The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

FY 2006 Performance Budget

Submitted to the
Congress of the United States

February 2005

Our Vision

A Strong and Prosperous Nation Secured Through a Fair and Inclusive Workplace

Our Mission

We Promote Equality of Opportunity in the Workplace and Enforce Federal Laws Prohibiting Employment Discrimination


Table of Contents

  1. FISCAL YEAR 2006 PERFORMANCE BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
  2. INTEGRATION OF ELEMENTS OF THE PERFORMANCE BUDGET
    1. Staffing and Funding Profile
    2. Analysis of Change
    3. Analysis of Change - Highlights
    4. Appropriation Language
    5. Object Class Schedule - Agency Summary
  3. STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 1 - JUSTICE AND OPPORTUNITY
    1. Introduction
    2. Performance Measures for Strategic Objective 1 – Justice and Opportunity
    3. Private Sector Enforcement
    4. Federal Sector Enforcement
    5. Object Class Schedule – Strategic Objective 1: Justice and Opportunity
  4. INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE
    1. Introduction
    2. Performance Measures for Strategic Objective 2 – Inclusive Workplace
    3. Key Prevention Initiatives
    4. Summary of Financing for the Revolving Fund
    5. Object Class Schedule – Strategic Objective 2: Inclusive Workplace
    6. Object Class Schedule – EEOC Education, Technical Assistance, and Training Revolving Fund
  5. STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 3 - ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE
    1. Introduction
    2. Meeting the President’s Management Agenda
    3. Highlighted Areas for Strategic Objective 3
    4. Performance Measures for Strategic Objective 3 – Organizational Excellence
  6. VERIFICATION AND VALIDATION OF DATA
  7. PROGRAM EVALUATION
  8. GENERAL STATEMENT OF LAWS
  9. ADDENDUM: INTERIM ADJUSTMENTS TO STRATEGIC PLAN

I. FISCAL YEAR 2006 PERFORMANCE BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is requesting a budget of $331,228,000 for fiscal year 2006. This request represents an increase of $4.4 million over the fiscal year 2005 level. The budget would allow EEOC to continue its enforcement and outreach while repositioning the agency for improved service.

This fiscal year 2006 performance budget fully integrates our budget request with our Strategic Plan objectives and performance measures. The resources requested will help us meet our mission and provide the American public with the quality of service they deserve.

EEOC has a long-held standard of providing quality service to the public. Our FY 2006 budget reflects our continued emphasis on quality. Quality of service – prompt, responsive, professional service – must drive all we do. Quality service begins by meeting customer needs at their first contact with the agency. Thus, our budget request reflects resources needed to continue our progress towards achievement of more customer-centered, performance-driven, results-oriented, mission-connected agency objectives. Our first priority is to cover costs associated with employee salaries and benefits. Attracting and retaining high performing employees require competitive compensation and benefits programs.

The Commission continues to provide quality service through its enforcement and prevention efforts. In FY 2006, we will continue several key outreach initiatives as part of our proactive prevention efforts, as well as shore up our private sector and federal sector enforcement programs. Our key outreach initiatives include – the Youth Initiative, the Small and Mid-sized Employer Initiative, and the President’s New Freedom Initiative.

In September 2004, the EEOC launched its Youth at Work Initiative to educate students and teenage workers about their rights and responsibilities in the workplace. Recent trends reflect an increase in reports of discrimination against student and youth workers, particularly in the retail and service industries. With our resources, we will continue our outreach activities to the student and youth populations in this country. We strive to ensure that equality of opportunity is provided to all workers from the beginning of their work careers, particularly to those who are new to the workplace environment.

In addition, we will continue outreach activities toward small and mid-sized companies. Our enforcement statistics reflect that these two groups of businesses account for over 50% of our charge receipts. With this trend in charge filings, we need to ensure our outreach efforts are matched to the employer communities where there is a need for further education. It is critical that our Proactive Prevention efforts are geared toward reaching this vital employer base with information that demonstrates to these businesses the benefits of fostering an inclusive workplace.

In support of the President’s New Freedom Initiative, we will continue to work with state governments on strategies to promote the employment of people with disabilities. We will continue reviews of state best practices for the employment of people with disabilities and publish a report on these best practices in FY 2006.

