Late last week OFCCP released a new Directive detailing the Agency’s approach to investigating pay discrimination.  Directive 2018-05 applies to all OFCCP reviews scheduled on or after August 24, 2018, and to open reviews to the extent “they do not conflict with OFCCP guidance or procedures existing prior to the effective date.”

Over the coming days we will break down the different components of the Directive including a review of the Directive’s details as to the development of “similarly situated” pay groupings and the Agency’s stated statistical methodology for analyzing compensation disparities.

Before digging into the details, we wanted to take a minute to highlight how the Directive reflects the Agency’s current commitment to transparency.   The “transparency” elements in the Directive are consistent with one of the four themes articulated recently by OFCCP Acting Director Craig Leen.

The first stated objective of the Directive is to

further clarify and provide additional transparency to contractors about OFCCP’s approach to conducting compensation evaluations.

In addition to providing a detailed explanation of its pay grouping and statistical methodology, the Directive requires, at the conclusion of a desk audit, that OFCCP provide the contractor with a written explanation describing the “general nature of any preliminary compensation disparities that warrant further information requests or onsite review.”

More importantly, and more substantively, the Directive requires that, when discrimination findings exists, OFCCP attach to a Pre-Determination Notice (PDN)

 the individual-level data necessary for the contractor to replicate the PAGs and regression results.

It remains to be seen how the transparency aspect of the new Directive will be implemented in compliance reviews. For example, will OFCCP be providing information sufficient for contractors to actually replicate OFCCP’s analysis (e.g. how the regression model was developed), or just provide detail around PAG development and the results of the regression analysis?

Per the Directive, OFCCP is committed to facilitating “transparency, consistency and resolution of discrimination findings through conciliation.”  Knowing whether OFCCP is “bucketing” variables or “squaring” time factors, which OFCCP disclosed may be part of their methodology, will impact contractors’ ability to replicate the results of the regression analysis.  A contractor’s ability to actually replicate the Agency’s analysis is an important piece of the conciliation process.   Thus, OFCCP’s level of transparency can have a material impact on the success of resolution.

Stay tuned in the coming days as we continue to raise these types of questions and provide analysis on the latest OFCCP directives.

 

Tags: compensation, compensation discrimination, conciliation, Craig Leen, Directive 2018-05, OFCCP, OFCCP Acting Director, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, PAGs, pay analysis groups, Pay discrimination, regression analyses, regression models, transparency
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Photo of Laura A. Mitchell Laura A. Mitchell

Laura Mitchell is a principal in the Denver office of Jackson Lewis P.C. and leads the firm’s Workplace Analytics and Preventive Strategies Pay Equity subgroup. She partners with employers to evaluate, develop and implement policies and practices that ensure workplace fairness while mitigating…

Laura Mitchell is a principal in the Denver office of Jackson Lewis P.C. and leads the firm’s Workplace Analytics and Preventive Strategies Pay Equity subgroup. She partners with employers to evaluate, develop and implement policies and practices that ensure workplace fairness while mitigating legal risk. Laura is a guiding force in the firm’s most specialized and technical practice areas where she leverages an analytics-focused approach to partner with her clients in building legally compliant programs around which they can anchor their workplaces achieving productivity and stability.

Laura understands that creating a competitive advantage for employers in today’s workplace involves using a data-driven approach to counsel companies on the development of proactive and equitable non-discriminatory practices in hiring, promotions, separations and pay—and where advancements in technology can create both opportunities for efficiencies and risk that can be measured. Committed to putting her clients’ organizational goals first and foremost while balancing legal risk, Laura views herself as an extension of her clients’ team, responsible for providing proactive guidance and engaging in transparent, ongoing communication. Staying the course with employers across their organizational journey while balancing legal compliance obligations throughout their employees’ lifecycle ensures Laura’s position as a go-to resource.

Laura works with companies across all industries—both new and well-established multi-national organizations of all sizes—to realize the combined vision of legal compliance, increased productivity and economic growth enhanced by a focus on pay equity.  As part of the pay equity journey, she advises employers on the evolving pay transparency landscape, working to align compliant practices with the practical realities of the business world.

Laura partners closely with government contractors to understand, implement and demonstrate compliance with their EEO regulatory and compliance obligations. She also works closely with non-government contractor clients to conduct risk assessments of their programs, policies, and training to align with federal and state anti-discrimination requirements.

Laura is the editor and a principal contributor of the GovCon Employment Exchange blog and presents on pay equity and government contractor obligations. To round out her days, Laura enjoys spending time with her family and friends attending sports events, working out, riding her bike, playing pickleball and taking in Colorado’s incomparable sunsets.

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