Indiana Staffing Firm to Settle Federal Disability Discrimination Case for $25K

An Indiana staffing firm has agreed to pay $25,000 to settle a disability discrimination charge brought by federal authorities.

Reliable Staffing, an Indianapolis staffing firm, will also furnish other relief to conciliate the charge, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reported.

The EEOC’s investigation revealed that job applicants were subjected to pre-offer medical inquires and that Reliable Staffing refused to hire a class of job applicants because of the information unlawfully obtained during those inquiries. The investigation also found that Reliable Staffing failed to maintain protected medical information in a confidential manner, on separate forms and in separate files from regular personnel records, as required.

Such alleged conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Reliable Staffing chose to voluntarily resolve the matter with the EEOC, without an admission of liability, to avoid an extended dispute.

The conciliation agreement provides relief to a class of affected individuals, and the EEOC retains discretion to distribute the funds to individuals it has yet to identify. The agreement also calls for Reliable Staffing work with four disability-related advocacy groups to learn how to break down barriers to employment for people with disabilities.

The company affirmed that it has ceased and will not resume subjecting job applicants to pre-offer medical inquiries, and it will continue to maintain applicant and employee protected medical information in a confidential manner, separate from personnel files. In addition to the policy and procedure changes, Reliable Staffing will give ADA training to all managers, supervisors, human resource personnel and any other individuals involved in the hiring process.

Source: EEOC