Building and Maintaining a Diverse Workforce
Numerous tools and strategies are available to Federal agencies to build and maintain a diverse
workforce. These are best managed in three stages:
- Positioning the agency
- Designing and implementing a diversity program
- Sustaining commitment
Positioning the Agency
After considering the frameworks described in the previous section, agencies will recognize that
a diversity program will assist them in achieving their business and strategic goals. They may
want to jump immediately into designing and implementing a series of new initiatives or a
completely new diversity program. However, the key to successfully building a diverse, high-quality workforce for tomorrow begins with a strong leadership commitment and knowledge of
where the agency is today. Moreover, experience has demonstrated that successful diversity
initiatives depend on positioning the agency first.
Positioning the agency has several aspects. First, ensuring strong commitment to the diversity
program is essential. This includes the critical components of top-level leadership support and
the commitment of necessary resources (people and funding) to make new initiatives a reality.
Next, it is important to have a realistic picture of agency readiness to move forward, based both
on the current demographics of the agency and on the cultural atmosphere and potential
impediments that may exist. Finally, the information from each of these assessments should be
integrated into the existing agency workforce planning models and used to target opportunities
for recruitment, hiring, and retention.
With this commitment and information firmly in hand, the agency can be confident that it has
positioned itself for success in designing and implementing an effective diversity program. The
actions and considerations required to position the agency in this way are described in more
detail below.
Commitment
Commitment is the foundation of a successful effort to build and maintain a diverse, high-quality
workforce. This commitment should be clearly stated and communicated from the top
leadership to employees at all levels. In addition, agencies need to take action to assure that
resources and staff are available for each stage of the program. Commitment can be
demonstrated through such actions as:
- Encourage a leadership that creates an environment of inclusion and values differences.
- Clearly assign adequate resources to their diversity activities. An agency could choose to
clearly identify resources in its budget to diversity initiatives.
- Ensure that senior managers are directly involved in planning and conducting diversity activities.
- Ensure that employees are an integral part of the agency's efforts to plan and conduct
diversity activities.
- Consider training employees in intercultural communication to address differences in
communication across cultures.
- Establish Special Emphasis Programs (SEPs) and appoint SEP Managers as management
advisors on how to obtain and manage a diverse workforce. SEP Managers can be critical to
help agencies establish an effective diversity management program. Agencies can appoint
SEP Managers on a full-time, part-time or collateral-duty basis to advise agency
management on the creation and retention of a diverse workforce. SEP Managers should be
clearly interested in improving the agency's workforce diversity and have the required
knowledge, skills, and ability to do the work (knowledge of the organization, its needs, and
its culture; sufficient experience and established networks; and familiarity with the issues,
concerns, and culture of the underrepresented group). They should also have the confidence
of agency management so managers will listen to his/her advice and counsel.
- Train managers and supervisors about their EEO and AEP responsibilities as well as the
existing tools to help them carry out their responsibilities in these areas.
- Widely disseminate the agency's FEORP and AEP goals throughout the agency, and
encourage managers to conduct targeted recruitment in support of such goals.
Assessing the Current Situation
Agencies must understand their current demographic situation. This is done by developing a
workforce profile, that is, a complete picture of their workforce and how it reflects diversity at
all levels, in all key occupations, and in all organizational components.
The annual reports that each agency already prepares are good sources of data about the agency
workforce. The FEORP and AEP reports provide useful information about an agency's
affirmative employment activities and their workforce data. In addition, OPM conducts
governmentwide workforce analyses and disseminates reports summarizing this information.
OPM also provides technical advice to agencies to help them analyze their own agency data.
OPM's website, www.opm.gov, has information about the statistical profiles of women,
individual minority groups, and people with disabilities in the Federal civilian workforce.
Environmental Assessment
Positioning also includes assessing the agency's readiness to create and support a complete
diversity management program. Many agencies already have active programs; others are less
well established. To design their programs to their best advantage, agencies should develop a
good understanding of their individual strengths and weaknesses.
