WHAT DID THIS GROUPON INVESTIGATION STEM FROM?
In a vaguely worded press release, issued late December, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that “following an investigation,” the agency and Groupon, Inc – an online purveyor of goods and services – had entered into a “voluntary agreement” wherein the company would contribute $350,000 to a fund dedicated to improving “STEM” education for Black students (and which would award Black students scholarships for pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
The company also reportedly agreed to “regularly review” its equal employment opportunity policies.
In a written statement, Diane Smason, Acting District Director of the EEOC’s Chicago District Office, noted that “Groupon has demonstrated that it is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, including through contributing to furthering STEM education and improving its hiring and recruiting practices …. Other employers, particularly those experiencing rapid growth and increasingly high staffing demands, should bear in mind that promoting diversity and inclusion in recruiting and hiring efforts not only helps attract top talent, it lays the foundation for building a workforce that prioritizes equity in all aspects of employment.”
Was Groupon grouped with something untoward here?
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