Employers with more than 100 employees and federal contractors are probably more than familiar with the EEO-1 reporting requirements, but those requirements are about to change. On July 13, 2016, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission published a revised version of a proposed rule to broaden the scope of data collected in the EEO-1 report. Earlier this year, the EEOC issued an initial version of the proposed rule, which would have required additional reporting on each of ten categories of employees and pay information reported by race and gender. The July 13 version of the rule contained some key changes.
Changes to Proposed Rule
Under the new proposal, the EEOC will require reporting on an employer’s established pay ranges for positions and hours worked. In response to the comments received regarding the initial proposal, the revised proposal proposes moving the due date for filing the required report from September 30, 2017 to March 31, 2018. This change will allow employers to use employee’s W-2 earnings for reporting. Because of the revisions to the proposal, a new 30 day notice and comment period commenced with the release of the new revised proposal in the federal register.
Purpose of Data Collection
EEOC explained that it intends to use pay data for early analysis of discriminatory complaints. Investigators will examine the data for pay disparities and perform statistical analyses, yet to be determined in order to investigate whether compensation discrimination appears likely. EEOC has further stated that it will compare periodic reports on pay disparities by gender and race based on the data. Finally, the agency will use the data to enhance its support for training programs by, among other things, providing supporting evidence for training programs.
What Should I Do Now
EEOC actually pays attention to the comments it receives as is evidenced by the new revised proposed rule. We strongly encourage employers to make comments on the hardships the proposed revised rule would create. EEOC has remained silent on how it will account for the merit based non-discriminatory factors that could lead to differences in pay in the same job category. This is an issue we suggest employers should press heavily in their comments. Tenure, skill sets and even the broad nature of the job categories themselves can be pivotal in determining wage differences. Stay tuned, we will likely see more changes when the final rule is published.