The Mattacola Law Firm Blog

EEOC ISSUES GUIDELINES FOR CAREGIVER EMPLOYEES

Posted in Law ::: June 4, 2009 1:35 PM

Our friends at the EEOC have been at it again and have issued some "best practices" for employers to follow when dealing with employees with caregiving responsibilities.  These are not rules, per se, and are not mandates for employers but are measures that the EEOC would like to see you take when handling employees who are caregivers.  In other words, if you follow their suggestions, you will make the EEOC happy and make life easier for yourself if you are ever involved in an EEOC charge.  The "best practices" can be found here:  http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/caregiver-best-practices.html

A 'caregiver' is someone who cares for a spouse, children, parents, elderly relatives and relatives with disabilities.  The EEOC's 'best practices' are designed to help an employer avoid prejudices and stereotypes that can occur about caregivers such as assuming that female employees' caregiver responsibilities will hinder their ability to keep up in a fast paced environment or that male workers, do not or shuld not, have significant caregiver responsibilities.  It is a useful document and worth a read.  As I tell my employer clients, the key is to be fair and to be consistent.  Expect nothing more of one class or gender of employees than you would another and when disciplining for attendance or quality issues, do so in a consistent manner that does not take into account a person's gender, age, disability, etc.  So, take a look and if you have questions, we are here. 

DIGG This Share on Facebook