A key component of our enforcement strategy is the continued emphasis on the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as an effective tool to resolve charges of discrimination. We have successfully managed inventory and charge processing time through effective use of mediation. We will continue this effort in FY 2006.

Also, the Commission continues efforts to better serve the federal sector workforce during a time when federal agencies are in the process of transforming their organizations to meet the evolving needs and demands of the public. Our Management Directive 715, effective October 1, 2003, provides for the Commission to be a proactive partner with federal agencies by assisting in the identification of barriers in the workplace and providing agencies with guidance and information on best practices and recommendations for eliminating barriers and creating a culture that promotes an inclusive workforce.

Our litigation program is an important part of our overall enforcement efforts. The cost to file and prosecute cases continues to rise. The filing of high impact litigation not only provides compensation to aggrieved individuals but often results in significant changes to employers’ policies which benefit entire workforces. The litigation program also provides incentive for early resolutions during the Agency’s administrative enforcement process, including through pre-cause determination mediation and during the conciliation process. We also believe that publicity of high impact litigation and other cases serves to increase employer compliance.

We are joined by our 92 State and Local partners, Fair Employment Practices Agencies (FEPAs), in our vital enforcement role. The partnership we have with the FEPAs around the nation is a critical component to our success. Additionally, we continue our support to the 64 Tribal Employment Rights Organizations (TEROs), providing outreach and training to address the specific equal employment issues facing the Native American community.

These efforts are discussed in more detail under Strategic Objectives 1 and 2. See the Analysis of Change Table, Subsection II C, on page 15 for a breakdown of the requested increase.

Consistent with the President’s Management Agenda (PMA), we have undertaken efforts to examine our operations and pursue strategies that make for a more customer-centered, results-oriented and performance-driven agency. An enhanced organizational infrastructure is critical to our ability to meet these standards and further our third and final Strategic Objective, Organizational Excellence. In pursuit of these goals, we commissioned the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) to conduct an agency evaluation to inform our efforts. The FY 2002 publication of NAPA’s findings and recommendations was followed by extensive consultations involving stakeholder groups, a public Commission meeting, and meetings with members of Congress and their staffs, as well as EEOC employees.

In FY 2006, we are continuing to evaluate our operations and reposition the Commission for the 21st century. Our goal is to improve EEOC’s service delivery infrastructure, performance and operational efficiency through a series of projects, including implementation of the President’s Management Agenda. We discuss our efforts to implement each element of the PMA under Strategic Objective 3, Organizational Excellence, page 64.

Our technological infrastructure is critical to our ability to work more efficiently and strategically. Advances in technology are helping to transform the way private and public organizations work and serve their customers and the general public. Maintaining useful information technology will help our employees be as productive as possible. We must continue to use technology to conduct business more efficiently as we move toward greater electronic interaction with our customers and transformed business processes. Over the past several years, EEOC has completed several major information technology E-GOV projects that streamlined internal processes, reduced paperwork burden, integrated data, and allowed the Agency to work more efficiently.

In FY 2006 we will continue the National Contact Center (NCC) pilot. We expect the NCC to become operational in the second half of FY 2005, with the first full year of operation occurring in FY 2006. The two year pilot program will end in early FY 2007, at which point we will have sufficient data to assess the contact center function.

These efforts furthers our third and final Strategic Objective, Organizational Excellence. See the Analysis of Change Table, Subsection II C, on page 15 for a breakdown of the requested increase.

II. INTEGRATION OF ELEMENTS OF THE PERFORMANCE BUDGET

The structure of the performance budget for fiscal year 2006 is based on our Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2004-2009, which was implemented on October 1, 2003. This performance budget integrate our strategic objectives, the EEOC’s operational Five-Point Plan, the President’s Management Agenda, and important program initiatives. With our requested resources for fiscal year 2006, we will continue to focus on our strategic objectives to fulfill our mission and achieve our goals.

EEOC’s Strategic Objectives and Five-Point Plan provide the framework for accomplishing our agency’s mission. The Five-Point Plan places a premium on coordination, innovation, and results. Under the Plan, all facets of EEOC’s work are viewed with an eye toward being more proactive and more effective.

