Hello and Welcome from the Opening Day of the 2021 Industry Liaison Group (ILG) National Conference.

After a year hiatus, the 2021 ILG National Conference officially kicked off today from Nashville, TN.  Offering access to programming both virtually and in person, the conference is working hard to address the realities of operating in a COVID world.

After a day of pre-conference content on Sunday, the conference formally started this morning with a recorded presentation from OFCCP Director Jenny Yang.

Director Yang started her remarks by sharing the news that beginning August 16, Michelle Hodge, now the Mid-Atlantic Region Regional Director, will be Director Yang’s Career Deputy Director.

She then commented generally on Department of Labor Secretary Walsh’s vision for the agency and focus on working to ensure

good jobs free from discrimination are accessible to everyone.

She expressed that OFCCP is a resource to support efforts of employers to “remove barriers to opportunities.”

As for updates and announcements about ” things to come” from OFCCP, Director Yang noted a couple of items:

  • If the new federal budget is approved would support hiring of close to 188 Full Time Agency employees as well as other IT initiatives, that will allow OFCCP to review data at a national level through continued build out of its management system.
  • Reinvigoration of the construction contractor program, to include, a new scheduling letter (with new categories of data to be submitted at the outset of audits) and a new construction audit scheduling selection system.
  • Continued work on encouraging contractors to use FAAPs (Functional Affirmative Action Plans), which the Agency believe have many benefits, including grouping of more similarly situated employees which allows OFCCP to “identify more areas for growth.”
  • Intention to modernize regulations, to streamline processes and reduce burdens while “comprehensively” evaluating indicators.  Some of the modernizations Director Yang mentioned the Agency is considering including:
    • requiring disaggregated goal setting by race/ethnicity
    • looking at alternatives to establishment based approach better analyze workforce patterns
    • collection of gender non-binary data

Director Yang also highlighted that the Agency has posted an updated FAQs to address the new realities of work locations, including telework.

Director Yang closed out her remarks by saying she’s looking forward to working with the contractor community for years to come.

 

Tags: 2021 ILG National conference, construction contractors, FAAPs, Functional Affirmative Action Plans, OFCCP, OFCCP Director Jenny Yang
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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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