Strategic Goal 2
Promote Equal Opportunity in Employment Through Education and Technical Assistance.

Strategic Objective 2.1.
Encourage and facilitate voluntary compliance with equal employment opportunity laws among employers and employer groups in the private and federal sectors.

Performance Measures

ENCOURAGE VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE WITH PRIVATE AND FEDERAL SECTOR EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYER GROUPS
X=the stated measure/indicator is not used for the fiscal year.

Outcome(s) Expected

Many of EEOC's outreach, education and technical assistance efforts benefit both the employer and employee communities simultaneously. Therefore, Strategic Objective 2.1 describing prevention efforts with the employer community and Strategic Objective 2.2 describing efforts for the employee community and other members of the public should be considered together. (See page 27 for Strategic Objective 2.2) The agency expects to diversify and better focus outreach activities for fiscal year 2001 to achieve the following outcomes:

• Increase employer participation in mediation. In FY 2000, 81% of charging parties agreed to participate in mediation, compared to 31% of employers;
• More effectively use Alternative Dispute Resolution procedures in EEOC and foster its use in other federal agencies; and
• Improve the quality and timeliness of federal sector EEO complaint processes and enhance affirmative employment programs in federal agencies to prevent discrimination.

In preparation for the fiscal year 2001 Annual Performance Plan, the Commission assessed its outreach, education and technical assistance measures and target values for the private sector and federal sector to design ways to serve employers and the employer community better. Beginning in fiscal year 2000, the agency redirected some of its outreach resources toward several new initiatives. As a result of a series of meetings and dialogues with stakeholders initiated by the Chairwoman, the agency learned that employers and businesses wanted the agency to expand its voluntary mediation program and provide more information materials to the public. In fiscal year 2001, we added two new measures to address these issues: (1) we will conduct 250 outreach events specifically aims at increasing employer participation in EEOC's mediation program; and (2) we will reach out to some of the smallest employers covered by our statutes - those with approximately 15-99 employees, to provide information and education materials to 5,000 of these employers. These are employers that, because of their size, often do not have a personnel department or legal counsel to provide the information they need to be cognizant of their equal employment opportunity responsibilities. In addition, a measure was added to hold at least 120 activities for federal agencies to assist them in improving their EEO programs, including the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) programs.

These new measures and the others that are retained from fiscal year 2000 will enable the agency to approach the employer community with a broad spectrum of outreach, education and technical assistance activities. Target levels have been established to allow effective delivery of service to each segment of the employer community.

Management Challenges and External Factors

The accuracy and reliability of data in the agency's automated system for recording information on most of its outreach, education and technical assistance efforts presents a challenge. The Commission is already taking steps to improve the accuracy and reliability of the data in this system, including implementation of new report formats in fiscal year 2001 to link outreach activities to significant agency initiatives, such as the Comprehensive Employment Program, its National Enforcement Plan and field offices' Local Enforcement Plans.

Also, the success of new approaches to the employer community to expand participation in mediation and focus on needs of the small business community depends on how well the initiatives are received.

Component(s) of Program Evaluations

The EEOC takes the following steps to assess its outreach, education and technical assistance programs:

• Throughout the year, at least quarterly, outreach results are reviewed and checked against plans, using data and reports submitted by field offices;
• Overall performance is reviewed to ensure progress toward meeting GPRA outreach goals; and necessary corrective action is taken; and
• Participant evaluation forms are used to evaluate fee-based training.

Strategic Objective 2.2.
Increase knowledge about individual rights under equal employment opportunity laws among the public and employee groups.

Performance Measures

INCREASE KNOWLEDGE OF EEO LAWS WITH THE PUBLIC AND EMPLOYEE GROUPS
X=the stated measure/indicator is not used for the fiscal year.

Outcome(s) Expected

The outreach, education and technical assistance programs are key components of the Commission's enforcement strategy. EEOC will continue its efforts to reach the employee community and the public through a variety of initiatives which seek to:

• Expand the reach and effectiveness of outreach, education and technical assistance efforts to employee groups and the general public, including under-served constituents;
• Increase public access to agency information by providing information materials in alternative formats and languages;
• Strengthen collaboration between the EEOC and the employee community; and
• Improve agency effectiveness and service to its customers.

In fiscal year 2000, the Commission implemented several new initiatives which are largely responsible for the substantial increase in consultations with employee stakeholders. For example, the agency participated in outreach, education and technical assistance activities designed to improve access to EEOC programs under the government-wide Asian American and Pacific Islander Initiative. Other initiatives included the National Origin and the Low Wage Earners Task Forces, which provided outreach and education on issues affecting national origin communities and low wage earners (immigrants, workers along the border and farm laborers).

The Commission had a banner year with these initiatives and other efforts, resulting in an unexpectantly high number of consultations in fiscal year 2000. These initiatives will continue in fiscal year 2001. The four new measures added in fiscal year 2001 aim to better serve and expand outreach to private- and federal sector employees, and under-served communities. These measures focus on increasing access to EEOC information and education materials, which is paramount to the Commission's ability to reach its constituents. One added measure seeks to provide education and information materials to 30,000 employees, including under-served groups or communities. This effort will increase awareness of employees rights, employers responsibilities and EEOC's enforcement authority. Also, in recognition of the increased diversity of the population, as reflected in the recent decennial census, a measure was added to make 15 of EEOC's most frequently requested publications available in an alternative format accessible to the sight impaired and in seven different languages (Spanish, Haitian/Creole, Vietnamese, Russian, Korean, Arabic and Chinese). Lastly, two measures were added to inform federal employees about employment discrimination and provide assistance to those federal employee groups identified in an earlier initiative in fiscal year 2000.

All of the Commission's measures under Strategic Objective 2.2, taken together, strengthen its ability to reach its constituents through a broad spectrum of outreach, education and technical assistance activities.

Management Challenges and External Factors

The type of data collected, its accuracy and reliability, and the type of analytical reports generated for analysis are all areas to address to ensure that the information is accurate and relevant to the needs of management. The Commission is taking steps to improve the accuracy and reliability of data in its Automated Outreach System, including implementation of new report formats in fiscal year 2001 to link outreach activities to significant agency initiatives.

Component(s) of Program Evaluations

The EEOC takes the following steps to assess its outreach, education and technical assistance programs:

• Throughout the year, at least quarterly, outreach results are reviewed and checked against plans, using data and reports submitted by field offices;
• Overall performance is reviewed to ensure progress toward meeting GPRA outreach goals; and necessary corrective action is taken; and
• Participant evaluation forms are used to evaluate fee-based training.

This page was last modified on May 3, 2001.

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