Affirmative Action Plan

Lynn

We are a non union wholesale distributor who will soon be doing business with the federal government. I know that we will have to be using/developing an Affirmative Action Plan very soon. However, I have no idea where to begin. Also, do we need a self identification sheet on the front of our applications to assist us with this plan. Help Please!!

Gar

I haven't put together an affirmative action program for people of color/women in a while. I believe you should contact your local office of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) which is an arm of the US Department of Labor. They're the folks who will be auditing your AA program from time-to-time. They should be able to assist you. And it wouldn't hurt to hire a consultant to assist you too. There was always an on-going debate between the OFCCP and our experts as to what the federal regulations require for AA programs. Back when I was doing them 10 years ago, we had to develop a workforce profile, labor area statistics, applicat flow data and a lot of other stuff. We also had to establish an EO Central File which essentially is the central depository for documentation indicative of our EO/AA efforts during the year. You may also have to develop an AA program for persons with disabilities and veterans. That one is pretty easy to do compared to the program for people of color/women. Best of luck.

Gillian

The Affirmative Action Regulations have just been changed and, as usual, no one really knows what an Affirmative Action Plan will look like under the new regs. You can go to the Office of Federal Contract Compliance (the enforcement arm) and download all sorts of information. Go to [url]www.dol.gov[/url] and go to the OFCCP and follow the links to the regs., frequently asked questions, etc. You will find that the OFCCP is more in the business of enforcement than consulting, so they won't be of much help. An Affirmative Action Plan is quite an undertaking if you do it right. I think you have two options - first, do the best you can, then wait for an audit, in which case you will be required to do it right under a conciliation agreement or, as an alternative, get someone to help you. I don't know where you are but I know one of the best AAP consultants in the LA area. If you would like her name you can send me an E-Mail - [email]shugh@westernu.edu[/email]

AMW

If you need information regarding how to complete an affirmative action plan, I recommend that you contact Berkshire Associates. This is a company that specializes in affirmative action plans. They can give you some suggestions as to where to begin. Their phone number is 1-800-882-8913 and their website address is [url]www.berkshire-aap.com[/url]. Good luck!

AMW

Margaret Morford

Most companies are outsourcing this, particularly the first time you go through the process. I can recommend someone who does this and will help set up all of your tracking systems. Call me at 615-371-8200 and I will put you in touch with them.

Margaret Morford
theHRedge