The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released FAQs reminding federal agencies that they must submit equal employment opportunity (EEO) plans in adherence to Management Directive 715.
MD-715 sets standards for the EEO programs required of federal agencies by Title VII and Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act. Its goal is to ensure equal employment opportunities for applicants and employees in the federal workplace regardless of their sex, national origin, color, religion, or disability. Under MD-715, federal agencies must assess their workforce and employment practices each year to identify any barriers to EEO — including analyzing workforce statistics broken down by race, national origin, sex, and disability status.
The EEOC’s new FAQs signal that collection and analysis of workforce demographic data remains a lawful method to monitor the workforce for unlawful employment practices. While MD-715 applies only to federal agencies, private-sector employers can use its guidelines to develop proactive programs to identify and correct unlawful employment practices.
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC), our affiliated nonprofit membership association, can read more here.