The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has just released its 2007 statistics. Here are the specifics about what they’ve been going after.
Across the board, charges filed with the EEOC have reached the highest number since 2002. Financially speaking, the Commission reports it helped recover a total of $345 million for employees (that’s 26% more than they reported in 2006).
As usual, charges based on racial discrimination made up the largest number. Those claims have gone up by 12% over the previous year.
Other areas worth noting:
- Retaliation charges have hit a record high, going up 18% over the 2006 numbers. These charges are getting tougher for employers as courts are letting retaliation claims proceed even if the original discrimination or harassment complaint is found to be invalid.
- Pregnancy discrimination went up a whopping 31%, hitting an all-time high. It may be a good idea for employers to look over (and train managers on) policies and procedures regarding employee pregnancy.
Why have claims gone up so far? Some say it’s the more difficult economy, others say people are just more aware of the law.
Either way, employers should take note of the increase in claims. Training supervisors can go a long way toward keeping your company from joining those statistics. Also, appropriate complaint procedures can help you deal with these issues before an employee goes to the EEOC.
