Lauren Hicks
Lauren Hicks is an attorney with Ogletree Deakins. She advises clients on proactive pay equity, inclusion and diversity, data analytics, and representing federal contractors in compliance evaluations and administrative enforcement actions triggered by the United States Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). Ms. Hicks previously served as a District Director for the OFCCP. In that role Ms. Hicks oversaw hundreds of OFCCP compliance evaluations, resolving several of the agency’s largest discrimination cases. She has extensive experience with investigating and resolving systemic discrimination issues stemming from statistical disparities in hiring, compensation, and testing.
Monday, July 29
Workshop 3
Ethical Considerations with OFCCP
Leigh Nason and Lauren Hicks, Ogletree Deakins
This course serves as an annual refresher on ethical reminders in interactions with OFCCP. The session gives practical audit examples, and tips on avoiding OFCCP claims of denial of access, retaliation, or interference. Led by experienced attorneys, we discuss working with OFCCP productively, and minimizing risks of unethical behavior. Contractors will learn techniques to manage the OFCCP relationship. Examples include:
- Ethical considerations with how to interact with agency
- Considerations related to the use of staffing agencies and other vendors
- Audit requests - particularly compensation
- Data disagreements with OFCCP
Tuesday, July 30
Workshop 3
Finally! Ways to Monitor Equitable Career Advancement in a Performance Culture
Lauren Hicks, Ogletree Deakins; Chris Liakos, Ernst & Young LLP
OFCCP has expressed renewed interest in strategic and thoughtful ways to shift how they evaluate a contractor’s promotional activity. Additionally, research indicates the promotional paths of employees can be a roadblock to diversity at the top, as well as a key driver in an overall organization’s Pay Gap. Leveraging multi-disciplinary expertise, this session presents options for analyzing promotional activity, assessing glass ceilings, and hidden risks and impacts from promotion practices including compensation. Presenters will share practical takeaways to help contractors address ways to meaningfully:
• Analyze EEO impact of promotion practices
• Evaluate options to assess barriers that may exist for different types of promotions or glass ceiling risks
• Implement change around promotional policies within their organization
