Ensure Equal Opportunity and Increase Integration

Charge all federal agency heads with the responsibility for ensuring
equal opportunity

Charge all federal agency heads with the responsibility for ensuring
equal opportunity and increasing integration of qualified women,
minorities, and persons with disabilities into all levels and job
categories, including middle and senior management positions.

The President should issue an Executive Order to all agency heads by
fall 1994 stating his commitment to attaining a diverse federal
workforce and increasing the representation of qualified minorities,
women, and disabled persons at all levels, including higher levels at
which they are most underrepresented. The Executive Order should also
establish the requirement that each agency head should:

--- build EEO and affirmative employment elements into the agency's
strategic business plan and include effective measurements for impact
and change;

--- require executives, managers, and supervisors to develop,
implement, monitor, and evaluate the organization's affirmative
employment plans;

--- ensure that a critical element on EEO, affirmative employment, and
diversity is built into the performance plans and evaluations of all
managers and supervisors;

--- ensure that the director of EEO reports directly to the agency head
and is a full participant on the senior management team(s) responsible
for all resource allocations;

--- demonstrate a commitment to EEO and affirmative employment and
provide employees a visible sign of credible efforts through such
actions as annual policy statements on equal employment opportunity and
affirmative employment;

--- identify qualified, as well as high-potential, women, minority, and
disabled candidates and implement developmental programs to provide
opportunities to effectively prepare them to compete for and hold
executive leadership positions; and

--- provide recognition of those managers and organizations that
consistently perform well in the EEO and affirmative employment areas,
and ensure appropriate disciplinary action in cases where there is a
finding of discrimination.

Presidential leadership and an Executive Order that mandates management
accountability for equal employment opportunity goals and
accomplishments will reassure employees, applicants, and the American
public that there is governmentwide commitment to and accountability for
creating a federal workforce that reflects America's diverse citizenry.