The EEOC has a brand new HR-compliance resource on national origin discrimination

A photo posted by Eric B. Meyer (@eric_b_meyer) on Nov 20, 2016 at 1:31pm PST

Sorry about missing yesterday. I was recovering from a nose bleed and some hurt feelings.

I have freebie for you today to make up for it. Then again, every day is a freebie.

Three resources for employers.

But, still this one os more worthwhile than most of the other drivel I publish here. That is, yesterday, the EEOC updated its Enforcement Guidance on National Origin Discrimination.

You can also check out the CliffsNotes version in this question-and-answer publication or this small business fact sheet that highlights the major points in the guidance in plain language.

Why this is so important now.

While other protected classes (gender, race, disability) and claims of retaliation generally dominate at the EEOC, national origin claims are fairly prevalent too. According to this EEOC press release, “in fiscal year 2015, approximately 11 percent of the 89,385 private sector charges filed with EEOC alleged national origin discrimination.  These charges alleged a wide variety of Title VII violations, including unlawful failure to hire, termination, language-related issues, and harassment.”

To boot, one of the hot issues making headlines in the presidential election season was immigration and, specifically, building a wall along the border of the United States and Mexico. Although Title VII does not cover citizenship or immigration status, it’s easy to connect the dots to claim of national origin discrimination.We’ve already seen several report instances of xenophobia at schools since the election.

Thus, it’s a not a big stretch to assume that 2017, unfortunately, could usher in similar bigotry at our workplace. Additionally, remember that discrimination based on national origin is prohibited even if employment decisions are made due to the discriminatory preferences of clients or customers.

So, take make sure to review these new EEOC resources.