An agency can gather this information by assessing their employees' views on diversity issues.
A useful tool for assessing agency readiness is a survey that documents and measures the
agency's strengths and weaknesses in promoting diversity. Variously called a "cultural audit" or
"organizational assessment," this survey is an organized method to examine such questions as:
- What structures are in place to support strong diversity management?
- What impediments do agency employees see that may affect the design of the program?
- Are agency values present to sustain commitment to the program?
Ideally, the survey will identify strengths and weaknesses in the agency with regard to:
- diversity incorporated into agency vision or mission statement
- diversity statement issued by agency head
- diversity initiative implementation plan
- diversity council/group charter
- diversity policy, directive, administrative order, etc.
- diversity resource center or diversity reading room
- diversity awareness material
- diversity training
- formal mentoring program
- informal mentoring program
- internship program
- awards and incentives
- communications media (e.g., newsletter, intranet)
- accomplishment or status report
- Special Emphasis Program Managers
Workforce Planning
Analyzing workforce trends and projections, determining skills gaps and needs, and devising
succession planning strategies are critical steps for agency strategic and business planning. These
activities provide the facts managers need so they know where to assign resources, how to plan
for the future work of the organization, and where to focus their energy to produce a high
performance organization. This information is used to assess whether the current workforce will
assist in meeting tomorrow's goals. It will also help to understand where the recruitment or
retention focus should lie and what other actions are needed to create a supportive work
environment. Diversity program activities and objectives should be directly integrated into the
agency's broader workforce planning activities. For example, workforce planning will surface
opportunities for targeted recruitment.
A succession planning program is a deliberate and systematic effort by an agency to ensure
continuity of leadership and critical staff skills in mission-critical positions as well as to
encourage individual development. Succession planning is a subset of workforce planning, and
is designed to ensure the continued effective performance of an agency by identifying,
developing, and replacing key people over time. Again, succession planning provides an
opportunity to align diversity management programs with the larger agency objectives.
Designing and Implementing a Diversity Program
When an agency is positioned for success, it can proceed to design and implement its diversity
program to include those specific elements that will serve to build and maintain its diverse, high-quality workforce. In particular, the various assessments of the workforce profile, the agency's
environment, and future workforce needs should have identified strengths, weaknesses, and
targets of opportunity. Those will be important to factor into the specific activities that comprise
the diversity program itself.
In general, an agency's diversity program must include elements that build diversity, through
recruitment, outreach and hiring, and elements that maintain diversity, through the agency's use
of learning and development, rewards and recognition, and a supportive work environment. A
successful diversity program needs close, continuing partnerships between human resources and
EEO/civil rights and special emphasis staff. In other words, each agency should have in place a
comprehensive process to build and maintain a diverse, high-quality workforce.
Building a Diverse, High-Quality Workforce
Based on the results of assessing the current situation and the environment and conducting
workforce planning, an agency will have identified the type and number of positions to be filled
as well as any targeted needs. The agency is then ready to design a strategy to find and hire the
diverse, high-quality workforce to achieve the agency's mission. To build a diverse workforce,
agencies should incorporate tailored approaches to recruit and hire these individuals into their
overall strategies. The first step is to find the candidates.
Recruitment
The purpose of effective recruiting is to attract strong candidates who are prepared both to meet
the agency's strategic goals and priorities and to work in the agency's environment. Suggestions
for effective recruitment techniques include:
- Ensure that recruiters and selection officials work closely with human resources and
EEO/civil rights/special emphasis staff during the recruiting process. Maintaining close
relationships with the experts will facilitate a smooth and easy recruiting process.
- Know the competition and their recruiting needs. Issuing one vacancy announcement is no
longer an effective method of finding candidates. Learn where the candidates go to find jobs
and information about finding jobs -- make sure the agency's message can be found.
