Interagency cooperation seems to be on the rise when it comes to increased scrutiny of employers and their practices. Recently, the United States Department of Labor (USDOL) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) have agreed to a collaborative arrangement regarding information sharing. This development carries significant implications for corporations and law firms across the globe. This move is anticipated to increase regulatory oversight and enforcement action, thus requiring companies to be even more diligent in their compliance efforts. The specifics of this collaboration came to light in an article from Fox Rothschild LLP, accessible via JD Supra.
This follows on the heels of similar agreements that the USDOL had previously entered into with various state-level DOLs. The sharing of data and information across varying agencies indicates a concerning trend for businesses. There is an increased potential for discrepancies in compliance to be caught by multiple agencies, making enforcement action a real concern for companies needing to abide by regulations in multiple jurisdictions.
According to Fox Rothschild LLP’s commentary, this continued change in the landscape should serve as a reminder for businesses to review and update their compliance measures. The increasing complexities brought on by ever-evolving interagency cooperation should be reason enough for corporate legal professionals to remain ever vigilant in ensuring their companies stay on the right side of the law.
Specific trends or changes to expect due to this new interagency relationship are still to be seen. However, it is predicted that the business community may face more potential problems due to these developments. Regulatory scrutiny will inevitably extend as agencies share intelligence, potentially leading to higher instances of enforcement action.