- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) accused Eli Lilly And Co LLY of illegally refusing to hire older workers for sales representative jobs because of their age.
- According to the EEOC's suit, in 2017, Lilly's senior vice president for human resources and diversity recognized at a Leadership Town Hall that Lilly's workforce was composed of older workers.
- The senior vice president then announced goals for "Early Career" hiring to add more millennials to Lilly's workforce.
- After that, Lilly changed its hiring preferences and intentionally under-hired older candidates for sales representative positions in favor of younger candidates.
- The lawsuit filed in Indianapolis federal court accused Lilly of violating the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act.
- Managers changed their hiring practices for sales representatives, sometimes requiring greater review and approval before extending offers to older candidates, even after some recognized that the 40% goal was illegal. The target remained through 2021, Reuters reported.
- Lilly has reportedly denied the accusations and said it was "committed to fostering and promoting a culture of diversity and respect."
- EEOC seeks back pay and other damages for people not hired because of their age and improve training for supervisors and managers.
- In August, Lilly announced that human resources executive Stephen Fry would retire at the end of 2022 after more than 35 years at the company.
- Price Action: LLY shares closed lower by 1.27% at $307.50 on Monday.
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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