The number of charges may continue to increase if the economy does not improve in 2012. Hire better, train more, document thoroughly, and call CEDR for support.

The country’s unresolved economic problems are adding fuel to the job discrimination fire and driving the increase in charges filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).  Unfortunately, this news affects businesses of all sizes, even those with just one employee.

Last month, the EEOC revealed that it received 99,947 charges of job discrimination in fiscal year 2011, the highest number of charges in the Commission’s 46-year history.

Even small business employers can blame more than just the economy for the critical need to revise their employment policies.  In 2011, the EEOC received a major cash infusion and redoubled its enforcement efforts.  It stepped up its outreach and education efforts to directly reach 540,000 workers.  By pursuing charges more aggressively than ever, it also reduced its long list of pending charges by 10% for the first in 10 years.

What does this mean for employers?  It means discrimination claims are no longer languishing in a bureaucratic tomb, never to be seen again.  It means the Commission is now more willing than ever to enforce employee rights.

Overall, 5.4 million workers reaped the benefits of new laws designed to benefit employees during the past fiscal year.  For employers, the only access to protection is through an up to date, compliant handbook.

How do you keep up with rapidly changing policies and practices?  How do you navigate the long rules and legal jargon?  Most of all, how do you achieve the peace of mind needed to focus on your business?

Here are a few helpful tips:

• Attract the right employees and develop a strategy for keeping them on-board, using a hiring guide like CEDR’s.
• Job descriptions create clear expectations and eliminate the confusion that often leads to disputes.  CEDR customizes job descriptions for members.
• Adopt a progressive discipline policy to ensure you are documenting appropriately, effectively, and with an eye toward defending EEOC charges.
• Stay up to date on relevant state and federal legal developments, a service CEDR provides for about $3 per day.

Compliance is not getting any easier. If the economy does not turn around soon, it is likely to get much harder. Call the CEDR Solution Center for expert advice on all your workplace needs.

www.cedrsolutions.com

(866) 414-6056

solutioncenter@cedrsolutions.com