Dive Brief:
- Victoria A. Lipnic, President Donald Trump’s pick for acting chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), said the agency is committed to its core values, but will focus on job growth and economic development, reports the HR Daily Advisor.
- Taking part in a panel discussion at Seyfarth Shaw LLP on Feb. 9, Lipnic said the EEOC will continue enforcing anti-discrimination laws, decreasing its case backlog and maintaining some Obama administrative initiatives, including the requirement that employers offer workers civility training, per the report.
- Lipnic also spoke about changes at the EEOC, including her focus on the gig economy, employers’ responsibilities in joint employment cases and the use of staffing agencies.
Dive Insight:
The EEOC’s primary focus is enforcing anti-discrimination laws. Lipnic said that won’t change, so employers should expect to continue complying with the laws as written. Anti-discrimination formed much of the agency's latest Strategic Enforcement Plan (SEP).
It's not yet clear how the EEOC will promote job growth and economic development. The agency is charged with protecting people on the job and ensuring they have equal opportunities in the workplace, rather than adding jobs to the economy.
Lipnic said systemic discrimination won’t be a focus. However, workers in the protected classes routinely claim that much workplace (and hiring) discrimination, whether based on gender, race, age or sexual orientation, is systemic. The agency likely will continue receiving systemic discrimination claims.