Prevention is a critical part of the agency’s mission. We intend to allocate more resources to support prevention/initiatives - outreach, education and technical assistance, beginning in FY 2005. We aim to make full use of all the agency’s tools to combat discrimination in the workplace. Both enforcement and prevention are vital to achieving our mission and serving the American public.

Through strategic enforcement and proactive prevention, we will advance the agency’s mission and meet our strategic objectives. This overall framework also guides our results-based performance measures from fiscal year 2004 through fiscal year 2009. These inter-relationships are illustrated in the three charts on the following pages. Fiscal year 2006 annual targets to achieve results are discussed in Sections III, IV and V.

Strategic Objective 1 - Justice and Opportunity

We will serve the public interest by obtaining justice for individuals who experience employment discrimination and remove discriminatory barriers to create a level playing field. Strategies to achieve this objective are founded on three elements of our Five-Point Plan.

The expected outcomes will include: (1) Remedying and Deterring Unlawful Employment Discrimination and (2) Increased Public Confidence in the Fair and Prompt Resolution of Employment Discrimination Disputes.

Cost FY 2004
Actual
FY 2005
Estimate
FY 2006
Request
$300,977 $277,783 $281,544
Five-Point Plan (Element - 1) Proficient Resolution - Charge and complaint processing must be accurate, appropriate, and fair. Staff and other resources must be deployed to ensure the quality and timeliness of processing. We will enhance effective quality controls standards and mechanisms to measure our success in meeting this objective.
Performance Measure Highlights: There are five performance measures under Element 1. Three measures ensure that a significant percentage of private sector charges, federal sector hearings and federal sector appeals will be resolved in 180 days or fewer. Another measure evaluates the quality of investigative charge files. The final measure determines how the general public rates its confidence in EEOC’s enforcement of federal equal employment laws.
Five-Point Plan (Element - 2) Promote and Expand Mediation/ADR - Alternative Dispute resolution is intended to settle conflicts quickly, amicably, and cost-effectively. We will build on our earlier successes with ADR and use this tool in various stages of the private and federal sector processes to address employment disputes and continue to improve our services. Through marketing, information sharing, and outreach we will further encourage the use of ADR.
Performance Measure Highlights: There are four performance measures under Element 2. Three measures involve EEOC’s private sector mediation/ADR program – increase the number of employers agreeing to participate in the program; maintain a high level of confidence in the program; and assess the contributions of the program towards improved workplaces. The fourth measure aims to increase the participation of federal employees in mediation to resolve issues before a formal complaint of discrimination is filed.
Five-Point Plan (Element - 3) Strategic Enforcement and Litigation - We will focus our attention on emerging trends and issues in the workplace. We will make informed decisions on what topics merit our attention and allow us to better integrate our policy, guidance, investigative, litigation and federal coordination functions to prevent employment discrimination. Our aim is to promote quality investigations, enhance federal sector coordination and pursue high impact litigation.
Performance Measure Highlights: There are four performance measures under Element 3. One measure assesses the degree resolutions of our private sector charges and legal cases result in improvements in the workplace. Two measures address our litigation program by assessing the degree our high impact cases result in workplace improvements and by maintaining our high level of successful litigation. A final measure assesses the results of our federal sector evaluations and assistance efforts in improving federal workplaces.

Strategic Objective 2 – Inclusive Workplace

We will strengthen America’s workplace by preventing discrimination and promoting workplace policies and practices that foster an inclusive work culture. Strategies to achieve this objective are founded on another element of our Five-Point Plan.

The outcomes expected will include: (1) Increased Voluntary Compliance with the Federal Equal Employment Laws and (2) Increased Individual Awareness and Understanding of Rights and Responsibilities.

Cost FY 2004
Actual
FY 2005
Estimate
FY 2006
Request
$23,915 $49,021 $49,684
Five-Point Plan (Element - 4) Proactive Prevention - We will proactively prevent discrimination by educating employees and employers and providing information that will help them identify and solve problems; enhancing outreach activities; promoting sound workplace practices; introducing new and expanded outreach activities, including outreach to small and mid-sized companies; and better using available technology to communicate with the public, and our stakeholders.
Performance Measure Highlights: There are three performance measures under Element 4. One measure assesses the degree private and federal sector employers attending our major outreach events improve their workplaces as a result of their participation. A second measure will ensure that over half of the federal agencies will implement the elements of EEOC’s Model EEO Program. Our final measure increases the awareness of individuals’ EEO rights and responsibilities.

