HR Fact Friday will be a regular weekly posting to HR News & Views. I will cast out a net to uncover and share interesting, informative, unusual, and sometimes humorous HR industry facts. Where other sources are referenced, I will give full credit and provide links where available.

This week I am summarizing findings released in February, 2007 from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on Job Bias Charges. The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination.

Fact: In 2006 the EEOC received a total of 75,768 discrimination charges against private sector employers, the first increase in charge filings since 2002.

Fact: Charges based on race, sex, and retaliation were the most frequent allegations.

Fact: Additionally a record 4,901 pregnancy discrimination charges were filed with the EEOC and with state and local Fair Employment Practices Agencies combined.

Fact: A record 15 percent of sexual harassment charges were filed by men.

So what does this all mean? It means that despite all the workplace discrimination and diversity awareness training/programs implemented over the past 15 years by employers—discrimination in the 21st century remains a persistent problem. Employees are more informed and aware of their workplace rights, and therefore more willing to step forward and level charges when an alleged discriminatory action has occured.

Complete 2006 year-end Job Bias Charge statistics are available online at: http://www.eeoc.gov/stats/enforcement.html