As employment attorneys, we frequently get questions on how an employee or an employer should deal with a charge of discrimination. Our advice almost always has something to do with the EEOC; since, in most situations a charge must be made there before anything else can be done for an employee or an employer has just received notice of a charge. In this next series of blog posts I will attempt to demystify what the EEOC does, what the EEOC process is and what, if anything we can do to help.

The EEOC is the federal government commission charged with making sure, among other things, employees are not discriminated against by their employers. The kinds of discrimination include: race, sex, gender, disability, age, religion, and national origin. The EEOC also handles claims of retaliation against for making a prior complaint of discrimination. The major federal statutes under which a complaint can be made are: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), or the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA).

There are offices in every state, including offices in Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina. Once a charge is filed the EEOC has a duty to do an investigation into the charge and make a determination of whether or not there has been discrimination. The ins and outs of this process will be discussed in the next blog post.

Please contact us if you have any questions regarding the EEOC or its processes.