What Does "Simiarly Situated" Really Mean?

Whenever we make a comparison among employees - for Affirmative Action Plans, in the context of litigation, for internal analysis, or just making selection decisions - it's important that to get the groupings right. 

Typically, similarly situated employee groupings (aka SSEGs) are constructed for comparing employees. But what does "similarly situated" really mean? What characteristics should be considered when building these groupings? How do we know if one employee really is a comparator for another employee?

Getting the right groupings of employees is essential. Not only do our groupings memorialize our view of our workforce, how we group employees can have a dramatic effect on the outcomes of our comparisons. Improperly grouped employees can render a comparison among those employees meaningless. 

There is no magic bullet for defining comparators and constructing SSEGs - a rigid formula simply does not exist. In some respects, it's an art form. But there are a few rules of thumb, and several factors that should be considered.

In this week's installment of The Proactive Employer podcast, we'll talk about what makes a good comparator and discuss the rules of thumb for constructing similarly situated employee groupings.