Understanding Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Reporting

Employers with 100 employees or more must report the number of employees within each EEO category. Providing this data is a legal obligation and all employers with 100 or more employees must follow this federal law. The information provided is used to create reports regarding gender and race/ethnicity by the type of job grouping. This form requires employers to provide the government with the number of employees in the company based on the job category as well as ethnicity, race, and gender.

If you do not have 100 employees in your business, you are not required to report; however, utilizing sound EEO practices is the right thing to do, and can keep you out of trouble. Although small businesses are not required to report their employee data, it can be beneficial for them to keep track of this data. These reports are collected and used for civil rights enforcement, employer self-assessment, as well as research. The EEOC helps to illustrate employment patterns representing both females and minorities in the company – helping to prevent potential discrimination in the workplace.

Make sure you have an Equal Employment opportunity policy in your employee handbook. Check to make sure the EEOC policy is in your handbook and that it provides a thorough description of your company’s policy and practices. Employees have a right to know about these federal laws and it can help to clarify any questions they may have. Having these policies in clear and concise language in your handbook can help employers avoid employee-related litigations, so long as the company practices and effectively implements its own policy.

Do not discriminate based on gender or ethnic background in the application of everything HR related. Employers are meant to provide equal opportunities to all applicants and employees, despite their gender or ethnicity. When employers keep track of this data, they become aware of who they hire and whether or not any discrimination has taken place in the workplace. When providing applicants with self-identification EEO forms, employers have back up documents to show the gender & ethnicity of those who applied for open positions within the Company.

Use sound HR best practices – call us if you have any questions! It’s better to be safe than sorry so if you have any questions related to HR, we’re only a phone call away! Make sound judgments when it comes to working with your employees and focus on respecting and treating everyone equally at work.