- The US Commission on Equal Opportunity (EEOC) accused Eli Lilly and Co LLY the unlawful refusal to hire older workers for commercial agent posts because of their age.
- According to EEOC’s lawsuit, in 2017 at a leadership town hall, Lilly’s senior vice president for human resources and diversity acknowledged that Lilly’s workforce consisted of older workers.
- The senior vice president then announced “early career” hiring targets to add more millennials to Lilly’s workforce.
- Thereafter, Lilly changed its hiring preferences, intentionally underhiring older candidates for field sales positions in favor of younger candidates.
- The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Indianapolis, accused Lilly of violating federal employment age discrimination law.
- Managers changed their hiring practices for salespeople, sometimes requiring more thorough review and approval before passing offers to older candidates, even after some realized the 40 percent target was illegal. The goal remained until 2021, Reuters reported.
- Lilly has reportedly denied the allegations, saying she is “committed to encouraging and promoting a culture of diversity and respect.”
- EEOC is demanding reimbursement of wages and other compensation claims for people who are not hired because of their age, and improving training for supervisors and managers.
- In August, Lilly announced that hiring manager Stephen Fry would be retiring after more than the end of 2022 35 years in the company.
- Price promotion: LLY shares closed 1.27% lower at $307.50 on Monday.
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