The Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs unveiled two new resources Friday for government contractors to help comply with equal employment opportunity rules: an interactive contractor assistance portal and a newly appointed ombudsman.
“OFCCP is committed to transparency in the agency’s enforcement practices and providing more certainty to federal contractors,” Acting Labor Secretary Patrick Pizzella said in a statement.
As Labor’s civil rights agency, OFCCP enforces various federal laws that prohibit those who do business with the government from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or status as a protected veteran. The agency offers compliance assistance and conducts evaluations to ensure contractors and their subcontractors follow personnel policies and procedures, recommends enforcement actions to Labor’s solicitor when necessary and links stakeholders with Labor’s job training programs to help employers recruit qualified workers, among other duties.
As a compliance assistance resource, OFCCP’s new portal will act as its online help desk that companies can access to ask the agency direct questions about the specific issues they face when embarking on federal business, retrieve helpful reference and compliance assistance materials, learn about solutions to common compliance challenges and share successful strategies to support other stakeholders in their efforts.
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