STATE OF THE AGENCY FY 10 EEO Program Status Report & FY 11 EEO Plan Background and Legal Foundation EEOC Management Directive 715 (MD-715) Provides policy guidance and standards to Federal Agencies for establishing and maintaining affirmative programs of equal employment opportunity under: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended (Sec 717 USC 2000e) Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Requires agencies to: Assess Agency’s performance against EEOC’s six essential elements for a Model EEO Program Analyze workforce, perform barrier analysis, and develop corrective strategies to facilitate equal opportunity in the workplace Submit an annual report to EEOC and brief the Agency Head on the Agency’s EEO status VALUE In order to be a high performing organization in the 21st century, organizations must tap into the rich diversity of our global community and leverage the diverse knowledge, skills, and perspectives of all of our human resources. Only then can we realize the full performance potential and competitive advantages that diversity brings in service to our Nation’s Veterans. This is the business case for diversity and inclusion in the VA workforce that supports the legal and moral imperatives. MD 715’s Six Essential Elements of a Model EEO Program Demonstrated commitment from agency leadership Integration of EEO into the agency's strategic mission Management and program accountability Proactive prevention of unlawful discrimination Efficiency Responsiveness and legal compliance Model EEO Program: Accomplishments Leadership Commitment Secretary issued new EEO, Diversity & No FEAR Policy statement, adding sexual orientation protections Secretary issued Diversity & Inclusion Excellence Award and ADR Award linked to D&I Strategic Plan Secretary established 2 % hiring goal for individuals with targeted disabilities Expanded VA Diversity Council to include employee unions and affinity group representatives VHA established its 1st Chief Diversity Officer position focusing on diversity & cultural competency Integration of EEO into the Agency’s Strategic Mission EEO Director (ASHRA) meets regularly with the Secretary and Deputy Secretary on diversity issues ASHRA and DAS for D&I co-chair the VA Diversity Council, comprising senior execs from all Admins ODI meets quarterly with Admin EEO/Diversity senior staff to strengthen collaboration and integration Maintained robust communications on D&I issues via Newsletter, webcasts, broadcasts, web site. Management and Program Accountability Implemented mandatory EEO, diversity and inclusion critical element in SES performance plans Created VA’s 1st Centralized Reasonable Accommodation Fund for people with disabilities (90) Created VA’s 1st Centralized Diversity Internship Program resulting in a record 164 diverse interns Developed new EEO Dashboard to report on EEO complaints, workforce analysis, and ADR Issued VA Diversity & Inclusion Annual Report showing progress made in FY 10 Model EEO Program: Accomplishments Proactive Prevention of Unlawful Discrimination Implemented VA’s 1st VA-wide Mandatory EEO, Diversity, and Conflict Mgt Training for Mgrs Trained over 2000 employees plus 10,000 managers in EEO, RA, diversity, and ADR in FY 10; 27,000+ to date. Reduced VA’s per capita EEO complaint filing rate from 0.76 to 0.72 in FY 10 Efficiency Increased EEO process efficiency and reduced processing time to below the regulatory 180 days Responsiveness and Legal Compliance Reduced EEO average counseling time to 27 days, below EEOC’s mandate of 30 days Reduced average ADR process time to 71 days, below EEOC’s mandate of 90 days VA leads Federal govt in the area of workforce analysis and EEO reporting systems Model EEO Program: Challenges and Potential Barriers to EEO Inconsistent training for employees in EEO and diversity Inconsistent State of the Facility briefings to leadership Lack of corporate, integrated strategic recruitment outreach & retention Inconsistent collaboration between EEO and HR program offices/functions Applicant Flow system not yet available in VA; SES pilot in development VA Workforce Representation (Permanent and Temporary) as of September 2010 5-Year Trend (Permanent and Temporary) Targeted Disabilities Internal Promotions (GS/GM & Title 38) Internal Promotion Rate for FY 2010 Grade Disparity VA GS/GM permanent only as of 9/30/10 Change in VHA Leadership Change in VBA Leadership Change in NCA Leadership Identified Triggers/ Potential Barriers to EEO Low participation rates of White and Hispanic women in comparison to RCLF Representation of people with targeted disabilities Diversity decreases as grade level increases Lack of current, legally sufficient training in EEO and diversity areas Organizational climate indices: High per capita rate of complaints High resignation rates Plan to Eliminate Barriers; Continue implementation of VA Diversity & Inclusion Strategic Plan Dept-wide; enforce corporate diversity policies and accountability measures; explore ODI Regional Model Promote use of special hiring authorities (Schedule A, Disabled Veteran) and internship programs such as National Diversity Internship Program, Presidential Management Fellow to increase diversity of employment pipeline Market My VA Career to bridge career gaps and grade disparities Strategically target outreach of leadership development programs to underrepresented communities Designate Special Placement Coordinators and Local Reasonable Accommodation Coordinators in all facilities; train all managers in disability employment strategies Plan to Eliminate Barriers continued Fully implement VA Plan on Employment and Retention of Individuals with Disabilities Implement Applicant Flow/Adverse Impact Analysis tool in VA recruitment and leadership development selection processes Provide standardized VA-wide training in EEO, diversity, and conflict management for all employees Increase use of ADR throughout Discrimination Complaint process Expand use of organizational climate survey data to identify potential barriers to inclusion (e.g., disparate perceptions of fairness and empowerment based on race, ethnicity, gender and generation) QUESTIONS? ODI Contact Information: Georgia Coffey, DAS for Diversity & Inclusion 202-461-4131