Strategic Objective 3 – Organizational Excellence

We will establish an organizational infrastructure and professionalism to obtain the highest quality standards for equal opportunity, customer service, internal efficiency and fiscal responsibility. Costs are allocated between Strategic Objectives 1 & 2 and are included in the agency total. Strategies to achieve this objective are founded on the final element of our Five-Point Plan.

The outcome expected will include: (1) Improved Organizational Performance and Efficiency and (2) Instill a Climate of Respect, Service and Responsiveness.

$14,529,000 requested in Strategic Objectives 1 and 2 for FY 2006 includes funds for specific areas high-lighted under this Strategic Objective 3: (Includes Technology Modernization)
Five-Point Plan (Element - 5) EEOC as a Model Workplace - The principles and standards we promote to employers must be an integral part of our own operations. Our roadmap to achieve this objective is the President’s Management Agenda (PMA), which addresses important enhancements to internal agency operations and the agency’s interface with the public. This integration of the Five-Point Plan and other Administration and agency initiatives will build a model workplace where EEOC can effectively and efficiently accomplish our goals.
Performance Measure Highlights: There are eight performance measures under Element 5. A measure assesses the confidence our customers have in our services. Two measures address our initiatives to manage our human capital and obtain input from our employees. Another measure assures that, when our financial systems are audited, we receive unqualified opinions from our auditors. Three measures assure that we successfully implement internally the federal sector Model EEO attributes, process our internal complaints of discrimination in a timely manner, and utilize ADR to resolve workplace disputes more quickly, cost effectively and amicably. Our final measure ensures that we transition to electronic media to retain our files and cases to improve agency efficiency and maintain security.

A. Staffing and Funding Profile

Table 1 below displays the EEOC’s total agency staffing and funding profile by Strategic Objective and programs for fiscal years 2004 through 2006.

Table 1: Total Agency Staffing and Funding Profile by Strategic Objective and Program
(Dollars in thousands*)
  FY 2004
(Actual)
FY 2005
(Estimate)
FY 2006
(Request)
Change From FY05
(+/-)
Strategic Objective 1: Justice and Opportunity
1. Private Sector Enforcement $224,510 $208,441 $211,262 $2,821
 State and Local 1 $32,634 $32,559 $33,000 $441
2. Federal Sector Enforcement $43,833 $36,783 $37,282 $449
Total Strategic Objective 1 $300,977 $277,783 $281,544 $3,761
Strategic Objective 2: Inclusive Workplace
3. Outreach–Education-Tech Assistance 2 $23,915 $49,021 $49,684 $663
Total Strategic Objective 2 $23,915 $49,021 $49,684 $663
Agency Total
(includes Strategic Objective 3 Resources) 5
$324,892 3 $326,804 4 $331,228 $4,424
Total Full Time Equivalents 6 2,462 2,441 2,400 (41)
Strategic Objective 3: Organizational Excellence
Highlighted Resource Areas
Information Technology
$15,511 $15,577 $14,529 ($1,048)
* may not add due to rounding

B. Analysis of Change

Fiscal Year 2006
(Dollars in thousands*)
  FTE Amount
Fiscal Year 2005 - (Includes 20 reimbursable FTE from Revolving Fund) 2,441 $326,804
Increases:
1. Annualization of FY 2005 Pay Raise (3.5%)   1,877
2. FY 2006 Pay Raise (2.3%)   3,677
3. Rental Payments   400
4. State and Local   441
Subtotal - Increases   6,395
Reductions:
5. General Operating Expenses   (977)
6. Information Technology   (1,048)
Subtotal – Reductions (41) (2,025)
FY 2006 Request - (Includes 20 reimbursable FTE from Revolving Fund) 2,400 331,228
Total Change FY 2005-2006 (41) 4,424
*may not add due to rounding

C. Analysis of Change - Highlights

Increases FTE Amount
($000)

1. Annualization of FY 2005 Compensation and Benefits
Provides for annualization of the FY 2005 3.5% pay raise.

0 $1,877

2. FY 2006 Pay Raise
Provides 2.3% pay raise, including locality pay and general pay raise, effective January 2006 for three-quarters of the fiscal year plus benefits.

