United States Department of Labor OASP - Employment Law Guide Update

The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of an updated version of its popular Employment Law Guide, an online publication that describes the major employment laws administered by the department.  The Guide helps the public — workers and employers — understand many of the laws affecting the workplace.  It helps small businesses develop wage, benefit, safety and health, and nondiscrimination policies and benefits employees and employee representatives who need information about worker rights and responsibilities under federal employment laws.
The Employment Law Guide is a companion to the department’s FirstStep overview advisor, an online system that allows employers to quickly and easily determine which federal employment laws apply to them by answering a few simple questions about relevant variables.  Together, the updated Employment Law Guide and the FirstStepoverview advisor offer employers the information they need to ensure safe and fair workplace policies and practices.  Both are available at http://www.dol.gov/elaws orhttp://www.dol.gov/compliance.

Do You Know Your AAP Score?

As your AAP year begins to wind down do you know your AAP score?  Does your management team know the facility AAP score?  Hopefully, you've been actively involved in tracking all of the key personnel activity throughout the AAP year.  Each individual applicant, hire, promotion, demotion, transfer, job posting, job vacancy, suspension, disciplinary action, compensation action, and, termination statistically become part of your AAP Scorecard.  The sum of all these personnel activities when comparing the protected groups vs the non-protected groups determine the final analysis of Impact Ratios and Standard Deviations.  Impact Ratios below .80 with Standard Deviations of 2.0 or higher are statistical indicators that Systemic Discrimination may be occurring unlikely by chance.  This is definitely something the OFCCP would most likely require much detailed information be provided for and most likely would schedule and an onsite visit for further investigation.  A good self audit system is a good way to be aware of early on in being alerted to these type trends.  This gives you the opportunity to address potential problem areas as they begin to develop and manage them in a positive direction.  Making "Good Faith" to address problem areas is what the OFCCP expects to see you doing.  It's critical to account for and measure all the "Good Faith" efforts being accomplished in your location.  This will clearly demonstrate to the OFCCP that your are in fact in charge and effectively managing your locations Affirmative Action Plan.