Management’s Discussion and Analysis
Introduction
The EEOC is the federal agency responsible for enforcing the Nation’s laws prohibiting employment discrimination. As part of our mission, we receive, review, investigate, and process charges of employment discrimination and file discrimination suits in the private sector. We provide administrative hearings and appellate decisions in the federal sector. Our guidance and information helps educate both employers and employees about their rights and responsibilities under the laws we enforce. A more detailed explanation of our structure and the laws we enforce can be found in Appendix A.
We view ourselves as guarantor of the American Dream, ensuring the opportunity to compete on the basis of merit in the workplace and protecting against the pernicious effects of unlawful discrimination. We strive to be proactive, educating workers and applicants, managers, and business owners, from teens to retirees, from small businesses to Fortune 500 corporations, in order to promote a productive, harmonious, and inclusive American workplace.
For over 42 years, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has protected the Nation’s workers from unlawful employment discrimination. As the Nation’s workplaces have become more diverse and complex, the discrimination we encounter has become more subtle, but is no less pernicious, leading the EEOC to develop new strategies to combat this old harm that manifests itself in new forms.
This FY 2007 Performance and Accountability Report (PAR), prepared in accordance with the Reports Consolidation Act of 2000 and the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Circular A-136, Financial Reporting Requirements, presents the results of the agency’s programs and financial performance, along with its management challenges. This section of the PAR summarizes our efforts in each of these areas. A more detailed discussion can be found in the following sections of the report:
- Performance Results highlight the progress made in meeting the Commission’s performance measures, which are articulated in our modified Strategic Plan for FYs 2007 through 2012.
- The Inspector General’s Statements present key management challenges identified by the Inspector General and the agency’s progress and plans to address them, as well as a statement of compliance with the Federal Managers’ Financial Integrity Act (FMFIA).
- The Consolidated Financial Statements demonstrate our efforts to be good stewards over the funds the agency receives to carry out its mission. Included in this section is an independent auditor’s opinion on the agency’s financial statements.
This report also satisfies the agency’s obligation to provide Congress annual reports of our significant accomplishments achieved during the fiscal year. This report is available on our website at www.eeoc.gov/abouteeoc/plan/par/2007/index.html.
The Year in Highlights
Enhanced Customer Service and Deployment of Human Capital
All of our activities during the past fiscal year were in furtherance of our mission of promoting equality of opportunity in the workplace while providing high quality, professional customer service to the public. In order to enhance our customer service, FY 2007 marked the first full year of operation of two newly-opened offices in Mobile, Alabama, and Las Vegas, Nevada. The operation of these offices expands the EEOC’s presence in areas experiencing a high level of job and population growth. Additionally, the agency has been focused on the steps needed to transition the National Contact Center—responsible for receiving calls and inquiries from the public—from an outside contractor to an in-house activity.
The EEOC Headquarters’ office lease expires in July 2008. The existing building is no longer feasible for housing the current Headquarters’ staff, and it was necessary to find other space. In May 2007, the General Services Administration (GSA) announced the signing of a 10-year lease for office space at 131 M St. NE, which is known as One NoMa Station. The projected move date is October 2008. Throughout FY 2007, preparation for the move has been underway. A number of committees staffed by employees have been working with the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) to make the transition as smooth as possible. Additionally, the Office of Communications and Legislative Affairs started an internal web log or “blog” devoted to news of the move in order to ensure a free flow of information to staff.
The preparations for the move took place in tandem with other repositioning efforts begun several years ago. The EEOC is also planning for the future restructuring of our Headquarters operations. The physical move of Headquarters and Washington Field Office staff, combined with the organizational restructuring that has already taken place in the field and which is being studied for Headquarters, all emphasize ways to allow the EEOC to use its human capital where it is most needed. These efforts will permit the EEOC to retain its role as the preeminent civil rights agency well into the 21st century.
The Strategic Plan
The current Strategic Plan, issued at the beginning of the fiscal year after extensive internal review under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, covers the 6-year period from FY 2007 through FY 2012. Also, for the first time, OMB assessed the EEOC in FY 2006 using its Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART), reviewing the agency’s planning and performance measurement approach. As a result of its review, OMB rated the agency as Results Not Demonstrated, primarily because the agency’s approach in its former Strategic Plan was insufficient to measure performance.
These simultaneous reviews had a significant impact on the structure of our current Strategic Plan and the agency’s performance measures. A new measurement structure and approach was developed during our FY 2006 PART review that will enable us to enhance our program and the services we deliver to the public. The improvement plan developed with the PART focuses on three broad areas: 1) identifying and implementing challenging annual targets and final outcome goals for all agency performance measures; 2) developing methods for measuring the performance of the collaboration of EEOC and state and local partners; and 3) continuing to implement structural changes and other recommendations to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the program.
During FY 2007, we began to address all three elements in our PART improvement plan. We engaged in an extensive agency review of the performance measures initially included in the agency’s PART evaluation and modified our Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan we issued at the beginning of FY 2007 addressed the first element of the improvement plan. The review during FY 2007 resulted in a modified Strategic Plan and the performance measurement structure displayed on this page. (See the Addendum on page 34 at the end of the Performance Section for a description of specific modifications made to the Strategic Plan.) We are continuing to review specific targets and a final goal for a few remaining performance measures. Current data collection efforts will enable us to identify these targets and performance goals in early FY 2008.
