From the point of filing your United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission discrimination charge to the end of the investigation process, you will likely have waited approximately 10 months, although the investigation will begin within about 10 days.
First 10 days
Your Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, employer will get the initial notice within about 10 days of your filing. This will let your employer know that you have filed a discrimination charge, the allegations therein and then, ask them to respond. You can then respond as well.
Within that first 10 days, you should also register an account through the EEOC Public Portal. This is where the EEOC investigator will file updates, where you can upload your documentation and responses and where your lawyer files their representation letter.
First month
Within the first month, you will receive an offer to mediate your claim with your employer. The EEOC Mediation Process is confidential, lasts a few hours and it is completely voluntary. It does have about a 70% success rate, so it is quite a popular option. Additionally, the process is run by an EEOC-trained mediator who is separate from the EEOC’s investigation and from any subsequent litigation.
The EEOC investigator will also do a preinvestigation to determine if they have the power to investigate and prosecute your Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, claims. If not, they will close out your case. They will also make sure that your claims are not time-barred. Depending on your claims, you have to file your charge within a specific amount of time.
If you file after that amount of time, your case will be closed out. If your case is closed, both you and your employer will receive notification that it was closed out, why it was closed out and all of your appeal options.
The investigation process
Each EEOC investigation is different, and how the investigator decides to investigate will vary based on the facts. If needed, they can conduct a complete on-site investigation in your Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, workplace, including interviews, reviewing documents, etc. Recently, EEOC investigators have tried to do as much of the investigation remotely as possible.