The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has released a draft strategic plan for fiscal years 2026-2030, announcing and quickly concluding a public input period in which stakeholders were invited to provide feedback on the agency’s priorities. In this compliance alert, we consider the highlights of the plan and the response.
Summary
In a July 1 press release, the EEOC announced the release of a draft strategic plan for fiscal years 2026-2030, posting the document to the Regulations.gov to seek public feedback with a now-elapsed July 19, 2026 final comment date. The press release described the following highlights:
- “Strengthening the agency’s enforcement impact through the strategic application of the EEOC’s law enforcement authorities”
- “Modernizing and improving the agency’s intake services”
- “Expanding outreach to prevent discrimination from occurring”
- “Building a high-performing workforce”
- “Improving service delivery and operational efficiency.”
The Strategic Plan is less policy-oriented than the EEOC’s enforcement plan, a new version of which was released on June 4. Nonetheless, there are some areas of note when this latest plan is taken in comparison to the 2022-2026 plan. Specifically:
- A new performance measure reading, “In 80% of systemic investigations in which cause is found, the Commission achieves targeted equitable relief and at least $1 million in monetary relief.” The previous strategic plan was more focused on training and personnel measures in these systemic discrimination investigations. This suggests the EEOC is likely to selectively focus on larger recoveries.
- The removal of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility commitments with respect to the agency’s own hiring and employment practices. The words “diversity”, “equity”, and “inclusion” are, unsurprisingly, not found anywhere in the document.
- An acknowledgement that “the rapid growth of generative AI will impact how applicants apply for jobs, how employers screen job applicants, and how the agency performs many of its functions.”
The public comment period ran for just 19 days, something the National Women’s Law Center called out while requesting a 30-day public comment period in line with the previous 2022-2026 draft strategic plan release. The NWLC also highlighted the fact that the 18-day period included the July 4 holiday period, remarking, “Releasing this Draft Strategic Plan during a holiday week and providing a comment period of less than three weeks limits the ability of the public to comment in a timely and thorough fashion.”
Who Is Impacted and What Actions Are Required?
The new strategic plan does not impose any new obligations on employers, but it does provide further and invaluable insight into the EEOC’s priorities:
- The emphasis on systemic discrimination enforcement suggests the EEOC will continue to pay attention to employer policies and practices that affect employee groups
- The draft claims the EEOC will modernize its technology infrastructure, so employers could see changes to systems and processing times
- The promise of outreach, technical assistance, and updated educational resources may improve clarity for employers after the current period of high uncertainty
It’s worth noting that the EEOC remains very much active. In addition to this new draft of the strategic plan, since June 30 they’ve sued 12 companies, settled four cases for 2.4 million, and voted to rescind their voluntary affirmative action guidelines.
Though the public comment period has now closed, organizations would do well to review the available draft (alongside the new 2025-2029 Enforcement Plan) and consider how their anti-discrimination policies, complaint procedures, accommodations practices, and training programs may need to change in order to ensure ongoing compliance.
How Affirmity Can Help
Federal enforcement’s posture has changed, but the nature of an effective defense remains much the same: clean data, documented processes, and rigorous analysis. Abandoning regular monitoring and analysis doesn’t eliminate risk, it creates blind spots. Affirmity is on hand to assist with the following solutions:
- Workforce analysis software and services
- Workforce compliance services, including Section 503, VEVRAA, EEO-1, and VETS-4212
- Compensation and pay equity analysis
- Risk assessment services covering DEI programs, AI use, and more
- Compliance and inclusion training
Protect your organization from shifting agency priorities: Contact our team of experts today.
About the Author
Kim Hendon oversees account management and sales for Affirmity. She is responsible for building successful, long-term partnerships with clients and generating new business. Having served with the company for more than 25 years, Ms. Hendon has in-depth knowledge and broad experience in all areas of workforce analytics and HR compliance.
Ms. Hendon assists clients with the planning and development of workforce compliance and non-discrimination programs, as well as employee engagement initiatives. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication and a Master’s in Business Administration. Connect with her on LinkedIn.