You've Got Mail: EEOC Launches Online Pilot Program For Charge Notices

Last week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) launched a pilot program called ACT Digital, which is the agency's first initiative in digitizing its current paper-based charge process. The EEOC receives about 90,000 charges annually, which makes its charge system the common form of interaction with the public. In launching ACT Digital, the EEOC is attempting to streamline and improve customer service, ease the administrative burden on its staff, and reduce the use of paper. What employers need to know is that when this goes live in your area, the only notice you may get of a charge is an email.

ACT Digital began on May 6 in the EEOC's Charlotte and San Francisco offices and will start in Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, and Phoenix by the end of May 2015. The EEOC aims to roll-out this system to all of its offices by October 1, 2015. So, all employers—both public and private—should begin training staff on what to do when they get an email from the EEOC.