Management Directive 715

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Management Directive 715
National Weather Service FY08 Overview
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Purpose and Objectives

• Review NWS Workforce Representation
• Understand MD-715
• Understand the essential elements of a Model EEO
  Program
  
• Understand how to identify and eliminate
  unnecessary barriers that impede fair and open
  competition in the workplace and
  
• What weve done

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National Weather ServiceWorkforce Analysis
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Grade Groupings
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NWS VS. NCLFMeteorologist Series 1340October 1,
2006 September 30, 2007
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NWS VS. NCLFMeteorological Technician Series
1341October 1, 2006 September 30, 2007
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NWS VS. NCLFElectronics Engineer Series
855October 1, 2006 September 30, 2007
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NWS VS. NCLFPhysical Scientist Series
1301October 1, 2006 September 30, 2007
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NWS VS. NCLFInformation Technologist Series
2210October 1, 2006 September 30, 2007
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NWS VS. NCLFHydrologist Series 1315October 1,
2006 September 30, 2007
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Title VII Section 717

• Requires each federal agency to
• Make all personnel actions free from
  discrimination based on race, color, religion,
  sex or national origin
  
• Maintain an affirmative program of equal
  employment opportunity for all employees and
  applicants
  
• Submit annual plan and/or updates to EEOC for
  approval

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Rehabilitation Act Section 501

• Requires each federal agency to
• Make all personnel actions free from
  discrimination based on disability
  
• Maintain an affirmative employment program plan
  for the hiring, placement and advancement of
  people with disabilities
  
• Submit annual plan and/or updates to EEOC for
  approval

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Why Title VII and Rehabilitation Act Programs?

• To ensure our nations continued security, growth
  and prosperity, effective government agencies
  need to
  
• Attract, develop and retain a top-quality
  workforce
  
• Maximize each employees potential

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Which Agencies are Covered?

• All executive branch departments and agencies,
  including the U.S. Postal Service and the Postal
  Rate Commission

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What Does MD-715 Require?

• Develop and maintain model EEO program
• Ensure all employment decisions are free from
  discrimination
  
• Examine employment policies, procedures and
  practices to identify and remove barriers to
  equal opportunity
  
• Develop plans to correct identified barriers
• Report plans and progress to EEOC

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Essential Elements of a Model EEO Program

• Demonstrated commitment from agency leadership
• Integration of EEO into the agencys strategic
  mission
  
• Management and program accountability
• Proactive prevention of unlawful discrimination
• Efficiency
• Responsiveness and legal compliance

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Element One Demonstrated Commitment From Agency
Leadership

• Equal employment opportunity must be
• Embraced by agency leadership
• Communicated through the ranks from the top down
• EEO principles must be made a fundamental part of
  the agencys culture
  
• Agency head must issue annual EEO and
  anti-harassment policy statements

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Element Two Integration of EEOInto the
Agencys Strategic Mission

• EEO Director has regular access to agency head
  and senior management
  
• EEO professionals are involved in all major human
  resources decisions
  
• EEO programs have sufficient resources
• Managers and employees are involved in
  implementation of the agencys Title VII and
  Rehabilitation Act programs

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Element Three Management and Program
Accountability

• Conduct regular internal EEO program audits
• Establish procedures to prevent all forms of
  discrimination
  
• Evaluate managers and supervisors on efforts to
  ensure equality of employment opportunity
  
• Maintain effective reasonable accommodation
  procedures
  
• Maintain clearly defined and fair personnel
  policies, selection and promotion procedures,
  evaluation procedures, rules of conduct and
  training systems

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Element Four Proactive Preventionof Unlawful
Discrimination

• Conduct a self-assessment on at least an annual
  basis to monitor progress and identify areas
  where barriers may operate to exclude certain
  groups
• Develop strategic plans to eliminate identified
  barriers

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Element Five Efficiency

• Maintain an efficient, fair and impartial
  complaint resolution process
  
• Separate investigation and adjudication functions
  from the legal defense arm of the agency
  
• Establish and encourage the widespread use of
  alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
  
• Maintain effective data collection systems on
  workforce, applicant flow and complaint tracking

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Element Six Responsiveness andLegal Compliance

• Ensure full compliance with Title VII and
  Rehabilitation Act, including EEOC regulations,
  orders and other written instructions
  
• Report agency program efforts and accomplishments
  to EEOC
  
• Comply with final EEOC orders for corrective
  action and relief

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What is a Barrier?

• A policy, procedure, practice or condition that
  limits employment opportunities for members of a
  particular race, ethnic background, gender or
  because of a disability
• Some barriers may be easy to identify
• Other barriers are embedded in the day-to-day
  procedures and practices of an agency and may
  appear neutral

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Process to Address Barriers

• Identify where possible barriers may exist using
  a variety of sources
  
• Investigate to pinpoint actual barriers and
  causes
  
• Devise a plan to eliminate barriers
• Asses success of plans implementation
• Determine if plan needs to be adjusted because
  additional barriers remain

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Trigger or Barrier Analysis(Examples)

• High turnover rate of Hispanics in the
  workforce.
  
• Lack of promotions of Asians to senior level
  positions.
  
• Agency uses the HACU as its sole source to
  announce employment opportunities.
  
• Employees are leaving for lack of promotional
  opportunities.
  
• Vacancies for jobs in major occupations for the
  last 2 years have been open for internal
  candidates, only.

