Small Business Assistance

We're here to help! We can answer questions, train your staff and help you resolve charges of discrimination. Give us a call, we're here to assist you, and many of our services are free!

We can answer questions.

EEOC staff are available to answer questions about the laws enforced by the EEOC, explain the EEOC charge process, and provide information about employment discrimination. For example, we can answer:

• Do the laws you enforce apply to my business?
• How can I prevent harassment?
• I just received a charge of discrimination. What should I do?

These discussions will not be shared with EEOC staff who investigate, resolve, and litigate charges of discrimination.

While we will make every effort to assist you, there are some questions that we can't answer. We can't provide legal advice or representation on a particular issue, and we can't certify that your business is an equal employment opportunity employer. In addition, we may be limited in the amount of information that we can provide if a discrimination charge is pending on the matter you wish to discuss. For example, we can't answer:

• One of my employees has been taking long breaks during the day and missing deadlines. Because of this, we almost lost one of our most important clients. Can I fire the employee?
• A former employee filed a charge against my business. His charge is baseless and we have documentation to prove it. Will the EEOC dismiss the charge?

We can provide training.

We can train you and your employees about rights and responsibilities under federal employment discrimination laws.

If you would like to request training on a particular topic, let us know; we can tailor our training to meet your needs.

We can help you resolve charges of discrimination.

Despite your best efforts, a charge of discrimination may be filed against your business. This does not mean that you have broken the law. A charge is a complaint of discrimination, not a determination that discrimination has occurred.

We may invite you to resolve the charge informally through mediation. Consider participating. Mediation is a great way to resolve disputes quickly and confidentially, at no cost.

See also:

Small Business Resources