency won $482.1 million for workers in private companies, state and local governments, and federal workplaces through settlements, mediation and conciliation. The awards break down to $347.9 million for employment discrimination plaintiffs, $52.2 million for victims of discriminatory practices through agency litigation; and $82 million for federal employees and job applicants.
- EEOC staff resolved 97,443 charges, resulting in the 6.5% increase over last year. This reduced the case workload to 73,508, a 3,100 (3.8%) decrease over 2015. The agency also responded to 585,000 calls to its toll-free number and 160,000 pre-charge field-office queries. The agency said the call increases reflect a significant rise in the public’s demand for its services.
Dive Insight:
EEOC Chair Jenny Yang took a conciliatory tone in commenting on the agency’s 2016 performance, saying the agency was proud of the solutions that promoted prosperity for workers, employers and communities.
The agency launched an online resource for small businesses. The Small Business Resource Center is a one-stop shop that provides information on employers’ responsibilities for preventing or eliminating discrimination in the workplace.
The EEOC also announced its Strategic Enforcement Plan (SEP) for Fiscal Years 2017-2021 last month, announcing its intent to focus on "complex employment relationships" (like temp. workers and contractors) and "backlash discrimination" in its upcoming cases.