Many businesses worldwide are preparing to submit crucial workforce demographic data to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), sorted by employee job category. The data must also provide a breakdown of their workforce distribution by race, ethnicity and sex. This obligation is pertinent for private employers with at least 100 employees or federal contractors with at least 50 employees.
The process, which many organizations may already be familiar with, is a part of the annual tradition of filing EEO-1 reports. The EEO-1 report, a compliance survey federally mandated by law, is typically a comprehensive breakdown of an organization’s workforce by race/ethnicity, gender and job category.
The EEOC has recently released the instructions for preparing and submitting the report. Employers have been provided a filing window starting October 31 and ending December 5. The instruction booklet offers a detailed guideline for undertaking the process.
As time is of the essence, businesses need a specific plan to ensure they comply with the statutory requirements appropriately and punctually. A suggested 5-step action plan is as follows:
- Begin by gathering workforce data required for the completion of the EEO-1 report.
- Ensure anyone involved in preparing the report comprehends the categorizations and classifications as noted in the instruction booklet.
- Analyze the data to ensure representation across all categories described in the guidelines.
- Get the report reviewed by a legal professional or expert with experience in EEOC compliance to ensure accurate representation of the company’s workforce.
- Prepare and submit the report within the specified window.
With these steps, employers can ensure they are adequately prepared and in compliance with EEOC requisites come submission time.