EEOC Charges on the Rise

According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency received 82,792 private sector discrimination charge filings last fiscal year, the highest volume of incoming charges since 2002 and the largest annual increase (9%) since the early 1990s. During that period, the EEOC recovered $345 million in monetary relief for victims of employment discrimination. The most frequently filed charges of discrimination were based on race, retaliation, and sex.

To reduce their vulnerability to discrimination charges, employers should take proactive steps. Recommendations include implementing consistent personnel policies, documenting employee performance, informing employees of problem performance and terminating employees for cause when appropriate. Finally, employers should consider offering some severance in exchange for a full release from departing employees.