In 2017, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) resolved more than 99,109 workplace discrimination claims—securing more than $398 million from employers in the private and public sectors as a result of these claims. Discrimination lawsuits can be very time-consuming and expensive for employers, and can result in a loss of employee morale or reputation within the community.

Top Causes of Discrimination Claims

According to the EEOC, the following are the top 10 reasons for workplace discrimination claims in fiscal year 2017:

1. Retaliation—41,097 (48.8 % of all charges filed)
2. Race—28,528 (33.9%)
3. Disability—26,838 (31.9%)
4. Sex—25,605 (30.4%)
5. Age—18,376 (21.8%)
6. National origin—8,299 (9.8%)
7. Religion—3,436 (4.1%)
8. Color—3,240 (3.8%)
9. Equal Pay Act—996 (1.2%)
10. Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act—206 (0.2%)

These percentages add up to more than 100 percent because some lawsuits were filed alleging multiple reasons for discrimination.

What Employers Should Do

Employers should take the following steps to protect themselves from retaliation and other discrimination claims:

• Audit their practices to uncover any problematic situations.
• Create a clear anti-retaliation policy that includes specific examples of what management can and cannot do when disciplining or terminating employees.
• Provide training to management and employees on anti-retaliation and other discrimination policies.
• Implement a user-friendly internal complaint procedure for employees.
• Uphold a standard of workplace civility, which can reduce retaliatory behaviors.

For more information on how you can protect your business from discrimination claims, contact The Flanders Group at 800-462-6435.  You can also check out the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission at www.eeoc.gov for tips and assistance.