Web, call center fuel rise in EEOC claims

HR Magazine, June, 2008 by Bill Leonard

When the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released statistics in early March showing that filings for discrimination claims rose 9 percent during fiscal 2007, EEOC officials and work place analysts were a bit stunned. But once the effects of the commission's outreach efforts and a new online charge assessment form became clear, the jump in filings began to make more sense.

If the first few months of fiscal year 2008 are any indication of a trend, then this year's number of charge filings with the EEOC could make the 2007 increase look like a drop in the bucket/ (See related article, page 62.)

During the first quarter of the EEOC's 2008 fiscal year, Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2007, the number of filings jumped 21 percent from the previous year. In February 2008, the number increased 31 percent from 12 months earlier--from approximately 30,000 filings to slightly more than 40,000.

"We knew the workload would increase once we placed the intake questionnaire online," says Cynthia Pierre, director of filed management programs for the EEOC.

EEOC officials say the numbers reflect only quarterly or montly trends and do not indicate how many charges will be filed in the course of a year.

"Look at annual charge filings rather than using quarterly comparisons," advises David Grinberg, a spokesperson for the EEOC.

"There are always multiple factors at play, including, but not limited to, people being more aware of their rights, economic conditions, and increased diversity and demographic shifts in the labor force," Grinberg says.

EEOC officials say that the agency's information gathering capabilities were greatly enhanced after opening an in house call center on March 17. From December 2007 to March 2008, the agency was fielding calls through its regional offices as it trained 61 new emplyee to staff the call center.

Still, the uptick in discrimination complaints in 2007 was the highest volume of incoming charges since 2002. Naomi Earp, chair of the commission, urged employers to examine their hiring and firing practices.

"Corporate America needs to do a better job of proactively preventing discrimination and addressing complaints promptly and effectively," Earp said.

Filings for Discrimination Claims

According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, filings for
discrimination claims have increased compared to the previous 12 months.

Fiscal years 2006 vs. 2007              9%
First quarter fiscal years 2007vs.2008  21
February 2007vs.February 2008           31

Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Note: Table made from bar graph.

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