Sexual harassment, pay discrimination and artificial intelligence (AI) are among the priorities that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will focus on this year in its guidance and enforcement efforts.

The agency is carefully considering comments from employers and the public right now as it finalizes its latest strategic enforcement plan, EEOC Vice Chair Jocelyn Samuels told attendees at the SHRM Employment Law & Compliance Conference in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 28.

Sexual Harassment

Later this year, the EEOC plans to provide updated guidance for employers to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, Samuels said. In the meantime, the agency offers best practices for employers in its 2017 guidance.

"In the wake of #MeToo, the number of sexual harassment charges that we received has really dramatically increased, and we know things now that we didn't know" 10 years ago, Samuels said. The agency believes there is significant underreporting of sexual harassment, and "that is an issue that really concerns us."

Industries such as retail, restaurants and fast food report higher rates of sexual harassment, which "often involves really vulnerable people, like teenagers," Samuels said. Employers in those sectors should "take a look at your workplaces and ensure you have in place the kinds of processes you need to become aware of potentially illegal harassment and address it before it becomes a legal liability."

Pay Discrimination

Even though pay...

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