Affirmative Action Compliance: Who needs affirmative action & EEO support?

EEO, Affirmative Action & Anti-Discrimination

Helping Employers and Government Contractors Maintain
Compliance in a Changing Regulatory Environment


For over 30 years, HR Works has been a trusted provider of audit-ready Affirmative Action Plans (AAPs) to employers nationwide.

HR Works has developed options that offer the precise level of support that you need, all while keeping you updated on the ever-changing compliance requirements.

  • VEVRAA Affirmative Action Plans
  • Section 503 Affirmative Action Plans
  • EEO-1 Annual Filing
  • VETS-4212 Annual Filing
  • HRIS Data Extraction
  • Audit Support
  • Best Practices Consultation
  • Implementation Guidance and Tools
  • Dedicated Consultant
  • Certification Support
  • Assessment of Outreach Effectiveness
  • Attorneys on Retainer
  • Webinars and Training
  • Industry Articles and Blogs

 

  • California Pay Data Reporting
  • Minnesota Equal Pay Certificate and Compliance Plans
  • Illinois Equal Pay Registration Certificate
  • Massachusetts Workforce Data Reporting
  • State and Regional AAPs:
    • Wisconsin
    • Ohio
    • Navajo Nation
      …and more
  • Equal Opportunity Reporting:
    • NJ AA 302
    • NY Staffing Plan
    • MN Annual Compliance Reporting
      …and more
  • Dedicated Consultant
  • Best Practices Consultation

 

  • Disparate Impact (Adverse Impact) Analysis
  • Pay Equity Analysis
  • Demographic Comparison of Workforce to Community
  • Organizational Display or Workforce Analysis
  • EEO Analysis by Industry and Geography
  • Training for Managers and Human Resources
  • Consulting & Best Practices

 

  • EO 14173 Compliance Plans
  • EEO Barrier Analysis
  • DEI Risk Assessments
  • Training for Managers and Human Resources
  • Reduction-in-Force Analysis
  • I-9 Audits
  • Merit-Based Selection Procedures
  • Recruitment Strategy Consultation
  • Artificial Intelligence Bias Testing

 

  • Compensation Policy & Philosophy
  • Benchmarking & Wage Data Analysis
  • FLSA Assessments
  • Pay Gap Analysis
  • Pay Grade Development
  • Pay Transparency Auditing
  • Pay Equity Analysis

 

WHY EMPLOYERS CHOOSE HR WORKS
FOR AFFIRMATIVE ACTION & EEO COMPLIANCE


Affirmative Action Services: Personalized
Affirmative Action Services: 30+ years
Affirmative Action Services: compliance partner
Affirmative Action Services: year-round support
Affirmative Action Services: streamlined
Affirmative Action Services: client satisfaction

Affirmative Action, EEO, and Anti‑Discrimination services support employers that must comply with complex federal and state requirements, including:


Federal Government Contractors and Subcontractors


Employers with 50+ or 100+ U.S.-based Employees


Organizations Undergoing Active Compliance Audits or Investigations


Employers Navigating Policy Updates or Workforce Changes


HR Teams Seeking Expert Compliance and/or HR Guidance

How do our affirmative action and EEO services work?

Consultative Approach: A dedicated Affirmative Action Consultant partners with you throughout the year.

Effortless Data Collection: Secure, streamlined workforce data submission, with HRIS extraction when available.

Proprietary Data Cleansing: Data is validated and cleansed to ensure accuracy and reduce compliance risk.

Audit‑Ready Plan Development: Customized Affirmative Action Plans aligned with current requirements.

Ongoing Compliance Support: Year‑round guidance, including implementation support and OFCCP audit assistance.

Section 503 (Individuals with Disabilities) AAPs are required when a contractor has:

  • 50 or more employees, AND
  • A federal contract of $50,000 or more

VEVRAA (Protected Veterans) AAPs are required when a contractor has:

  • 50 or more employees, AND
  • A covered federal contract of $150,000 or more

 

Private Employers (Non‑Federal Contractors)

You must file an EEO‑1 report if:

  • You are a private employer, and
  • You have 100 or more employees during the selected workforce snapshot period
    (full‑time and part‑time employees combined)

Federal Contractors and First‑Tier Subcontractors

You must file an EEO‑1 report if all of the following are true:

  • You have 50 or more employees, and
  • You are a prime contractor or first‑tier subcontractor, and
  • You meet federal contract coverage requirements, which generally include:
    • At least one covered federal contract or subcontract of $50,000 or more, or
      Serving as a depository of government funds, or
      Acting as an issuing and paying agent for U.S. savings bonds or notes

The VETS-4212 Report should be filed if a business has:

  • a current federal government contract or subcontract worth $150,000 or more, regardless of the number of employees.

The contract or subcontract may be with any department or agency of the United States for the procurement of personal property or non-personal services. Services include, but are not limited to, utility, construction, transportation, research, insurance, and fund depository, regardless whether the government is the purchaser or seller.

