As the nation’s largest employer, the federal government must be a model for diversity, equity, inclusion and access (Deia), where all employees are treated with dignity and respect. We are at our best when we draw from all parts of society, and our greatest achievements are achieved when diverse perspectives are brought together to overcome our greatest challenges.
On June 25, 2021, White House Executive Order 14035 created the Deia initiative and directed federal agencies to follow a timeline to execute the federal government’s Deia mission and vision.
The Deia Initiative Team – The Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (ODEIA) at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and The Council of the White House Domestic Policy (DPC) – are leading the federal government’s efforts to integrate and prioritize Deia in the workplace. This interagency team is providing agencies with information, resources and a framework to develop and implement strategic plans that identify actions to advance Deia.
Implementation of a robust set of Deia executive order priorities.
- Promotion of partnerships and recruitment
- Use of data collection and analysis
- Advancement of professional development
- Expanding employment opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals
- Promotion of paid internships
- Establishing Chief Diversity Officers
- Promotion of salary capital
- Providing Deia training and learning
- Advancing equity for LGBTQI+ employees
- Equity advancement for employees with disabilities
- Ensuring safe workplaces
The Deia Initiative team provided critical guidance and support to federal agencies.
- A self-assessment tool and promising practice guidance document.
- or Government-wide strategic plan To Advance Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access in the Federal Workforce, which provides a roadmap outlining priorities for agencies to consider in developing their strategic plan.
- An online professional learning community with templates and resources, and ongoing support with Deia office hours to develop Deia strategic plans and remove any potential roadblocks.
Federal agencies created initial assessments and agency-wide strategic plans.
- Federal agencies conduct assessments to understand their current state of Deia implementation as informed by a Deia maturity model.
- Federal agencies created cross-functional teams to develop Deia strategic plans and implement activities. Cross-functional teams varied based on agency structure and included a whole-of-agency approach.
- Federal agencies developed mission and vision statements to serve as guiding principles for Deia’s efforts.
- Ultimately, federal agencies created strategic plans that identify the agency’s context, as well as milestones, goals, actions, and potential obstacles to advancing DEIA. The agencies regularly collaborated with the Deia initiative team to discuss implementation in the following timeline:
- 100 days: The agencies presented Deia’s self-assessments
- 150 days: The initiative team released the strategic plan of deia nationwide
- 270 days: The initiative team gathered the strategic plans of the Deia agency
The Deia initiative team and federal agencies will focus on underserved communities through Deia best practices, including but not limited to:
- Convening an Executive Level Diversity Officer Council to provide agency diversity officers and senior leaders with a formal forum to share ideas, best practices and challenges in implementing and evaluating progress on Deia’s Mission and Vision.
- Adopting practices to serve all dimensions of diversity in the federal workforce, including engaging with employee resource groups and federal unions, increasing the use of promotion and retention strategies, promoting internship and mentoring programs, and expanding partnerships with minority service institutions (MSIS).
- Using current hiring authorities to encourage the hiring of veterans, military spouses, individuals with disabilities, and early career talent, among others. These hiring authorities are designed to give agencies the flexibility to quickly hire top talent for critical positions and remove barriers to hiring.
- Increasing the number of internships, especially paid internships, across the federal government.
Federal agencies will measure progress through data collection and analysis.
- Federal agencies will report progress annually to OPM.
- OPM’s Federal Employee View of Work Survey (FEVS) now includes new Deia study questions. Under the President’s Strengthening and Empowering the Federal Workforce Management Agenda (PMA) priority metrics, agencies will use their FEVS OPM results to measure DEIA progress.
Serving as a model for the Nation, the Deia Initiative Team is committed to leading the government-wide Deia strategy to help agencies implement and evaluate their plans to create more diverse, fair, inclusive and inclusive workplaces. accessible. Together, the interagency team will continue to provide office hours, professional learning opportunities, and ongoing technical assistance. If you are a federal employee with questions about the Deia initiative or EO 14035please contact your Chief Diversity Officer or send an email to [email protected].
OPM leads and serves the federal government in Enterprise Human Resource Management by providing policies and services to achieve a reliable, effective civilian workforce. Empowering excellence in government through great people, we provide leadership and support to U.S. agencies on issues including human resources policy and oversight, federal employee benefits, retirement services, labor-management relations guidelines, and performance improvement programs. of the workforce. For more information, visit opm.gov or follow OPM at I tweetFacebook, or LinkedIn.
