Qualification Standard for Positions Involving
Equal Employment Opportunity Collateral Assignments
The text below is extracted verbatim from
Section IV-A (pp.35-36) of the Operating Manual for Qualification Standards for
General Schedule Positions [MANUAL], but contains minor edits to
conform to web-page requirements.
These qualification requirements cover Federal equal employment
opportunity (EEO) collateral duties only. Employees assigned such
collateral duties must, of course, meet the qualification requirements for the
occupational series and grade levels to which their positions are classified.
DEFINITION OF EEO COLLATERAL ASSIGNMENTS
EEO collateral assignments are official EEO duties and
responsibilities assigned to an employee in addition to the primary
duties and responsibilities of the position the employee occupies.
EEO ASSIGNMENTS NOT COVERED BY THIS STANDARD
If an assignment has any of the following characteristics it is not
a collateral assignment, and this standard should not be used:
- The EEO assignment controls the grade of the position.
(Guidance for determining if an assignment is grade-controlling
can be found in the "Introduction to the Position Classification Standards.")
- The EEO assignment is the primary reason for establishing or continuing the position.
- The EEO assignment is intended to be a permanent assignment.
EEO assignments that meet any of the above criteria are not
collateral duties, and should be treated as continuing regular
assignments. The position must be classified according to position
classification principles, including principles for classifying
mixed-grade positions. If the official EEO assignment results in a
promotion, agency merit promotion procedures must be followed, the
employee must meet qualification requirements for the grade level
and series of the resulting new position, and the nature of the
promotion action must be consistent with the intended duration of
the assignment. Agencies must comply with adverse action regulations
if removal of a permanent EEO assignment from a position results in
a reduction in grade level or pay.
DOCUMENTING EEO COLLATERAL ASSIGNMENTS
Official EEO duties and responsibilities assigned to employees on a
collateral basis must be described in the official position
description that covers the position the employee occupies. This
documentation reflects the requirements imposed on the position by
the EEO collateral assignment, and permits a determination that
there is no grade-level effect of the collateral assignment.
Before EEO collateral duties are assigned to any employee, the
agency should make a reasonable effort to determine if the
assignment will affect the classification of the position, including
grade level, or otherwise constitute a non-collateral assignment.
BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL EEO COLLATERAL ASSIGNMENTS
In addition to meeting the qualification requirements for the series
and grade level of their positions, employees who receive EEO
collateral assignments should possess the following:
- Understanding of how agency policies and practices affect the
equal employment opportunities of all employees;
- Understanding of the intent of the laws and regulations
governing Federal equal employment opportunity;
- Understanding of the employment problems of underutilized
persons and classes in the workforce and labor market,
particularly racial and ethnic minorities, women, older
workers, people with disabilities, or the economically
disadvantaged;
- Ability to establish effective working relationships with and
gain the confidence of managers and supervisors at all levels
of the agency, as well as with employees regardless of their
occupation, race, sex, ethnic heritage, or socioeconomic
background; and
- Potential to acquire the following:
- Knowledge of the general structure of the Federal
personnel system including classification, staffing,
recruitment, performance evaluation, career development,
labor relations, appeals, grievances, adverse actions, and
employee rights and responsibilities;
- General knowledge of the missions, organizational
structure, and distribution of responsibilities within the
agency; and
- Understanding of the current labor market, e.g., types of
jobs available, supply of and demand for certain types of
skills, recruiting methods, sources of recruitment, and
projected employment needs of the agency.
For EEO Counselor Positions:
EEO counselor collateral assignments also require the ability to:
- Learn complaint procedures in detail;
- Learn basic EEO principles and terms;
- Communicate orally to explain procedures and regulatory
requirements to complainants and management officials who may
be angry, confused, or distressed because of the circumstances
that caused the complaint, or because of the complaint itself;
- Obtain and organize facts presented by persons who may be
angry, confused, or distressed;
- Conduct factfinding to locate and obtain necessary
documentation materials in connection with informal resolution
of a complaint;
- Gain an understanding of a particular EEO case, identify the
issues, and apply the relevant personnel regulations and
principles;
- Clarify issues, discuss issues, and resolve misunderstandings
if they exist (during the informal stage of a complaint);
- Report facts objectively; and
- Write simple, clear, and factual narrative statements (for reports).
EEO counselors who have not demonstrated the required knowledge,
skills, and abilities within a reasonable period of time on the job,
e.g., 6 months, should not be retained as EEO counselors.
For EEO Program Manager Positions:
In addition to the basic requirements for all EEO collateral assignments,
EEO program managers must possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required
for entry level positions in the Equal Employment Opportunity Series, GS-260.
Additional and higher level knowledge and skills, such as those
required for equal employment opportunity specialist positions at
higher grade levels, may be required when they are related to the
duties and responsibilities of the collateral assignment.
|