In February 2012, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) approved a Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2012-2016. The first performance measure of the Plan requires the EEOC to approve a Strategic Enforcement Plan, which it currently is developing. The purpose of the Plan is to leverage agency resources to focus on high impact lawsuits that will obtain relief for large numbers of individuals.
To that end, the EEOC will hold an open meeting on July 18, at 9:30 a.m. During the open session, the EEOC will hear publically from five roundtables of invited guests on what the agency’s enforcement priorities should be for the next three years in order to have the greatest impact on eradicating discrimination in the workplace. We’ll keep you posted on potential areas of interest raised during the meeting. Keep in mind, however, the results of the election in November could very well impact how the Plan is carried out. But for now, the EEOC can be expected to continue its aggressive course.