As part of its overarching effort to provide federal contractors with better compliance assistance, OFCCP announced this week its Town Hall Action Plan, intended to address issues raised by federal contractors during the seven Town Hall meetings it conducted in 2019.   Based on “consistent themes across the Town Hall meetings,” OFCCP has identified a six-point action plan, with action items intended to implement each point:

  1. Update and develop new resources to assist contractors in conducting outreach to diverse talent pools.
  2. Provide more compliance assistance and resources for contractors to develop effective affirmative action programs and allow for more dialogue with contractors during compliance evaluations.
  3. Enhance avenues for collaboration between contractors.
  4. Enhance resources for protected veterans and their spouses, family, and other associates.
  5. Enhance resources to increase the effectiveness of the Indian and Native American Employment Rights Program.
  6. Enhance resources for disability inclusion.

The Agency had identified a number of action items that should be helpful to all federal contractors.  For example:

  • Outreach Assistance:  “Increase collaboration with organizations to keep the Employment Referral Resource Directory up to date. This directory provides contact information for diverse recruitment resources across the country and is used by contractors when advertising openings to candidates from diverse pools.
  • Protected Veterans:  “Develop new resources (e.g., frequently asked questions and best practices for contractors hiring protected veterans). OFCCP will develop material and update existing VEVRAA resources to include links to existing resources from other agencies and community-based organizations (e.g. the Career One Stop’s military skills translator).”
  • Individuals with Disabilities:  “Develop additional best practices for disability accommodations. OFCCP will use lessons learned that are identified during focused reviews … to address challenges where contractors need guidance in meeting their obligation to provide reasonable accommodation. OFCCP will compile best practices and other resources for contractors gleaned from these focused reviews to assist in this area.”

We look forward to seeing OFCCP’s progress toward implementing the Plan and will continue to blog about those developments.  Stay tuned.

 

Tags: OFCCP, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, Section 503 Focused Reviews, Town Hall Action Plan, VEVRAA Focused Reviews
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Photo of Laura A. Mitchell Laura A. Mitchell

As co-leader of the firm’s ESG group, Laura Mitchell partners with her clients to evaluate, set, achieve and monitor their organizational culture and human capital goals. She focuses her practice on data analytics, including pay equity and other employee analytics, working side-by-side with…

As co-leader of the firm’s ESG group, Laura Mitchell partners with her clients to evaluate, set, achieve and monitor their organizational culture and human capital goals. She focuses her practice on data analytics, including pay equity and other employee analytics, working side-by-side with employers to build programs that benefit employees and create a stable, high-functioning workplace. Understanding that an inclusive, values-based culture provides a crucial competitive advantage in the modern workplace, Laura enjoys counseling companies on the development of proactive and equitable pay and diversity practices.

In Laura’s version of the reimagined workplace, attention to human capital issues, especially DEI and pay equity, would be the rule rather than the exception nationwide and she works with companies across all industries—both new and well-established multi-national organizations of all sizes—to realize this vision for her clients’ ongoing success. She helps clients understand all issues across the spectrum of their journey, helping to establish regular analyses as well as counseling organizations on implementation and compliance obligations, where applicable. Committed to putting her clients’ organizational goals first and foremost, Laura views herself as an extension of her clients’ team, responsible for providing proactive guidance and engaging in transparent, ongoing communication.

Laura also represents companies in OFCCP matters, preparing for and defending OFCCP audits, and counseling employers on issues stemming from OFCCP regulations. She personally oversees the development of hundreds of Affirmative Action Plans for clients each year and is intimately involved in the defense of OFCCP audits. Her approach to compliance is one of facilitation and conciliation while simultaneously advocating in the best interests of her clients.

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