California law requires private employers with:

  • 100 or more employees and/or workers hired through labor contracts
  • at least 1 CA employee

to report pay, demographic, and other workforce data to the Civil Rights Department (CRD) by the second Wednesday of May each year.

Private employers with:

  •  100 or more employees in IL; AND
  • Are required to file EEO-1 with the EEOC.

are required to obtain an Equal Pay Registration Certificate with the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) and recertify every 2 years.

Private employers with:

  •  100 or more employees in Massachusetts during the previous calendar year

are required to submit EEO and pay data for aggregated public reporting the Massachusetts Department of Labor by February 1, 2025, and by February 1 annually thereafter.

Contractors with 40 or more full-time employees for at least a single day in the 12 months prior to executing the contract who have:

  • Contracts for goods and services in excess of $500,000 with Minnesota state departments and agencies, the Metropolitan Council, the Minnesota Historical Society, the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, the Metropolitan Airports Commission, the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District, and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities; OR
  • Contracts for capital projects funded by General Obligation bonds that exceed $1,000,000 with cities, counties, townships, and other political subdivisions; OR
  • Contracts for capital projects funded by General Obligation bonds that exceed $500,000 with the University of Minnesota.

are required to obtain an Equal Pay Certificate through the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) every four years.

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& EEO News

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& EEO Webinars

Protect Your Organization with Expert Compliance Support

Whether you’re preparing an affirmative action plan, responding to an audit, or reviewing your EEO policies, HR Works provides trusted compliance expertise.

Affirmative Action Plan Testimonials

WHAT OUR CLIENTS ARE SAYING

Hear what our clients have to say about working with us.

HR Works walked us through our AAP results and helped us understand each item. They always answer questions promptly and never make us feel like we are a bother. They helped us to review and feel confident in our reporting, and they also helped us clean up our data and inaccuracies we may have had during the process. We have had a great experience for two years now. We no longer dread this reporting; with HR Works’ help, it is a breeze!

PAYROLL & COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST, MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

Our HR Works team is great! They are helpful and responsive. They took time out to really help us to make sure our AAP results were showing accurately. We did our AAP in-house for years, and I am sure it just went from year to year without anyone doing a deep dive into it and how we categorized things previously. They helped us to review everything, looking at positions to understand if how we listed them previously was still accurate. We really needed to do that, and it was easy with HR Works’ help.

PAYROLL & COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST, MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

We’ve used HR Works for several years now and their service is top notch. I feel like it’s accurate and I can rely on them should I ever be audited.

VP OF HR, NON-PROFIT INDUSTRY

HR Works is so incredibly knowledgeable about the newest trends and about how they are being legislated. Their customer service, follow up and follow through are amazing. They are really more partners than service providers.

Their advice has helped us tremendously in two ways: to achieve our goals of obtaining a diverse workforce and to fulfill our compliance requirements.

HR MANAGER, FOOD MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

We have been very pleased with the service and support received from the staff at HR Works. They have consistently demonstrated an exceptional knowledge of the affirmative action planning process from the plan development stage through the OFCCP compliance review process. Their attention to detail is remarkable and their analysis of data is very thorough.

HR Works’ employees always show a high degree of professionalism and great patience when collecting and synthesizing the data from our various complex systems. I look forward to continuing our working relationship with HR Works.

COMPLIANCE AND METRICS MANAGER, MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

When I first called HR Works, I was under deadline for filing my AAP, had received an audit notice, and was too busy to assemble the material on my own. HR Works shared my sense of urgency, educated me throughout the process, and made it their priority to ensure a successful audit. Had I not found HR Works, I might still be struggling to learn from a book on how to write an AAP. Instead, I can relax, knowing it’s getting done correctly.

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER, LABORATORY SERVICES INDUSTRY

Contracting with HR Works to build our Affirmative Action Plan was incredibly easy. They ensured I was able to be a part of the process and seek understanding of the necessary steps.

HR GENERALIST, CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

They assist on all aspects—from advice on setting up systems, to gathering the information, to consulting with our HR team on the plan’s creation. HR Works also provides consultation on implementing proactive AA practices throughout the organization and keeps us apprised of the latest developments in related laws and regulations. We continually receive high levels of service, not just during plan development, but throughout the year. When we need AA advice and expertise, HR Works is only a phone call away.

HR OPERATIONS & PROJECT MANAGER, FINANCIAL INDUSTRY

We are very pleased with all of the services we received from HR Works. Everyone was professional and most important very helpful. They made a difficult job easy!

HR MANAGER | ENGINEERING INDUSTRY

HR Works has proven to be an invaluable resource over the past five years. Just recently we received an audit letter from the OFCCP that somehow was overlooked, and we needed to move quickly. I called HR Works, and within hours we had everything we needed…

HR Works’ employees are always willing to go above and beyond to provide top notch client service. They are so knowledgeable in affirmative action planning, and their approach is refreshing. We look forward to our continued relationship with HR Works.

HR DIRECTOR, TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY