Executive Order 13950 first made waves in September, with concerns that its stated goal of stamping out “offensive and anti-American race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating” might curtail federal contractors’ ability to provide diversity workplace trainings. After publishing guidance clarifying the particulars of the Executive Order and launching a hotline to receive complaints, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs is now seeking comments, information and materials from the public regarding potentially noncompliant trainings. The agency’s Request for Information was published in the Federal Register on October 21, 2020.
Tag: Contractors
OFCCP Issues FAQs on Executive Order Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has issued nine Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to address Executive Order 13950, which is intended “to combat offensive and anti-American race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating.” The FAQs include a range of topics — from the effective date of the Executive Order and examples of race or sex stereotyping or scapegoating, to how to file a complaint for unlawful training programs.
For the full alert, visit the Faegre Drinker website.
OFCCP Launches Hotline to Receive Reports Regarding Contractors’ Prohibited Race and Sex Stereotyping
The U.S. Department of Labor Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced its new hotline and email address to provide a forum to report noncompliance with Executive Order 11246 as well as President Trump’s recent executive order, which curtails certain employee diversity and inclusion training.
As recently reported, on September 22, 2020, President Trump issued an unprecedented “Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping” (Executive Order 13950) in an effort to “to combat offensive and anti-American race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating” through a variety of measures. Executive Order 13950 significantly limits the diversity trainings federal contractors may offer and requires contractors to add contract provisions prohibiting “race and sex stereotyping” in their subcontracts and purchase orders, among other requirements. Executive Order 13950 also directed the OFCCP to create a hotline where employees could report suspected violations of Executive Order 13950’s requirements, in addition to violations of long-standing Executive Order 11246, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and national origin, and prohibits inquiring about, discussing or disclosing one’s compensation or the compensation of others.
President Trump’s ‘Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping’ Significantly Impacts Permitted Federal Contractors’ Workplace Diversity Training
On September 22, 2020, President Trump issued an unprecedented “Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping” (Order) directed to the federal workforce and federal contractors. The Order purports “to combat offensive and anti-American race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating” through a variety of measures, including significantly limiting the diversity trainings federal contractors may offer, requiring notification of applicable unions of their commitments under the Order and posting related notices in the workplace, and adding provisions to address the prohibited “race and sex stereotyping” in their subcontracts and purchase orders.
For the full alert, visit the Faegre Drinker website.
Three Steps to Prepare for the Labor Department’s Proposed Rule on Paid Sick Leave
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released a proposed rule that requires federal contractors and subcontractors to provide workers with seven days of paid sick leave on an annual basis. The proposed rule, released on Feb. 25, was created in response to President Barack Obama’s Executive Order 13706, which directed the DOL to issue and finalize regulations this year.
The proposed rule is projected to extend paid sick leave to more than 800,000 employees, 400,000 of which don’t currently receive any paid sick leave, within a five-year period, according to DOL estimates.
Although the DOL has extended the comments period on the proposed rule through April 12, employers and human resources professionals should start preparing for implementation. Here are three things companies can do to prepare:
1. Review and revise policies
HR professionals should compare their employer’s existing policies with the proposed rule to see where revisions are needed. Employers may find that the changes are not as drastic as expected, and they can plan for changes in existing policies to comply with the proposed rule.
For example, the proposed federal rule explains that existing sick leave policies can be used to satisfy the new requirements if they provide at least as much paid time off (i.e., 56 hours a year), and allow the employee to use the existing time off for the reasons covered by the new rule. Many employers likely already have similar policies in place, especially if they have employees in states and municipalities that currently require paid time off for attending to family illnesses, or if the employee has been a victim of domestic violence, including California, Connecticut, Philadelphia, New York City and Seattle, among others.
2. Track and evaluate employee reasons
Employers should also confirm that they are tracking the reasons why employees are taking time off from work. This is already important in terms of compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and corresponding state laws, and will make it easier to comply with the record keeping obligations under the new law. We often find that records may inaccurately report that the employee took vacation when the time was actually taken due to an employee’s illness or to care for a sick family member.
3. Document and verify
The proposed rule allows employers to require certification from an employee’s health care provider attesting to the need for leave if the employee is/was absent for three or more consecutive full work days, as is done in the context of FMLA leave or when providing time off as a reasonable accommodation under disability laws. That will help to prevent any possible misuse of the benefit.
Existing leave laws and the proposed rule also require employees to give as much advance notice as practicable regarding the need for paid time off. Employers should require compliance with reasonable “call-out” policies to minimize the disruption caused by absences covered by applicable leave laws.
The future of paid sick leave
While it is possible that this proposed rule may not come to fruition following the presidential election in November, it is indicative of a larger national push for paid sick leave. We are seeing a trend towards allowing employees to use sick time for reasons covered by this proposed new rule, such as care of family members. We are also seeing a trend in employers adopting general ‘PTO’ or paid time off policies that combine days off for personal time, such as attending a child’s school function or a routine doctor appointment, with vacation time and sick time.
With many state and local governments already leaning towards adding paid sick leave benefits, it would be wise for federal contractors and subcontractors to review their policies and make sure they are in compliance with this proposed rule.