Consider using a variety of common job search locations, such as:
- college placement centers,
- minority student associations,
- college organizations of students with disabilities,
- high schools,
- Internet websites,
- newspapers and magazines,
- community newsletters,
- radio announcements,
- community centers,
- professional organizations,
- minority organizations,
- libraries, and
- grocery stores.
In addition, employees can provide recommendations regarding good sources of diverse
candidates (their alma maters, professional organizations, etc.).
Hiring
After finding high-quality candidates, the agency must now hire them. When implementing a
diversity program, several aspects of hiring are important to consider:
- Review internal human resources policies, processes, and operations. Often, if agencies are
unable to make quick job offers, good candidates are lost to competitors who are able to
move quickly. Many flexibilities are available to agencies and reviewing internal staffing
procedures may identify new ways to streamline hiring.
- Take full advantage of customizing the competitive process by using the many staffing
flexibilities and hiring authorities available. Take full advantage of technology by using
USAJOBS and accepting online applications.
- Consider using a variety of available hiring authorities. The best method to fill jobs will
differ depending on the situation. Commonly used appointing authorities include:
- Student Employment Program. The program has two components: Student Temporary
Employment and Student Career Experience. Both programs offer valuable, paid work
experience to all students -- high school, vocational and technical, associate degree,
undergraduate and graduate. Students may be employed year-round and receive a
flexible schedule of work assignments.
- Presidential Management Program (PMI) Program. This two-year internship program is
designed to attract to the Federal service outstanding graduate students (Master's and
Doctoral-level) from a wide variety of academic disciplines who have an interest in, and
commitment to, a career in the analysis and management of public policies and
programs. Upon successful completion of the internship, PMIs are eligible for conversion
to a permanent Government positions and further promotional opportunities
- Selective Placement Opportunities. These include special appointing authorities for
people with disabilities. The use of these authorities provides a unique opportunity for
appointees to demonstrate their potential to successfully perform the essential duties of a
position.
- Use the Outstanding Scholar and Bilingual/Bicultural hiring authorities as a supplement to
competitive examinations to recruit at the GS-5 and GS-7 levels for positions covered by the
Luevano consent decree, as appropriate.
- Hire for part-time, intermittent, and seasonal work, or use temporary and term appointments
where appropriate. This may attract a group of candidates who are not currently interested in
full time or permanent jobs.
- Consider using the authority to pay recruitment and relocation bonuses to increase the
agency's ability to compete with other employers.
Maintaining a Diverse, High-Quality Workforce
Achieving a diverse, high-quality workforce by successfully attracting and hiring the desired
employee mix is only the first step. Having made investments to recruit and hire high-quality
employees, the agency risks wasting those efforts absent a strong retention strategy. The
agency's next objective is to ensure that their valuable employees stay with the agency. That
goal is the focus of the second major set of elements to be included in the design and
implementation of the agency's diversity program.
These elements can be described as part of a broad model of rewards, which sustain employee
commitment. These rewards include support for:
- a flexible and supportive work environment, including the quality of the supervision and
leadership employees receive
- an emphasis on learning and development
- effective rewards and recognition systems
These aspects of work and working conditions are clearly becoming at least as important to
employees' decisions to stay with an organization as their direct pay and benefits levels. An
agency that commits to cultivating these broader rewards will be far better positioned to retain
the diverse workforce it builds.
A Supportive Work Environment
A supportive work environment is one that provides employees with the direction and tools they
need to perform the work of the organization to the very best of their ability. As an employer,
the Federal Government offers many governmentwide programs to support employees; other
aspects of a supportive work environment are in the hands of individual agencies. Actions to
support employees include:
- Ensure that supervisors and managers are provided leadership and diversity training. Their
understanding of the benefits and rewards of a diverse workforce helps create a supportive
work environment that enhances the potential of all employees.
