CHCO Council Releases DEIA Advancement Plan for the Federal Workforce
On November 23, 2021, the Chief Human Capital Officers (CHCO) Council published a report on the government-wide advancement of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) in the federal workforce. This report outlines a series of strategies designed to improve DEIA in the federal government, aligning closely with ongoing efforts to restructure the federal workforce.
President Biden issued an executive order mandating this report earlier this year and represents the first update of government diversity initiatives since 2011. The DEIA initiative provides leadership, technical assistance, and guidance to agencies, including:
Presents five operational principles for promoting DEIA within agencies.
Strategies to advance DEIA, with a maturity model to support growth.
A framework for addressing workplace harassment.
As the Biden administration asserts in this report, diversity is vital for improving performance and efficiency of government agencies, as well as fulfilling the government's role as a model employer.
“The United States is at its strongest when our nation’s workforce reflects the communities it serves, and when our public servants are fully equipped to advance equitable outcomes for all American communities. Even with decades of progress building a federal workforce that draws from the full diversity of the nation, many underserved communities remain under-represented in the federal workforce, especially in positions of leadership,” the report reads.
Specifically, the plan urges agencies to take steps to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, including training, appointing chief diversity officers, and improving professional development programs to eradicate harassment and discrimination.
Pay equity is also a major concern outlined, which asks agencies to conduct regular audits to ensure employees are "equitably compensated for similar work," as well as ending the practice of using previous salaries to set a job applicant's starting pay.
In addition to addressing employee sexual orientation and gender identity specifically, the CHCO Council stated agencies must accommodate employees' preferred gender markers and pronouns in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB).
The CHCO Council also stated that the federal government should leverage experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that their technology infrastructure does not impede employees or customers with disabilities, stating all DEIA initiatives should involve proactive engagement with users and the modernization of infrastructure to support rapid adoption of technological innovations.
Agencies are tasked with developing an Agency DEIA Strategic Plan by March 23, 2022, to advance DEIA within their workforce and to address any barriers to equal employment opportunities.
In order to "ensure that qualified American workers from every background and walk of life have an equal opportunity to serve our Nation in an inclusive and accessible work environment," the CHCO Council will continue to provide guidance to the federal community.
