The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) says it supports scrapping the current U.S. federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) reporting forms, but only if regulators replace them with a system that produces better data.
Emily M. Dickens, SHRM’s chief administrative officer, issued a statement after the U.S. rescinded the EEO-reporting forms.
“SHRM supports rescinding the current federal EEO reporting requirements only if they are replaced with a more modern, accurate, and useful framework that better supports compliance, effective enforcement of equal employment opportunity laws, and informed workforce decision-making,” Dickens said. “Federal and state governments have a fundamental responsibility to enforce our nation’s equal employment opportunity laws, and workforce demographic data remains an important tool in advancing that responsibility.”
The EEO forms require U.S. employers to report data on their workforce, including demographic breakdowns, to federal regulators. SHRM is a member-based professional organization for human resources practitioners.
Dickens said reporting requirements only work if they produce data that is reliable and useful. She said frameworks that generate incomplete or outdated information create administrative burdens without providing much value to employers, regulators or employees.
Dickens said the rescission does not change employers’ obligations under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the U.S. law that prohibits employment discrimination. Employers must still keep proper employment records and make hiring and workplace decisions free of discrimination, regardless of how workforce data gets reported, she said.
SHRM is urging the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to use the rescission as a chance to build a new reporting system. Dickens said the organization wants a framework that improves data quality, reflects the current workforce, cuts unnecessary red tape and gives employers and enforcement agencies more useful information.
“SHRM stands ready to work with policymakers throughout the rulemaking process and will continue providing employers with practical guidance that supports lawful, data-informed workplace practices,” Dickens said.