- Emphasize existing quality of worklife initiatives as effective policies that advance the
interests of a diverse workforce. These initiatives include programs such as:
- Develop a process to provide reasonable accommodation to job applicants and employees
with disabilities. Agencies are required to make reasonable accommodations to the physical
and mental limitations of an applicant or employee who is a qualified person with a
disability, unless the accommodation would impose undue hardship on the agency. In
addition, competitive service agencies shall include reasonable accommodation language in
job announcements to inform applicants with disabilities that Federal agencies will consider
reasonable accommodation requests.
- Ensure that agency facilities offer a safe and productive work environment. Employees
spend a significant portion of their lives in agency surroundings. Keeping them pleasant
conveys a sense of pride and respect that helps keep employees on board.
- Foster a community spirit and a sense of belonging by offering employees a vehicle for
becoming involved outside the formal workplace in a variety of recreational and volunteer
activities.
Learning and Development
Professional development and training opportunities are important reasons why valued
employees choose to stay with an organization. Agencies can use a variety of approaches to
establish a climate that supports continuous learning and development, including:
- Establish clear paths for acquiring the skills, knowledge, and experience that employees need
for their continual learning and career development.
- Use a variety of ways to provide training and development experiences for employees, such as:
- developing formal and informal mentoring programs,
- using CD-ROMs and other interactive and online training technology,
- using internal and external training courses, and
- establishing individual learning accounts (ILAs).
- Provide training opportunities for all employees. Through investments in training, agencies
reflect the value they place on employees and support employees in their own interest in
keeping their skills updated in order to remain competitive.
- Encourage employees to become mentors. In particular, senior managers should be strongly
encouraged to mentor individuals from different cultural, racial, or academic backgrounds.
- Use tuition reimbursement programs. Agencies have the authority to pay all or part of the
necessary expenses for training and formal education.
- Widely publicize developmental opportunities for employees, such as detail assignments and
leadership training, to give everyone interested a chance to participate in assignments that
prepare them for higher-level positions.
Rewards and Recognition
The systems that reward and engage employees are key to maintaining a diverse, high-quality
workforce. All people desire to see their efforts acknowledged. Many aspects of Federal pay,
awards, and benefits systems are subject to governmentwide policies and procedures.
Nonetheless, agencies must be vigilant about ensuring that merit and results serve as the drivers
of differences in rewards. Agencies should use all aspects of pay flexibilities and awards to
retain top employees.
- Use awards to recognize significant contributions. These can be lump sum awards or
accelerated pay provided through quality step increases. Agencies should continually
monitor their use of awards, incentives, and recognition to ensure that individuals and groups
all receive their fair share based on transparent criteria and well-understood processes for
nominating and granting awards.
- Consider paying retention allowances when challenged to keep particular skills available.
Agencies should continually monitor the use of such allowances to check for any evidence of
discrimination, and act quickly in the event any is detected. Such internal accountability will
help preserve the credibility of such tools and their utility for dealing with retention
problems.
Sustaining Commitment
The mark of a truly successful diversity program is one that becomes ingrained in the culture
and the business processes of an agency and is sustained over time. Agencies can take several
steps to facilitate this continuity.
Monitor Results
Agencies should develop systems of measures to continually monitor the effectiveness of their
diversity initiatives and make adjustments as needed. The results should be shared and discussed
with senior managers and supervisors.
- Regularly monitor the agency workforce profile. Periodic analysis of the resulting data will
help determine progress and successes. In turn, the data may be used to adjust recruiting
strategies and other workforce planning initiatives as needed.
- Monitor existing career development systems and programs (e.g., who is being chosen for
non-routine assignments, special projects, rotational opportunities, training, and conference
participation) to ensure that cultural bias is not a factor in participation rates. Evaluate and
re-engineer career development systems and programs to better achieve the agency's
diversity goals.
- Work with EEO/civil rights office to monitor agencywide numbers and trends regarding
formal EEO complaints.
- Monitor the number and diversity of applicants and participants in developmental
opportunities and assess the effectiveness of the publicity efforts.