0 $3,667

3. Rental Payments
Provides additional funds for rental payments, including Security.

0 $400

4. State and Local
Provides additional funding for State and Local contracts.

0 $441
Reductions    

5. General Operating Expenses
Reductions include postage, express delivery, copiers, fax machines, travel and training.

0 ($977)

6. Information Technology
Reduction in development projects, hardware and software maintenance.

0 ($1,048)
Total Change from FY 2005 Request to Congress (41) $4,424

D. Appropriation Language

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
SALARIES AND EXPENSES

For necessary expenses of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as authorized by title VII of the Civil Rights Act of the 1064 (29 U.S.C. 206(d) and 621-634), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Civil Rights Act of 1991, including services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109; hire of passenger motor vehicles as authorized by 31 U.S.C. 1343(b); non-monetary awards to private citizens; and not to exceed $33,000,000 for payments to the State and local enforcement agencies for services to the Commission pursuant to title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, sections 6 and 14 of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Civil Rights Act of 1991, $331,228,000: Provided, That the Commission is authorized to make available for official reception and representation expenses not to exceed $2,500 from available funds [: Provided further, That the Commission may take no action to implement any workforce repositioning, restructuring, or reorganization until such time as the Committees on Appropriations have been notified of such proposals, in accordance with the reprogramming provisions of section 605 of this Act: Provided further, That the Commission shall not have fewer field position in fiscal year 2005 than in fiscal year 2004.] (Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2005.)

E. Object Class Schedule - Agency Summary

Requirements by Object Class
(Dollars in thousands*)

OBLIGATIONS BY OBJECT CLASS ($000) FY 2004
Actual
FY 2005
Estimate
FY 2006
Request
Personnel Compensation
11.1 Full-time permanent (FTP) 177,521 177,539 181,890
11.3 Other than FTP 4,327 5,647 5,794
11.5 Other personnel compensation 1,285 1,288 1,324
Total Personnel Compensation 183,133 184,474 189,008
12.1 Civilian personnel benefits 43,725 43,957 44,977
13.1 Benefits to former personnel 41 50 50
Total Compensation and Benefits 226,899 228,481 234,035
21.1 Travel of persons 2,529 1,971 1,971
21.1 Litigation Travel 420 362 362
22.0 Transportation of things 42 42 42
23.1 Other rent/Communications 5,457 5,410 5,410
23.2 Rental payments to GSA 28,784 27,120 27,320
24.0 Printing and reproduction 183 183 183
25.0 Other services 19,788 20,421 18,450
25.0 Litigation Support 2,912 2,538 2,538
25.0 State & Local 31,271 32,559 33,000
25.0 Security Services payments to DHS 7 0 2,000 2,200
26.0 Supplies and materials 1,960 1,769 1,769
31.0 Equipment 4,647 3,948 3,948
Total Other Objects 97,993 98,323 97,193
Agency Total 324,892 8 326,804 9 331,228
Full Time Equivalents (FTE) 10 2,462 2,441 2,400

*may not add due to rounding</>

III. STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 1 - JUSTICE AND OPPORTUNITY


Serve the public interest by obtaining justice for individuals who experience employment discrimination and by removing discriminatory barriers to create a level playing field

A. Introduction

Our first Strategic Objective – Justice and Opportunity – is premised on the belief that our fundamental responsibility is to correct the wrongs of employment discrimination and bring justice and equal opportunity to the workplace. To fulfill this responsibility, we must improve our delivery of quality services to the public. We must enhance the public’s confidence in our abilities to resolve charges of discrimination in a timely, accurate, and consistent manner. Our front-line enforcement programs in the private and federal sectors require a substantial investment in resources to ensure that we are able to contain an expanding workload.

