Noble Energy Settles EEOC Age Discrimination Charge

DENVER – Houston-based Noble Energy, Inc. will implement a series of anti-discrimination measures to conciliate age discrimination allegations by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

The agency charged that Noble Energy practiced discriminatory discharge and layoff practices based on age. The agency’s investigation revealed the company conducted certain workforce reductions which disproportionately impacted employees aged 40 and older.

Although Noble Energy denies the allegations, the EEOC found sufficient evidence to support claims of age discrimination during these workshop reductions. During this period, Noble Energy paid an estimated total severance amount of approximately $53 million to affected employees per its standard practices.

As part of the seven-year conciliation agreement with the EEOC, Noble Energy committed to implementing a series of measures aimed at preventing future age discrimination. These measures include:

• Policy Review and Training: Reviewing workforce restructuring selection policies to help ensure compliance with the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and provide training to human resources personnel on ADEA and Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA) regulations.
• EEO Postings: Posting EEOC notices in common employee areas and on its internal website, affirming Noble Energy's commitment to eliminating employment discrimination.
• Reporting and Monitoring: Submitting annual reports listing all covered employees considered for covered layoffs, and those actually laid off, with comprehensive details.
• Charitable Donation: Submitting a charitable donation to a non-profit in the amount of $150,000 to enhance job opportunities for workers who are protected by the ADEA.
• Outreach and Public Education: From the charitable donation, EEOC will coordinate with the non-profit to launch a marketing campaign to promote the benefits of employing individuals over age 40, highlighting their positive impact, mentoring capabilities, and institutional knowledge. This campaign will include advertisements across various media platforms.
• Impact Studies: Conducting future adverse impact analysis related to age for covered layoffs and provide to EEOC all underlying data used in the respective studies and summary of the findings, upon request.

“The resolution of this matter is a critical step in ensuring that older employees are treated fairly in the workplace,” said Amy Burkholder, director of the EEOC’s Denver Field Office. “We commend Noble Energy for its cooperation in taking proactive steps to address the concerns identified during our investigation and for committing to meaningful changes that will benefit employees now and in the future. The ADEA's protections are fundamental to ensuring that age is not a barrier to employment.”

Melinda Caraballo, district director of the EEOC’s Phoenix District Office, said, “Noble Energy has agreed to these terms as part of the conciliation process, which resolves the EEOC’s findings without litigation. This agreement underscores the importance of equitable practices and the need to prevent age discrimination in workforce adjustments.”

For more information on age discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/age-discrimination.

The EEOC’s Denver Field Office is part of the Phoenix Office, which oversees Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and parts of New Mexico.

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.