EEOC Performance Report (Part I): From Policy to Proof – The New Standard for Workplace Compliance

Employers are entering a new era of enforcement—one in which compliance is no longer judged by policy, but by proof. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s latest performance report signals a clear shift. Enforcement activity remains high, monetary recoveries continue to climb, and the agency’s focus on systemic discrimination is intensifying. For employers, particularly federal…
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OFCCP Is Fully Funded for 2026: Part 1 – What Federal Contractors Should Expect Next

For much of 2025 and early 2026, federal contractors have watched the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) become unusually quiet. Compliance reviews stopped. Enforcement activity nearly disappeared. The contractor portal was shut down, and the agency’s future was publicly questioned. That is why the most recent appropriations news is significant: OFCCP has now…
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Proactive Compliance in the Post-EO 14173 Era: A Practical Guide to Self-Auditing

Eight months after the issuance of Executive Order 14173, the federal contracting community has entered a new compliance era, one defined not by the creation of Affirmative Action Plans, but by the ability to prove nondiscrimination through certification. The transition from Executive Order 11246 to EO 14173 may have simplified paperwork, but it also raised…
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What Is Merit-Based Hiring and Does It Work?

Definition of Merit-Based Hiring Merit-based hiring is a recruitment strategy that focuses on selecting candidates based solely on their skills, experience, qualifications, and performance rather than personal characteristics or biases. In simple terms, when companies adopt hiring based on merit, they prioritize measurable factors like job competency, test scores, and work history over subjective elements…
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