Intel, EEOC to mediate employment disputes
Chipmaker becomes first Silicon Valley company to form a mediation partnership with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The federal agency estimates that mediated cases are resolved within an average of 83 days--half the time it would take to investigate a case.
"The program will help resolve employment disputes as early and fairly as possible," Patricia Murray, Intel's director of human resources, said in a statement released Monday.
As a result of the partnership, formed under the commission's Universal Agreement to Mediate program, all eligible Intel discrimination charges filed with the EEOC will be referred to the agency's mediation unit. However, if an Intel worker files a lawsuit or prefers the EEOC to launch an investigation, the case does not qualify for mediation.
Intel's agreement will apply to its workers in 50 states. The chip giant employees 78,000 workers worldwide.
"We commend Intel for partnering with us to promote the use of workplace mediation," EEOC Chair Cari Dominguez said in a statement. "The commission is pleased to see a global high-tech industry leader publicly recognize and embrace EEOC mediation."
The EEOC began its nationwide corporate mediation program in 1999 and has mediated more than 50,000 cases. The program has resulted in approximately 70 percent of the cases reaching a successful resolution.
The tech industry, as with other sectors, has been hit with its fair share of discrimination lawsuits. In July, a former Google executive sued the search giant, saying he was fired because of his age and ongoing health issues related to diabetes. Oracle has also been the target of an age-discrimination suit.