EEOC Issues New Fact Sheet for Small Businesses

Provides User-Friendly Overview of Federal Anti-Discrimination Laws in 30 Different Languages

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued today a new simplified, one-page fact sheet designed to help small business owners better understand their responsibilities under the federal employment anti-discrimination laws.

The "Preventing Discrimination is Good Business" fact sheet provides a shortened, user-friendly overview of the legal obligations of small businesses under the anti-discrimination laws.  It also provides information about other EEOC resources available for small business owners.  It is being made available in 30 different languages to respond to the large number of small businesses across the country started by immigrants whose first language is not English. It will be posted on EEOC's public website at http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/publications/ and also distributed by the 53 EEOC offices nationwide as part of the agency's continuing outreach efforts to small businesses across the United States. 

The fact sheet is a product of EEOC's Small Business Task Force led by Commissioner Constance S. Barker. Commissioner Barker launched the Task Force in 2011 to address the need to provide small businesses ready access to plainly written, easily understood information, through the use of the internet, social media and other sources.  It is focusing on the needs of startups and companies that are too small to afford human resource professionals or lawyers. The small business fact sheet is the first in a series of products the Task Force is in the process of developing.  The Task Force is also working on producing a series of short You Tube videos designed to provide quick, easy answers to questions often asked by small business owners.

"I am pleased to work with Commissioner Barker and the Small Business Task Force to provide crucial information to small business owners to assist them in complying with our workplace anti-discrimination laws," said EEOC Chair Jenny R. Yang. "The Task Force is working to ensure that small business owners have the tools they need to ensure equal employment opportunity in their workplaces."

"Startups and other small businesses continue to play an integral role in the strength of our nation's economy," said Commissioner Barker.  "It is our responsibility at EEOC to help businesses understand their legal obligations under the complex and ever-changing federal employment discrimination laws and regulations. We want small businesses to be able to quickly and easily access the information they need to comply with the laws.  That way, they can focus their time and efforts on growing their businesses, and creating new jobs."

The fact sheet is available in the following languages:  Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Burmese, Chinese, English, French (Canadian), French (European), German, Greek, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Hmong, Japanese, Karen, Khmer, Korean, Laotian, Marshallese, Nepali, Polish, Punjabi, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Vietnamese.  The fact sheets are available on EEOC's website at http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/publications/.

EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Additional information about the Commission is available on its website, www.eeoc.gov.