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Some Employment Policies, Procedures and
Practices That Should Be Examined for Barriers

• Hiring
• Promotions and other internal selections
• Attainment of supervisory and management
  positions
  
• Training opportunities and developmental
  opportunities
  
• Performance incentives and awards
• Disciplinary actions
• Separations

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Additional Barrier Analyses Under the
Rehabilitation Act

• Compliance with Executive Order 13164 and EEOC
  guidance for reasonable accommodation procedures
  
• Compliance with Architectural Barriers Act
• Accessibility of electronic and information
  technology required by Section 508 of the
  Rehabilitation Act

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What Weve Done
Partnerships

• Jackson State University
• West Virginia State College
• University of Puerto Rico
• ---Grants to enhance and develop Meteorology
  Course Curriculum.

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Employment
Internships

• ORISE - Oak Ridge Institute for Science and
  Education
  
• METCON - The District of Columbia Metropolitan
  Consortium for Mathematics, Science and
  Engineering Program
  
• HS/HT- High School/High Tech Program
• STEP - Student Temporary Employment
  Program
  
• SCEP - Student Career Employment Program

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Employment
Internships

• EPP - Education Partnership Program
• Graduate Scientist Program
• Cooperative Science Centers
• Undergraduate Scholarship Program
• Environmental Entrepreneurship Program
• WRP - Workforce Recruitment Program

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What Can Managers Do?

• Become familiar with the directive
• Do your own internal self-assessments
• Ensure that EEO principles are incorporated into
  all human resource decisions
  
• Remember Equality of Opportunity is the key!

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• NOAAs New Initiative

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Whats the Challenge

• Describe the issue
• NOAA lacks a comprehensive strategy for
  addressing underrepresentation
  
• Lack of coordinated recruitment efforts across
  Line Offices results in inefficiencies, and
  missed recruitment opportunities
  
• Lack of coordinate recruitment strategy limits
  ability to assess ROI from various recruitment
  efforts, and lack of brand recognition-Whos
  NOAH?
• Coordinated recruitment strategy offers
  improved opportunities to successfully address
  hard to fill positions and under representation
  issues in NOAA science occupations

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Whats the Challenge

• Who is involved
• NOAA Leadership
• All LO/Cos
• Managers and Supervisors
• Workforce Management Office
• Civil Rights Office
• EEO Managers (EEO Program Committee)
• NOAA Education Partnership Program
• Selecting officials
• Colleges/Universities
• Diversity Organizations

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Whats the Challenge contd

• The desired outcome
• Address recruitment challenges (e.g., Hard to
  fill positions)
  
• Address under-representation with a primary focus
  on Hispanics individuals w/targeted
  disabilities
  
• Leverage resources across lines
• Market opportunities in applicant rich
  environments
  
• Track return on investment of recruitment and
  outreach dollars
  
• Maximize recruiting effectiveness efficiency
• A world class NOAA workforce representative of
  the nations diversity
  

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Sample Representation in DOC
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Sample Representation in Other Science-Related
Agencies
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Approach Taken To Addressing the Challenge

• Background
• NOAA received a yellow under OMBs Standards
  for Success in support of the Presidents
  Management Agenda
  
• HCC makes a strategy to combat underrepresentation
  1 of 5 priorities
  
• EEO Committee tasked as a working group
• Approach taken
• Identify underrepresentation challenges
• Compile and analyze data
• Identify existing strategies
• Communicate results and recommendations to
  managers and supervisors
  

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Progress Made to Date

• Description of output or result
• NOAA demographic baseline established
• Developed a compilation of current Line and
  Corporate Office strategies
  
• FY 2008 Milestones
• Coordinate with Committee on Corporate
  Recruitment Strategy November 2007
  
• Prepared FY 2008 demographic baseline and provide
  to EEO Program Managers December 2007
  
• Compile and post on Civil Rights Office website a
  list of colleges by demographic, location,
  discipline for use by hiring officials March 08
  
• Post NOAA demographic data tables online and
  provide link to all NOAA mangers and supervisors
  (updated quarterly to evaluate progress)
  February 2008 http//www.eeo.noaa.gov/reports.ht
  m
• Develop Hiring Official/WFMO Advisor recruitment
  checklist for use at strategic conversation
  February 2008
  

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Next Steps

• Post Line/Staff Offices Demographics on website
  monthly
  
• Promote NOAA HCC initiative to target employment
  of Hispanics and people with targeted
  disabilities through Line and Corporate Office
  leadership announcement
• Work the Strategic Conversation (SC) to its
  fullest potential, insert diversity checklist
  
• Give 5 minute update at HCC/WFMC meetings on
  minority hiring
  
• Train HR Advisors in discussing importance of a
  diverse workforce with a priority statement of
  under representation. Provide advisors with
  tools and awareness of initiatives on increasing
  NOAAs workforce representative of the Civilian
  Labor Force
• Implement Events Calendar

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Example PTO Events Calendar
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Next Steps

• College Recruitment-Identify Colleges near NOAA
  Offices
  
• Initiate Recruitment Cadre Effort
• Career Link on all LO websites
• Send out e-mail announcing recruitment
  initiative
  
• Career Path info on Careers Site
• Develop Applicant Guide
• Recruiter training on CLC
• Benchmark selected organizations for best
  practices
  
• Draft Under Representation Strategy and Present
  to HCC

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Next Steps

• What does NOAA get for resources or policy
  change
  
• One NOAA approach to addressing
  underrepresentation which
  
• Communicates goals
• Defines strategies to solve recruitment issues
• Provides information and tools to recruiters and
  applicants
  
• Identifies new sources to reach qualified
  applicants improves quality of candidates
  
• Measures accomplishments
• Links accountability
• Shares effort across NOAA leverages resources
• NOAA is responsive to Presidents Management
  Agenda and satisfies OMB Standards for Success
  

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Next Steps

• Beyond FY 2008
• Quarterly measurement of accomplishment
• Underrepresentation Strategy integrated with HCC
  priorities
  
• Corporate Recruitment Strategy
• Leadership Development
• Training and Development
• Workforce Planning

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QUESTIONS?