President Biden Signs EO Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in Federal Agencies

Last week, President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce. The new order directs agencies on how to improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility among their employees. When President Biden was inaugurated on January 20, 2021, he signed an Executive Order On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government in which he pledged to enhance diversity in government and ensure that unrepresented communities were being served.

The January order emphasized a commitment by the administration to identify methods to assess equity, allocate federal funds and resources to advance fairness and opportunity, engage with members of underserved communities, and promote the equitable delivery of government benefits. The order signed last week builds on these principles and introduces action steps for agencies to take to improve equity among all employees. 

The president states in the most recent order, “This order establishes that diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility are priorities for my administration and benefit the entire federal government and the nation, and establishes additional procedures to advance these priorities across the federal workforce.”

The new order reestablishes the administration’s dedication to diversity and inclusion and calls for a four-year plan to attain this goal. Agency leaders have one hundred days to assess the current status of their diversity initiatives and human capital practices. Agencies must identify barriers to recruiting, hiring, retaining, and promoting individuals from underserved populations as well as any obstacles that stand in the way of their professional development.

Furthermore, the order calls on agencies to keep track of demographic representation and trends on employment applications, hiring decisions, promotions, pay and compensation, attrition, professional development, and overall and senior workforce compositions. The guidance also calls for fewer unpaid internships and more paid opportunities for workers.

Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Kiran Ahuja said of the new order, “This executive order will help in our efforts to recruit, retain, and honor the most effective workforce, one in which federal employees from all backgrounds and walks of life feel included and valued. These types of efforts are best practices for major employers across sectors seeking to stay competitive in the marketplace, and OPM is looking forward to working with all of our federal partners as we better position our workforce for the future.”