The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has placed a number of policy initiatives on hold, partly because of the pending national elections, according to speakers at the National Employment Law Institute's Thirtieth Annual Affirmative Action Briefing in Chicago, Illinois. However, the agency is moving forward with a “very thoughtful and very integrated long range plan” for conducting audits, and federal contractors are concerned about some of the planned changes, including the publicizing of all corporate scheduling announcement letters on the OFCCP’s website. Contractors are concerned about this change because they fear harassment from community service groups and unions once all audit notices are publicly posted. This week’s Feature from CCH Daily Document Update provides a primer from the conference on the scope of OFCCP’s investigative authority.

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If your company has to formulate an affirmative action program, it is sometimes looked on as a tedious chore with a lot of number crunching. However, the rationale for the numbers is important for the organization to understand in order to actively recruit and select talented employees from traditionally under-tapped pools. Affirmative action is not supposed to be a government mandate that forces organizations to hire unqualified employees or a program just for the sake of diversity. This week’s Feature from HRC Performance Solutions is a Whitepaper on the concept behind the numbers.

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The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs’ proposed seven percent hiring goal for individuals with disabilities in federal contractor projects amounts to a hiring quota, says an OFCCP expert, but that hiring quotas for the disabled are lawful because individuals without disabilities are not a protected class. This week’s Feature is a conference report from CCH on a webinar discussion on OFCCP’s proposed rule and what it means for federal contractors.

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The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has "turned up the heat dramatically" on federal contractors and the hiring of protected veterans, according to John C. Fox, president and a founder of Fox, Wang & Morgan P.C. In a presentation at the National Employment Law Institute's Twenty-Ninth Annual Affirmative Action Briefing, Fox says that the OFCCP’s pending proposal to revise its regulations regarding protected veterans as a "pure affirmative action play." This week’s Feature from CCH HR Compliance Library covers his assessment of the various aspects of OFCCP enforcement activities, and the recent developments which he describes as "the greatest moment of change in the history of the agency."

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The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs may decide to conduct an on-site audit based on a covered federal contractor’s initial submission of annualized compensation data; OFCCP uses an algorithm for an initial assessment of the data to see if indicators of potential discrimination are present. Although the agency has never officially announced or otherwise explicitly communicated to the public the precise algorithm, various experts have managed to deduce the method, commonly referred to as the “tipping point test.” This week’s Feature from CCH News shares this information with the federal contractor community.

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The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has posted technical assistance guides for compliance requirements for federal supply and service contractors, federal construction contractors, and new federal contractors.

The technical assistance guides do not create new legal requirements or change current legal requirements; they provide tools for employers who may be receiving federal Read more

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has issued procedures for scheduling and conducting compliance evaluations of contractors receiving funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

According to OFCCP, it is required to conduct a full compliance evaluation, in Read more

Construction, supply, and service contractors receiving federal monies under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be subject to compliance audits, including affirmative action programs, according to plans submitted by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. Read more

Regional offices of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs have received the first list of supply and service contractor establishments for scheduling of compliance evaluations from October 1, 2008 through September 30, 2009. Read more

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has issued a new directive to establish field enforcement guidance for evaluating the use of race and ethnicity categories in the affirmative action programs prepared by federal contractors. Read more

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has unveiled two initiatives aimed at promoting the hiring of veterans and protecting the rights of applicants with disabilities: The Good Faith Initiative for Veterans Employment (G-FIVE) and ( Categories : OFCCP )

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The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has issued a policy directive for federal contractors on the use of electronic recordkeeping systems to comply with its record retention regulations. Read more

Federal contractors who utilized America’s Job Bank to fulfill their mandatory job posting requirements under the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act should retrieve those records now, advises the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. Read more

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has added four new frequently asked questions to its website regarding review of contractor compensation practices. Read more

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has updated its Frequently Asked Questions webpage regarding the agency’s internet applicant regulations. Read more