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.

EEO-1 Annual Pay Data Reporting Has Arrived: What Should Employers Do Now? 

As we’ve been reporting, the new EEO-1 reporting rules require employers with 100 or more employees to annually report W-2 earnings, work hours, race/ethnicity and gender for all U.S. employees, separately for each location.

First reporting will be on 2017 data. The first

As anticipated, the first lawsuit challenging the legality of the Fair Pay & Safe Workplaces executive order and final rules is now on the books. Filed by the Associated Builders and Contractors, a construction trade group, and the National Association of Security Companies, the complaint contains six counts which allege the Obama administration, the FAR

The final regulations for Executive Order 13706 (“Paid Sick Leave for Workers on Federal Contracts”) were published September 30, 2016.  Under the Executive Order and final regulations, paid sick leave obligations will begin with new solicitations and contracts beginning January 1, 2017.

Join my colleagues Patricia Pryor and Leslie Stout-Tabackman on October 20, 2016 for

On the eve of the end of its fiscal year, the U.S. Department of Labor has released final rules for new EEO-1 Pay Data reporting obligations as well as paid sick leave regulations for federal contractors.

EEO-1 Pay Data Reporting

As highly anticipated, and a day before the deadline for the 2016 EEO-1 reporting period

This week the General Accounting Office (GAO) issued a report to the House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce on its recent audit of OFCCP.  The report reviews (1) how the Agency conducts audits; and, (2) the Agency’s outreach assistance and guidance efforts. 

The 56-page report – titled “Strengthening Oversight Could Improve Federal

As we previously announced, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) and the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (“FAR”) Council have published the highly-anticipated final guidance and regulations implementing President Barack Obama’s “Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces” Executive Order (E.O. 13673), often called the “Blacklisting” or “Bad Actors” Executive Order. This rule will present significant challenges and

It rolls around each year:  back to school, Labor Day, football season and the September 30th deadline for government reporting.  While next year may bring changes given the proposed  EEO-1 pay report, the filing obligations remained unchanged for this year.

Extensions

Of note, we suspect the deadlines may not be automatically extended this year