As we all know, the Department of Labour is constantly conducting inspections throughout the year with designated employers. These inspections are to ensure that the information submitted in the annual Employment Equity Submissions is correct and in line with the Employment Equity Act as well as the EEA Plan of companies. These inspections are done at random, with little to no time to prepare. As a result, we at EconoBEE recommend compiling the Employment Equity file throughout the year, and having it ready for inspection at any point. This will make the inspection process less painful. Here are some of the documents that will need to be in that Employment Equity File:

• Letter of Assignment – this is to prove that the EE responsibility has been assigned to one or more senior manager(s), as required by Section 24
• Proof of Consultation with Employees, as required by Sections 16 and 17
• Proof of Analysis conducted, as required by Section 19
• EEA 13 – this is your Employment Equity Plan, as required by Section 20
• Proof of Record Keeping, as required by Section 26
• If your organization is listed as a Public Company then you will also need to provide Proof of the Publication of your Annual Reports, as required by Section 22.

While the compiling of an Employment Equity File can be a very administrative and time consuming exercise, EconoBEE is happy to assist with this process. Please feel free to contact us directly for more details, our consultants are ready and willing to assist.