Accountability
To succeed in developing and sustaining strong diversity initiatives, agency heads should hold
their executives, managers, and supervisors accountable for achieving results. OPM also
assesses agencies' effectiveness in implementing diversity initiatives.
- Build accountability for hiring, retaining, and developing a diverse, high-quality workforce
into the performance management systems for managers and supervisors.
- Ensure that candidates for the Senior Executive Service have certain leadership competencies
which include "Cultural Awareness." Selecting officials are accountable for ensuring that
the candidates provide examples which evidence possession of such competencies.
Celebrate Success
In addition to holding managers and supervisors accountable for building and maintaining a
diverse, high-quality workforce, agencies should also remember to recognize successes.
- Identify and reward champions, publicizing their accomplishments.
- Consider nominating senior executives for Presidential Rank Awards to recognize their
accomplishments related to building and maintaining a diverse, high-quality workforce. The
Rank Award is the highest level of recognition a member of the Senior Executive Service
can receive. The selection criteria for this award use ECQs to recognize executives who
have demonstrated unusual success in building and maintaining a workforce that is diverse,
well trained, highly motivated, and productive.
- Consider establishing an agencywide diversity award.
OPM Leadership Activities
OPM is assessing agencies' effectiveness in implementing
their diversity initiatives.
- OPM's Office of Merit Systems Oversight and Effectiveness reviews
agency efforts and results as part of its overall assessment of the
effectiveness of personnel management in each agency. Individual
oversight reports to each agency includes the findings regarding diversity
issues.
- OPM reviews and reports on the progress of each agency's Hispanic
Employment Initiative in its "Annual Report to Congress: Federal Equal
Opportunity Recruitment Program."
OPM ensures that the Federal Government's senior executives are selected and
developed for leadership competencies that support diversity. These leadership
competencies are associated with the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs), which
are the foundation upon which senior executives are selected and developed
governmentwide. "Cultural Awareness" is the ability to initiate and manage cultural
change within the organization to impact organizational effectiveness. The key
characteristics are:
- "Valuing cultural diversity and other differences; fostering an
environment in which people who are culturally diverse can work
together cooperatively in achieving organizational goals."
- "Assessing employees' unique developmental needs and providing
developmental opportunities that maximize employees" capabilities and
contribute to the achievement of organizational goals; developing
leadership in others through coaching and mentoring."
- "Resolving conflicts in a positive and constructive manner. This includes
promoting labor/management partnerships and dealing effectively with
employees relations matters, attending to morale and organizational
climate issues, handling administrative, labor management, and EEO
issues, and taking disciplinary actions when other means have not been
successful."
|
Continuing Communication and Development
To sustain the successes of expanding the diversity of the workforce, agencies should ensure that
they have effective communications strategies and diversity training in place for managers,
supervisors, and employees.
- Provide training to all staff and managers about practical ways to make a diverse workforce a
strength for the entire organization. This may include such subjects as the value of
understanding differences, identifying an agency's culture and values, and cross-cultural
communication.
- Train managers and supervisors about their EEO and AEP responsibilities as well as the
existing tools to help them carry out their responsibilities in these areas.
- Sponsor special observances to help educate the general workforce about the contributions of
diverse groups and/or help eliminate some of the stereotypes that serve as impediments to
full employment. The SEP Managers can help plan and implement these events.
OPM Leadership Activities
OPM's management leadership curriculum is keeping pace with the evolution of
diversity. In these key leadership seminars, managers and executives learn how to
make diversity an organizational advantage. The Management Development
Centers offer a diversity seminar, "Diversity: A Business Necessity for the
Millennium," for individuals GS-13 through GS-15 or equivalent who have
responsibility for supervising or managing a workforce and who want a better
understanding of how to build and manage a diverse, high-quality workforce. The
seminar focuses on how to treat diversity as an important organizational advantage
for public organizations of the 21st century. OPM has also incorporated the subject
of diversity into the Federal Executive Institute's offerings to members of the Federal
Senior Executive Service.
|