EEOC says workplace discrimination charges down

March 09, 2020

In New York, total workplace discrimination charges filed with the EEOC declined from 3,478 in fiscal year 2018 to 3,220 in fiscal year 2019, says Domenique Camacho Moran, a partner at Farrell Fritz in Uniondale.

Sex-based charges, which includes sexual harassment charges, declined from 1,299 in fiscal year 2018 to 1,209 in fiscal year 2019, she says.

Still she says it may be too soon to tell if that downward trend will continue.

“The charges are only one piece of the story,” says Moran.

It will be more telling to see how claims are ultimately resolved in federal and state court (i.e., whether they are dismissed, whether they go to trial and if the employee receives any monetary settlement), she says.

She says training and good performance management can help prevent claims.

Moran advises companies to look at five-year training windows, trying to differentiate the training each year so it doesn’t become stale (i.e. alternate live training, webinars, etc).

The key is making it more than a mandate, but part of company culture.

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