The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) requires certain companies to submit a report that categorizes their company by race or ethnicity, gender and job category.
It's a demographic survey. Think of it like a census for businesses.
The survey is called the EEO-1, and it's due by September 30, 2016. (Yeah, that's coming up.)
If you're a private company and you meet at least one of the following criteria, you are required to complete the report...
- Your company employs 100 or more people. (This excludes primary and secondary school systems, institutions of higher education, Indian tribes and certain tax-exempt private membership clubs.)
- Your company employs fewer than 100 people, but it's owned by or affiliated with another company - and the entire enterprise employs 100 or more people.
- Your company is a federal contractor with 50 or more employees. And a few other stipulations. This part might get a little confusing...
- You're NOT exempt under 41 CFR 60-1.5, AND...
- ... you're a primary contractor or first-tier subcontractor with a contract, subcontract or purchase order that equals $50,000 or more, OR...
- ... you serve as a depository of government funds in any amount, OR...
- ... you're a financial institution that is an issuing and paying agent for U.S. Savings Bonds and Notes.
Complicated? Sure. But those are the rules. And if you fall into one of these categories, you better believe it's only a matter of time before the EEOC comes knocking, looking for their EEO-1 report.
Now, if you do fit at least one of these categories above (and you're required to complete the report), here are a few things you'll want to keep in mind...
- The EEOC prefers online filings. (Here's the link.)
- "Single-establishment companies" (translation: businesses with only one office) are only required to submit one EEO-1 data report.
- Multi-establishment companies are required to submit a report for each and every location.
- Employees must be given the opportunity to self-identify their race (you probably remember doing this before yourself). If they refuse to self-identify (which is common), you'll have to use employment records or "visual observation."
- Pull employment data from one pay period in July, August or September. (Psst... If you're one of our clients, just contact your CSR and we'll be happy to help you with this.)
- Report on all employees, whether full-time, part-time, temporary, per-diem, etc.
- For employees that work from home, include them in the location to which they report (not their home address).
- Do not include applicant data.
- Be sure to check the "certify report" button, because if you don't the EEOC will not receive your report. (Translation: You'll eventually have to do it all over again.)
We will always do our best to keep you up-to-date with any changes to the EEO-1 (and anything that touches payroll, for that matter). For example, last February there was a proposed change to the EEO-1 that would require employees that employ more than 100 people to also include pay data, but that has not been finalized. We will let you know if that - or anything similarly consequential - is ratified.
Once again, the deadline to submit the EEO-1 report is September 30, 2016.
The link to the EEOC's website is right here.
If you have any questions or would like a sample EEO-1 report (whether or not you're a Complete Payroll client, by the way), simply leave a comment or get in touch with us. We'd love to help you out.