Smart Benefits: EEO Reporting Delayed Due to COVID-19

Smart Benefits: EEO Reporting Delayed Due to COVID-19

In a recent Federal Register notice, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced it will hold off collecting EEO workforce data in light of the COVID-19 public health crisis.

The EEOC collects this workforce data from employers with more than 100 employees and uses the data for multiple purposes, including enforcement, self-assessment by employers, and research.

Consistent with the delays in federal reporting requirements throughout the government and other actions taken to lessen the stress on employers during the pandemic, the EEOC determined it was best to postpone collection dates for filers at this time. EEO-1, EEO-3, and EEO-5 filers, which include private-sector employers, local referral unions, and public elementary and secondary school districts, respectively, are dealing with unique and urgent issues, according to the EEOC. This delay will allow them to be in a better position to provide accurate, valid, and reliable data in a timely manner.

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Pending the White House’s Office of Management and Budget’s approval, the EEOC expects to begin collecting the 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 Component (Employment Information Report) in March 2021 and the 2020 EEO-3 (Local Union Report) and EEO-5 (Elementary-Secondary Staff Information Report) in January 2021.

Filers will be notified of the exact dates of collection when they become available. However, employers that are an EEO-1, EEO-3, or EEO-5 filer should still be collecting data for the 2020 filing period and preparing to submit that data in 2021.

Sam Slade is Managing Director, Employee Benefits, at The Hilb Group of New England, where he delivers consultative advice and services. He is an industry veteran with extensive experience in all aspects of employee benefits, including underwriting, plan design, communications, compliance, and analytics, with a particular focus on alternative funding and self-insurance. Most recently, Sam served as Vice President of the Employer Segment at BCBSRI, where he worked to help the company evolve its self-insured capabilities. Previously, he was the Employee Benefits Practice Leader for USI in Rhode Island after selling his own firm, Bluff Head Enterprises, to the company in 2011. Sam’s career started with The Travelers.