Understanding Your Responsibilities Under Employee Discrimination Laws

The Equal Employee Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is the primary federal agency in charge of enforcing the employment discrimination laws in the United States. On this episode, Gene Marks is talking with Vice Chair of the EEOC, Jocelyn Samuels, about what small businesses need to know about the agency, including the importance of understanding discrimination laws, how being an inclusive workplace is good for business, why you should have anti-harassment policies in place, and much more.

Topics Include:

00:14 – Introducing Jocelyn Samuels 00:51 – Introduction to the EEOC 02:09 – Why is the EEOC important to employers? 05:25 – Inclusive workplaces are good for business 07:13 – Hot topics employers should be aware of 08:04 – Businesses that are exempt 10:05 – Having anti-harassment policies in place 11:28 – Being aware of retaliation 13:00 – Discrimination and technology 16:56 – AI-based software and biases 21:36 – How employees can report to the EEOC 27:37 – The impact of remote work on discrimination 32:59 – The EEOC is there to provide support 35:35 – Wrap up

Read more about harassment in the workplace at www.paychex.com/articles/human-resources/understanding-harassment-in-the-workplace.

Learn about some recent resources the EEOC has created related to sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination at www.paychex.com/articles/human-resources/eeoc-resources-sexual-orientation-discrimination.

DISCLAIMER: The information presented in this podcast, and that is further provided by the presenter, should not be considered legal or accounting advice, and should not substitute for legal, accounting, or other professional advice in which the facts and circumstances may warrant. We encourage you to consult legal counsel as it pertains to your own unique situation(s) and/or with any specific legal questions you may have.