Photo of 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 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.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) provides potential reimbursement to federal contractors whose employees (1) cannot perform work on a “site that has been approved by the Federal Government ” during the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency due to facility closures or other restrictions, and (2) cannot telework because their job duties

The National Industry Liaison Group has worked with OFCCP leadership to clarify contractor obligations and OFCCP expectations for compliance reviews that are moving forward during this unprecedented time.  The below are in addition to the National Interest Exemption recently announced by the Agency.

By e-mail, NILG shared OFCCP has informed it of the following protocols

As an update and a clarification to the below post we have learned from EEOC that there is not currently a deadline in place for submission of the 2019 EEO-1 reports.  In fact, EEOC currently does not have authority to collect 2019 EEO-1 Component 1 data.

Since the advent of Component 2 pay data reporting

Although we are about a week from what has historically been the annual deadline for filing 2019 EEO-1 reports, the EEO-1 Portal has yet to open.

That is due, at least in part, to the fact the fact EEOC does not yet have authority to continue to collect Component 1 race or gender data

In a Memorandum issued yesterday, OFCCP has granted a three-month, national interest exemption and waiver from AAP obligations for new federal contracts “entered into specifically to provide Coronavirus relief.”

In summary, the “exemption and waiver extends to all affirmative action obligations of supply and service and construction contracts, and other obligations as specified in” FAR

As part of its overarching effort to provide federal contractors with better compliance assistance, OFCCP announced this week its Town Hall Action Plan, intended to address issues raised by federal contractors during the seven Town Hall meetings it conducted in 2019.   Based on “consistent themes across the Town Hall meetings,” OFCCP has identified a

On Tuesday, February 18, 2020 the National Industry Liaison Group (“NILG”) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (“OFCCP”) held a Compensation Roundtable at the US. Department of Labor in Washington D.C.  Director Leen introduced the program by emphasizing the need for advancement of females to higher level management positions, the right to parental

As of today, federal contractors have a new tool for understanding a variety of compliance obligations enforced by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (“OFCCP”). The Agency has launched a Contractor Compliance Institute (“CCI”) where contractors can take free, on-demand courses on a variety of OFCCP-related topics.

The CCI is designed to help contractors

It seems the end has finally come for at least one part of the pay data reporting story.  Today, Judge Chutkan ordered the EEO-1 Component 2 pay data reporting portal closed.  The closing of the portal signals the end of the required collection of pay data for 2017 and 2018 from eligible employers.

The direction