The EEOC and OFCCP Have Launched a New Initiative “HIRE” – Is Your Organization Ready to Respond?

On January 12, 2022, EEOC and DOL announced their new Initiative HIRE. The agencies describe this program as a “multi-year collaborative effort ... that will engage a broad array of stakeholders in expanding access to good jobs for workers in underrepresented communities.” The initiative will identify strategies for eradicating hiring barriers that limit opportunities for those with protected characteristics including race, color, ethnicity, LGTBQ+ status, religion, disability, age, gender, and veteran status.

In this session, we will discuss the initiative and how it dovetails with the Agencies’ Strategic Enforcement Plans and current enforcement actions. We will discuss strategies for employers to improve their practices in recruitment, hiring, retention, and promotion to achieve equity and remove barriers for workers. We will also focus on how to achieve these goals within the confines of existing EEO laws. Lastly, we will discuss EEOC’s and DOL’s data collection efforts and how these practices may lend themselves to enforcement activity.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the underlying driver for the HIRE initiative and how it fits in with the agencies’ strategic enforcement plans.
• Examine how the EEOC and DOL collect EEO-data and how that could be potentially be used to measure results to increase diversity hiring and retention.
• Introduction to recruitment, hiring, retention and promotion practices that may achieve more equitable results.
• Gain an understanding of how HIRE may fit in with your organization’s own DEI plan, goals and mission.
• Gain an understanding of potential barriers for underrepresented workers.

In-person session offerings are on a first-come, first-served basis.