Council Meeting

Held Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Host: Ms. Delia J. Johnson

INTRODUCTION

Ms. Delia L. Johnson, Co-Chair of the Council and Director, Office of Civil Rights for International Broadcasting Bureau, opened the meeting with a few remarks and then asked the attendees to give their names, agencies, and positions.

iDoxSolutions, Inc.

Mike Thorp, Senior Consultant for iDoxSolutions, Inc., gave a presentation on the services that his company offered to clients who wanted to streamline their operations – especially those who desired to transform their services from a paper-based environment to an automated one.

To contact Mr. Thorp, you can do so at 303 656-3022, or via e-mail at mthorp@idoxsolutions.com.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Veronica Villalobos (Director, Office of Diversity and Inclusion), Bruce Stewart (Deputy Director of Training, Office of Diversity and Inclusion), and Sharon Wong (Deputy Director of Coordination and Policy, Office of Diversity and Inclusion) gave a presentation on Executive Order 13583 and the upcoming government-wide strategic plan on diversity and inclusion.

Veronica, in explaining the backdrop for the issuance of E. O. 13583, indicated that during previous administrations, EEOC and OPM did not always work collaboratively on civil rights issues. For example, while EEOC asked federal agencies to collect applicant-flow data, OPM was cautious of the legal implications if collected. With the election of President Obama, and the transfer of then EEOC Commissioner Christine Griffin to OPM as its Deputy Director, OPM and EEOC could work more collaboratively by educating HR professionals on the challenges that EEO Directors constantly faced.

Veronica mentioned that OPM Director John Berry had asked CHCO’s at the last meeting for their assistance and support to implement the guidelines of E.O. 13583 in getting a coordinated approach for HR and EEO professionals to monitor diversity and inclusion in the Federal Government. OMB asked how much it would cost to implement said coordinated approach, and OPM officials responded that although there would some new costs involved, the majority of the recommendations could be implemented by integrating the resources that agencies already had available.

Veronica explained that OPM plans to issue three deliverables based on E.O. 13583: 1) a government-wide strategic plan on diversity and inclusion by November 16, 2011; 2) a guidance document on how to get from point A to point B; and, 3) a clarification of various reporting requirements (OPM wants to reduce reporting requirements on agencies). Veronica stated that federal agencies will be asked to submit their own plans by March 15, 2012, and that HR Directors should seek the advice of EEO Directors when crafting these plans.

Veronica clarified that diversity includes much more than the traditional EEO Groups included in affirmative action plans. Diversity also includes such things as geographic areas, schools attended, veterans status, and sexual orientation. She stated that some managers hire applicants who remind them of themselves which is a cognitive error we all can make. This mindset does not lead to having a workforce of the best and the brightest, and it must be changed.

Veronica explained how unconscious biases can result in a lack of diversity at agencies. To illustrate her point, she mentioned how the average height of a male in the U.S. is 5’10, while the average height of a CEO in a Fortune 500 company is 6’3. Some selecting officials erroneously equate being tall with having good leadership skills.

One of the things that Veronica thinks is critical for the success of diversity initiatives is for the inclusion of diversity and inclusion goals in the agencies’ strategic plans.

Veronica explained that agency-specific diversity plans should address three goals: workforce diversity, workplace inclusion, and sustainability.

Veronica stressed that good recruitment should draw applicants from all segments of society and be based on the merit principles. To remedy the underrepresentation of certain EEO groups, agencies should look at actions consistent with 5 C.F.R. § 720.204(c) to ensure that outreach efforts are effective in addressing barriers to employment. Agencies should look at their applicant-flow data to verify that their vacancy announcements are reaching all segments of America. One way to address barriers to employment of certain EEO groups is to develop strategic partnerships with different schools. She indicated that Special Employment Program Managers (SEPM’s) play a key role in recruitment initiatives – as they are not just event planners. OPM wants an elevation of the role that SEPM’s play. However, Veronica pointed out that there is no “right” place where to house SEPM’s – some agencies have them in HR, while others have them in EEO Offices. OPM is more concerned with the impact and effectiveness of SEPM’s.

