In the summer of 2021, President Biden issued the Executive Order (EO) on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce, and to meet the requirements outlined in the EO Federal agencies have worked to incorporate the practices. generating diversity and inclusion in their respective workforces, agency leaders said at the ServiceNow Federal Forum 2022 on Mar.10.
In this EO, the Biden-Harris administration has developed a whole-of-government approach to promote diversity, equality, inclusion, and accessibility in the United States. Federal agencies are mandated to:
- Identifying program and policy barriers faced by underserved communities;
- Developing solutions to eliminate those barriers; at
- Efforts to embed equal principles in everything the federal government does.
Traci DiMartini, chief human capital officer for the General Services Administration (GSA), applauded the administration’s commitment to putting diversity and inclusion at the forefront. He stressed that for the country to remain competitive in various arenas covering diversity, equality, inclusion, and accessibility is a must.
“The EO presents an opportunity for Federal agencies to bake in diversity and integration into our practices from how we hire to how we promote. Let’s be clear that this is not to say that everyone is automatically gets the same promotions, but everyone has a chance to get that promotion, ”DiMartini said.
To ensure that the agency establishes proper diversity and integration principles and practices it has established an Equity team. The GSA Equity Team helps identify and understand barriers to agency policies and programs that negatively affect communities that are under -represented and historically underappreciated.
“It’s itself a diverse and inclusive group, bringing together perspectives from all walks of life,” DiMartini said. “Because cultivating an environment of diversity and inclusion not only encompasses cultural diversity, but also a diversity of perspectives.”
GSA’s approach to raising diversity and inclusion in its workforce is just one strategy. Karen Pavlin, chief equity and inclusion officer at ServiceNow, explained that EO is pushing for more diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the Federal workforce but there is no roadmap that agencies can follow.
“The important thing is that this journey remains ongoing, that it is not becoming a moment in time but an ongoing whole-government effort. And this EO holds us accountable to look at how we embrace diversity and inclusion. and what needs to change to make sure we are, ”Pavlin said.
To meet EO requirements, the National Science Foundation (NSF) restructured its business to lift its former version of a diversity and inclusion program.
Javier Inclán, the deputy office head of the Office of Equity and Civil Rights at NSF, explained that agency leaders have previously ensured that they are following the rules laid down by the Equal Employment Opportunity Program.
“It’s no longer enough to adhere to the principles of equal opportunity. We want to go further and further, be more in compliance to make sure we really embrace diversity and inclusion as an agency,” Inclán said.
The reorganization ensures that agency leaders are more compliant with diversity and integration principles and practices, creating five different programs that all aim to provide equal opportunity and access and eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in employment with NSF.
“The Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Group is an example of an intra-agency group where we work together to improve leadership engagement and collaboration on strategic and operational diversity and inclusion priorities in support of NSF’s mission, “said Inclán. The group also provides the agency’s EEO Program with a report almost monthly to promote inclusivity and cultural awareness, he added.