IN THIS ISSUE:

2. EEO Training: An Essential Legal Defense Tool

3. Free Report: Protecting Against Electronic Sabotage By Ex-Employees

4. HR Soapbox: Leave The Office For Lunch? No Way!

AHI's We Couldn't Make This Up

According to a 2010 Newsweek poll of 202 corporate hiring managers, when it comes to getting hired, looks most certainly matter.  Specifically, 57% believe that unattractive but qualified applicants will have a harder time getting hired, and 59% advise applicants to spend as much time and money on "making sure they look attractive" as they do on perfecting their résumé.  When asked to rate nine desirable attributes in applicants, looks came in third, beating out school attended and sense of humor.  

1. FEATURE STORY: PREPARE FOR EQUAL PAY ACCOUNTABILITY AND ENFORCEMENT

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2009, women who worked full-time earned only about 80% of their male counterparts' earnings.

To help address gender-based pay inequities, the National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force was created.  The Task Force is comprised of representatives from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Labor (DOL), and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). 

Recently, the Task Force released a report that identified five persistent challenges to equal pay progress.  It also made specific recommendations on how to address each challenge. 

Important: The implementation of the Task Force's recommendations will likely result in increased regulatory and enforcement activity.  Audit your pay practices now, or else risk having one or more federal agencies swoop in to do it for you.  For guidance on conducting a fair pay audit, read AHI's Free Report: Pay Discrimination Audits: Ensuring Your Organization Is Protected Against Ledbetter Complaints.

Paycheck Fairness Act

Among the Task Force's recommendations was for Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.  The Paycheck Fairness Act would significantly broaden the Equal Pay Act of 1963 by allowing women to receive the same remedies for sex-based pay discrimination as those statutorily available to individuals subjected to race or national origin discrimination.  The Act would also bar retaliation against workers who disclose their wages, and would strengthen protections against wage discrimination by clarifying the scope of affirmative defenses.

On the same day the Task Force released its recommendations, President Obama released a statement supporting the Paycheck Fairness Act and strongly urging Congress to pass the legislation (it was passed by the House of Representatives in 2009 but stalled in the Senate). 

Increased Enforcement Efforts

The Task Force recommended strengthening the coordination of enforcement efforts between federal agencies.  Of particular note, it recommended strengthening coordinated EEOC-DOJ investigation and litigation efforts to improve employers' compliance with wage discrimination laws.

And of interest for employers who are federal contractors: The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) will revise several enforcement practices and will hire more than 200 new employees, most of whom will be Compliance Officers responsible for detecting discriminatory practices.

Data Collection & Employer Education

The Task Force also recommended collecting data on the workforce of private employers, so that it can better understand the scope of the pay gap and target enforcement efforts.  Currently, private-sector employers are not required to systematically report gender-identified wage data to the federal government.  The Task Force claims that this lack of data makes identifying wage discrimination difficult and undercuts enforcement efforts.  It recommends finding ways to collect such wage data from employers without placing unnecessary burdens on employers.

Finally, the Task Force is commited to undertaking a public education campaign to educate all employers on their equal pay obligations, and all employees on their pay equity rights. The EEOC, DOL, and DOJ will evaluate the possibility of developing guidance for employers on evaluating pay disparities in the workplace, with regard to equal pay for equal work and occupational segregation that leads to lower pay for occupations that are female-dominated.

2. EEO TRAINING: AN ESSENTIAL LEGAL DEFENSE TOOL

The main point of equal employment opportunity (EEO) training is to teach managers, supervisors, and employees about workplace discrimination so that they may subsequently avoid engaging in it, even inadvertently. By implementing EEO training, your company will have a better chance of...Continue the story.

3. FREE REPORT: PROTECTING AGAINST ELECTRONIC SABOTAGE BY EX-EMPLOYEES

Read the Free Report, "Protecting Against Electronic Sabotage By Ex-Employees," which offers practical advice for preventing disgruntled former employees from taking electronic revenge against your organization.  The advice is geared to all levels within your company, from executives to IT, to HR, to managers, to employees.  Included is a sample electronic security termination checklist.

4. HR SOAPBOX: LEAVE THE OFFICE FOR LUNCH? NO WAY!

I saw the title and I had to read it: Cooking For One: Take Time To 'Cook' At Work.  Surely the author can't mean cook cook, he must mean reheat, right?!  Nope, he means cook, even if in the simplest of forms.  On his lunch break, the author prepares instant couscous, boils pasta, and even blanches veggies.  The idea makes me shudder!...Continue the story.