Federal Government Still Must Address Its Own DEIA Issues
Put this under the “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander” department. While the federal government has requirements in the uniform guidance calling for recipients of federal financial assistance to broaden their diversity, particularly in procurement, by contracting with small and minority businesses, women’s business enterprises, and labor surplus area firms (§200.321), the Government Accountability Office (GAO) today released a two-page snapshot showing how the federal government is progressing in encouraging diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) in hiring. Judging from the snapshot, which summarized GAO reports on federal government DEIA from 2017-2022, it appears that more work must be done.
Executive Order 14035 calls for the federal government “to be a model for [DEIA], where all employees are treated with dignity and respect.” Among the highlights in the GAO snapshot include: (1) agencies had mixed success in increasing workforce diversity (e.g.; the intelligence community's workforce saw increases in proportions of minorities, but didn't meet federal benchmarks; (2) the federal pay gap between men and women is smaller than for the entire U.S. workforce, but pay disparities persist; and (3) agencies exceeded federal targets between federal fiscal year 2011-2015 for hiring people with disabilities, but turnover is high.
Diversity is defined as the practice of including the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, cultures and beliefs of the American people, including underserved communities. Equity is the consistent and systematic fair, just and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who belong to underserved communities that have been denied such treatment. Inclusion is the recognition, appreciation and use of the talents and skills of employees of all backgrounds. Accessibility is the provision of accommodations and modifications to ensure equal access to employment and participation in activities for people with disabilities, and the reduction or elimination of physical and attitudinal barriers to equitable opportunities.
Key practices that GAO determined as important for federal agencies to advance DEIA in their workforces include top leadership commitment; diversity as part of an organization’s strategic plan; diversity linked to performance; quantitative and qualitative measures of the impact of diversity programs; accountability to ensure leaders are responsible for diversity; succession planning to develop a diverse pool of talent; recruitment procedures; employee involvement; and diversity training.
As a benefit to Thompson Grants subscribers, editorial advisory board member Eric Russell had written an article about the importance of DEIA for recipients of federal financial assistance, which is now posted under the “Grants Intelligence” section of the Grants Compliance Expert site. Be sure to look for it!
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