The workplace environment in the United States has improved significantly since Samuel Gompers formed the first union in 1886. Then, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) had 1.4 million members who fought rampant employer misconduct, poor sanitation, unsafe working conditions, unreasonable working hours, and widespread discrimination on a scale unimaginable today.
While most of those dire working conditions have been rectified, many types of discrimination remain within the employment landscape in America. The United States has the world’s largest economy fueled by a complex, multicultural, and multi-ethnic workforce from disparate communities the world over. This dynamic melting pot can generate volumes of discrimination complaint cases. In 2021, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) processed more than 61,000 discrimination cases for:
- Employer Retaliation
- Disability
- Race
- Sexual Harassment
- Ageism
- Ethnicity/National Origin
- Religion
- Equal Pay/Promotion Policies
Most complaint cases (56%) involved employer retaliation against whistleblowers, while race and sexual harassment cases were downstream despite getting the most sensational press coverage.
Those figures only represent officially filed cases with the EEOC; however, and don’t address the broad range of self-described instances of discrimination. Moreover, many people don’t file official complaints since proving discrimination is a daunting endeavor; only 17% of the EEOC cases resulted in judgments favoring the plaintiff. However, private companies have still paid $484M in settlements for discrimination complaints.
What is Discrimination Complaint Case Management?
Discrimination complaint management is a system of procedures and digital applications that government agencies use to process and adjudicate discrimination charges filed by American workers. The volume and complexity of discrimination cases require comprehensive solutions addressing such claims’ sensitive nature. Companies must be afforded due process protections to preserve their reputations, while individuals have the right to keep their personal information secure and have their cases receive fair hearings.
Since all complaints filed at the EEOC must be submitted as a formal “Charge of Discrimination” within 180 days of the alleged discrimination, investigative case management processing speeds, document accuracy, and system efficiency all play critical roles in the proper adjudication of such cases.
ArkCase is a FedRAMP-compliant case management solution that is platform-agnostic. ArkCase supports a low-code open-source legal and complaint case management system designed to accommodate disparate document processing in an advanced web-based digital platform that mitigates the need for paper-based records.
Armedia offers this industry-leading solution to help state and federal agencies digitize paper, video, and PDF evidence and supports practical user experience for the general public. ArkCase fulfills the needs of all stakeholders, including the companies (defendants), government agencies, and the people filing suits (plaintiffs).
Managing large and complex caseloads requires dealing with numerous systemic legacy problems common to all large organizations. That’s especially true for state and federal government agencies that must adhere to numerous regulations covering local, state, and federal discrimination laws. Common challenges to operating effective and efficient investigative complaint management systems include:
- Outdated case search tools
- Lack of visibility into organizational priorities
- Inability to manage caseload surges
- Obsolete workflow management applications
- Outdated reporting and auditing analytics
- Ineffective collaboration tools
The Benefits of the ArkCase Complaint Case Management Solution
Armedia is a dynamic veteran-owned small business (VOSB) that is ISO 9001: 2015, ISO 27001, and CMMI Dev level 3 certified. The company earned a sterling reputation with numerous federal government agencies and private legal firms for providing leading-edge, cloud-based document records management solutions.
Armedia effectively bridged the gap between the digital age and the need for the general public to file legal complaints for job-related discrimination claims. ArkCase helped solve these pressing issues by developing FedRAMP-compliant, web-based, secure, scalable, and cost-effective legal case management solutions.
ArkCase’s advanced analytics provides effective data records and case management tools that legal stakeholders need to manage mountains of documents and data. It’s a feature-rich application that presents government agencies with an array of benefits that include:
- Direct access for multiple authorized users from any device
- Improved workload and priorities visibility
- User-friendly reports, audit templates and intuitive dashboards
- Flexible workflows and response templates
- Open architecture that readily integrates with legacy applications
- Effective collaboration tools
How ArkCase Receives and Adjudicates Requests
ArkCase supports all case stakeholders. Its advanced database search tools allow agencies to receive, process, and adjudicate complaints by finding mission-critical details for:
- Case numbers
- Contracts information
- Evidence
- Court docket schedules
- Meeting calendars
- Emails threads
- Case-related documents
- Task lists
- Billing/Invoicing
ArkCase also manages complaints from all industries, company sizes, and private law firms. Of course, having the capabilities to process various documents and evidence types (paper, PDF, video) and multiple formats (contracts, employment records, company policies, etc.) is a key differentiator that delivers significant value-add for government agencies. The application also provides:
- Regulatory compliance status and updates to avoid lawsuits
- Case access and user role modification tools to protect client data
- Advanced document editing tools
- Increased processing efficiency and reduced error rates
- Advanced analytics identify trends that help prevent future complaints
Why ArkCase Complaint Management is Useful for Government Agencies
The overarching responsibility of the EEOC is to ensure all employees have Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) and that all reported cases of discrimination are appropriately managed and adjudicated. The EEO concept stipulates that employees must be fairly considered for hiring, promotions, and equal compensation for specific job titles/responsibilities regardless of race, sex, or national origin.
Armedia currently deploys ArkCase to help the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and British Columbia Government Employee Union process complaints and legal cases. The ArkCase Complaints Module has three key components that give the agency comprehensive administrative control of the entire process and case history.
Treeview of a Complaint
The module features a list of all active complaints with search and filter functions by case numbers, locations, participants, notes, and docket calendars.
Navigating a Complaint
It allows users to traverse the full scope of a complaint’s critical details like participant names, contact information, case history, and related costs/expenses.
Adding Complaint Content
The module supports advanced editing/updating tools for cases contingent on court rulings, regulatory changes, and plaintiff data. In addition, managing an organization’s compliance with regulations is critical since it helps avoid fines and lawsuits.
Armedia’s subject matter experts (SMEs) can help state and federal government agencies navigate the highly complex and ever-changing world of investigative discrimination complaint management with adherence to guidelines and regulations.
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