Protection against unlawful treatment in the workplace is a goal shared by employers and employees alike. Employers that may have relaxed their compliance with federal employment and discrimination laws during the pandemic take note: the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has been ramping up its enforcement activities; meaning employers should refocus on their internal review, implementation, and compliance with anti-discrimination, harassment, retaliation laws under the EEOC’s enforcement arm to avoid EEOC changes, investigations, and lawsuits.

EEOC is ramping up lawsuits:

The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against or harass a job applicant or an employee because of the person’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, transgender status, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. The EEOC also enforces the anti-retaliation provisions of these statutes, which make it illegal for an employer to retaliate against an applicant or employee for raising a claim of discrimination or harassment or for otherwise participating in an underlying investigation.

Last year the EEOC reported a spike in lawsuits and an increase in settlement monies recovered—up to $535.4 million—by the EEOC. The number of cases filed by the EEOC in the last several months of 2021 further forecast a busy year ahead for the EEOC and employers in 2022. A review of the EEOC...

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