Compliance…compliance…compliance…
OFCCP…OFCCP…OFCCP…
DirectEmployers Association’s ability to educate employers in compliance and provide support with OFCCP audits compels company after company to join. But how do we do it? With our status as a non-profit HR consortium, we’ve secured unique partnerships and opportunities that allow Members to put their best foot forward. Between the automation we provide for the VEVRAA Mandatory Job Listings and the platform and brainstorming for the Section 503 and VEVRAA outreach requirements (included at no additional cost with your Membership), we’ve given our Members the gift of time. Now it’s time to focus on the business of community outreach, recruiting, hiring, and employee engagement. Check out the tips below provided by Regional VP of Membership Development, Jen Bernhardt, on how DirectEmployers (DE) Members can use their membership as TRUE audit assistance.
- VEVRAA Job Listings
The VEVRAA Mandatory Job Listing requirement mandates that federal contractors LIST their employment openings using a qualified Wagner-Peyser funded ESDS in order for protected veterans to receive priority access to their jobs. Using our partnerships with the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) and the 50 states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, and Guam, we’ve secured signed agreements giving us the permission to list jobs on behalf of our Members. These agreements also ensure the receipt and acknowledgement of those job transmissions. Understanding specifically what’s required within those regulations and not relying on an interpretation is what has allowed us to be the front-runner is this type of service. - Partnerships & Audit Support
We’ve all been there – the problem arises: what happens if the OFCCP questions any of our compliance processes?At DE, we’ve got you covered unlike anyone else. Our official agreements with NASWA and each of the 50 states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, and Guam aren’t just for show. They give us the contacts and resources needed to enact a very powerful and effective Plan B should the job listing service we provide be called into question. It’s EXCLUSIVE and it’s EFFECTIVE. As soon as the possibility of an audit arises, loop your Membership team in so they are aware and can start providing support by pulling reports and involving necessary partners in the conversation as needed. We don’t stop there, though. We’ve amassed a team of experts comprised of DirectEmployers’ VP of Compliance & Partnerships, Candee Chambers, employment law attorney, John C. Fox and expert compliance consultant, Joyce Morgan. These folks host exclusive webinars and Q&A sessions for Members that need extra help during audits. All content released within the association is then archived for later use. - Outreach & Documentation
As everyone already knows, Good Faith Efforts are not accepted as effective outreach for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. Good faith efforts are no longer good enough to go above and beyond the brass tacks of the regulations. Federal Contractors must start building relationships with community-based organizations in the areas where their jobs are in order to attract these qualified candidates.But how do you do that? How do you track that? By using the DE Partner Relationship Manager (PRM) and your Membership Team. Allow me to be clear – no third party can conduct the outreach for you. Technology does not count as outreach, nor do emails with lists of your jobs to an arbitrary contact from an unverified database.But there are several ways that the Association can help:- Brainstorm ways to find groups to work with and ways to engage with those groups.
- Continue partnering with top-tier national organizations (Easter Seals, Hiring Our Heroes, etc.) to give our members an “IN” to reach out to those organizations on their own.
- Provide an evolving platform that allows unlimited users to document the outreach required for the VEVRAA and Section 503 regulations.
- Coordinate Member-exclusive virtual job fairs and career events to help further connect with Veterans and IWDs.
- Use job syndication and source codes to backfill any relevant candidates received from direct relationship building.
DE continues to strive for excellence in compliance and recruiting. Hopefully the above tips have showed you some of the ways we assist our Members in compliance – and they’re all included in our annual membership fee!
