How You're Getting Discriminated Against at Work, Part 2, with EEOC Commissioner Keith Sonderling

In the last year alone, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) received nearly 81,000 charges of workplace discrimination. And here's a kicker – age discrimination made up a whopping 17.5% of those cases! This is not merely a fringe issue in our society.

In today’s episode, I sit down with Keith Sonderling, the EEOC commissioner, to explore the realities of workplace discrimination and the EEOC's role in safeguarding civil rights across the United States. Keith shares the EEOC's mission, which goes beyond enforcing anti-discrimination laws to educational initiatives that prevent discrimination and help employers and employees understand their rights and obligations.

We're covering everything from the EEOC's birth during the Civil Rights Movement (talk about a dramatic origin story!) to the modern-day villains of age discrimination and AI bias in hiring. And trust me, some of these true stories from the workplace are pretty wild - and have resulted in some stiff penalties for the companies who got caught.

So whether you're the one signing the paychecks, the HR guru trying to keep everyone in line, or just someone who wants to know their rights, this episode is for you. Join us for a conversation that's equal parts enlightening and entertaining – because who said learning about our civil rights in the workplace can't be fun?

"If AI discriminates versus a human, the scale-ability of the discrimination is far greater than any one individual human can do. With just a few clicks, AI can eliminate millions of applications that the algorithm might identify as belonging to a protected class, amplifying bias on an unprecedented scale.”
Keith Sonderling

In This Episode:
00:00 Understanding the EEOC's mission and role
02:31 EEOC's education and compliance assistance roles: common misconceptions
04:08 Scope and statistics of EEOC cases
06:47 Age versus other protected class elements
11:07 Legal exceptions to age discrimination protection
13:17 Trends and statistics in age discrimination
19:50 Notable age discrimination cases
27:08 Impact of AI on employment and age discrimination
36:31 EEOC’s guidance and best practices for preventing age discrimination
45:08 Practical tips for employees facing discrimination

Connect with Keith Sonderling:
LinkedIn:   / keith-sonderling  
Twitter (X):   / ksonderlingeeoc  
Website: https://www.eeoc.gov/keith-e-sonderli...

Connect with Maureen Wiley Clough:
Instagram:   / itgetslateearly  
Website: https://www.itgetslateearly.com/
LinkedIn:   / maureenwclough  
Facebook:   / 100088694515585  

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