Veronica indicated how, from a recruiting standpoint, simply posting a vacancy announcement on USAJOBS is not enough to reach the broadest possible pool of highly qualified candidates. She pointed out that currently the two EEO groups that remain underrepresented in the federal workforce are Hispanics and persons with targeted disabilities. Consequently, agencies should take a more proactive approach to recruitment and use available hiring authorities to reach applicants from these two groups. Some recruitment recommendations are to post advertisements in locations that are likely to reach these groups, to use recruiters who belong to these groups, and to aggressively use internship and fellowship programs to identify top talent and convert them through permanent, non-competitive appointments.

Veronica announced that OPM had plans to train approximately 4,000 SESers on diversity by using Laura Listwood (author of the book “The Loudest Duck”) for a 2-hr. workshop.

Sharon Wong handled the discussion on workplace inclusion. She explained how you can recruit a diverse workforce and still have no inclusion. The latter means connecting employees to the organization by developing, promoting, and retaining them. She indicated how initial impressions regarding employment orientation, assignments, performance ratings and working conditions, as well as quality of life issues, play a major role on whether the employee remains with an agency. Jorge Ponce indicated how OPM Director described, at the September 28, 2011 meeting of the Hispanic Council on Federal Employment, the meaning of inclusion by saying “It doesn't help anyone to hire people because they're different, and then marginalize them because they're not the same.”

Sharon indicated how a great way for agency leaders to show that they walk the diversity and inclusion talk is by ensuring the presence of diversity in their leadership positions – specifically in the SES ranks. SES diversity offers hopes to applicants and employees that advancement to the top levels is doable.

Other inclusion initiatives that Sharon mentioned are: mentoring programs, telework opportunities, strong orientation programs for employees and new SESers, and providing affinity groups with access to the agency leadership.

Bruce Stewart closed the OPM presentation by addressing sustainability, or embracing the necessary steps to maintain a diverse workforce. He listed three sustainability priorities: measuring accountability by having a job element on diversity and inclusion on all employees’ performance plans; having agencies develop strategic action plans for diversity and inclusion through their HR and EEO Directors, and reporting agencies’ lack of progress to the President’s Management Council; and, providing training on diversity and inclusion. He mentioned that OPM is developing an online introductory training on Diversity & Inclusion.

Bruce concluded his remarks by saying that for people to modify their views on diversity, they must first change their “hearts.”

QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION FOR OPM TEAM

A Council member asked who is going to hold agencies accountable for implementing their strategic plans on diversity and inclusion. Veronica responded that agencies should include a job element on diversity and inclusion on the performance plans of all employees. In addition, noncompliance with the plans will be discussed at the President’s Management Council – where membership is at the level of the Deputy Secretaries.

A Council member asked for an example of a good job element on diversity and inclusion. Veronica said that she favored a gradual approach when introducing this job element. Thus, she suggested targeting SESers and supervisors first. She cautioned that requiring goals is not legally sustainable.

A Council member asked what took place between the first and second draft of the government-wide strategic plan on diversity – as the second version was so much better than the first. Veronica responded that the first draft was prepared by the Wolf Pack – a group of agencies’ experts – while the second draft was enhanced by the feedback from subject-matter professionals.

A Council member asked whether OPM was evolving a definition of affirmative employment. Veronica indicated how work related to EEO and affirmative action is important and must be continued, as without it, diversity and inclusion would crumble.

A Council member from the U.S. Department of Agriculture pointed out that the main reason for the recent emphasis on affirmative employment, diversity, and inclusion was because of the steep cost of discrimination complaints. She referred to an article in the latest issue of Federal Times that showed how the U.S. Postal Service paid $641M in settlements to disgruntled employees and former employees.

In reference to a request from a federal agency to get an extension from OPM to submit its FEORP Report, Veronica indicated that substance was more important than the length of the reports.