The budget request for fiscal year 2006 for Justice and Opportunity is $281,544,000. This amount will enable us to maintain needed enforcement staff who can address the growing private sector workload. We will continue efforts to decrease the number of hearings cases and address a workload of appeals cases in the federal sector. We will also continue efforts to promote mediation/ADR at all levels of the federal sector EEO complaint process in order to resolve workplace disputes early, thereby saving resources and enabling agencies to focus on their core missions. In addition, these resources will enable us to maintain a litigation program that includes a balance between individual and high impact, resource-intensive cases.

Finally, the resources will support our endeavors to meet the thirteen (13) performance measures under three elements of our Five-Point Plan that are included under Strategic Objective 1 in EEOC’s Strategic Plan: Proficient Resolution; Promote and Expand Mediation/ADR; and Strategic Enforcement and Litigation. We separately discuss each performance measure throughout this section of our performance budget.

In our Strategic Plan, we identified many different types of measures for the agency. Several involve using primarily external surveys to collect information; establishing baseline and target values of results the agency expects to achieve over several years and measuring the actual results achieved.

Measure 1.1.5 is one of the indicators where we intend to use surveys to establish our target goals and measure our success. We anticipate surveying members of the public to determine how familiar they are with our enforcement efforts and to what extent they believe that we have responsibly and effectively addressed workplace discrimination. Our assumption is that they will come to us for assistance and trust in our capability to handle their complaint if they know their rights and responsibilities and believe that we will address workplace discrimination. If we are viewed as a fair and just enforcer of the civil rights employment laws, employers, employees, attorneys and members of the general public will have confidence in our impartial role as a law enforcement agency.

Table 2, below, outlines our budget request for the agency’s enforcement programs under Strategic Objective 1 - Justice and Opportunity, for fiscal years 2004 through 2006. Table 3 on page 29 shows the overall workload for activities under the private sector enforcement program. The programs, the requested budget, and our performance measures are described in more detail in subsequent sections.

Table 2: FY 2006 Budget Request Summary for Justice and Opportunity
(Dollars in thousands*)
  FY 2004
Actual
FY 2005
Estimate
FY 2006
Request
Private Sector Enforcement      
Administrative Charge Processing $156,137 $135,487 $137,320
Mediation 11 $19,746 $20,844 $21,126
Litigation $48,627 $52,110 $52,816
State and Local $32,634 $32,559 $33,000
Federal Sector Enforcement $43,833 $36,783 $37,282
Total: Justice and Opportunity $300,977 12 $277,783 13 $281,544

*may not add due to rounding

B. Performance Measures for Strategic Objective 1 – Justice and Opportunity

Our Strategic Plan for fiscal years 2004-2009 links our broad Strategic Objectives to the agency’s Five Point Plan. Strategic Objective 1, Justice and Opportunity, relates to three of the elements of our Five-Point Plan – Proficient Resolution, Promote and Expand Mediation/ADR and Strategic Enforcement and Litigation. It also identifies our long-term goals to achieve results in each of these areas. The performance measures are in the following table. Target values for fiscal year 2006, and the results we expect to achieve with each measure, are described in subsequent sections.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR JUSTICE & OPPORTUNITY
Outcomes Expected:

  • Remedy and Deter Unlawful Employment Discrimination
  • Increase Public Confidence in the Fair and Prompt Resolution of Employment Discrimination Disputes
Proficient
Resolution

1.1.1. By FY 2009, ensure that at least 75% of private sector charges will be resolved in 180 days or fewer.‡

1.1.2. By FY 2009, ensure that at least 50% of federal sector hearings will be resolved in 180 days or fewer.‡

1.1.3. By FY 2009, ensure that at least 70% of federal sector appeals will be resolved in 180 days or fewer.‡

1.1.4. By FY 2009, reviews of investigative files indicate that the percentage of files meeting established criteria for quality is at [TBD]%* or higher.

1.1.5. By FY 2009, the general public rates their confidence in EEOC’s enforcement of federal equal employment laws at [TBD]%* or higher.

Promote & Expand
Mediation/ADR

1.2.1. Assess the contributions of EEOC’s private sector mediation/ADR program towards improved workplaces.

1.2.2. By FY 2006, increase by 20% the number of private sector charges in which employers agree to participate in mediation over the fiscal year 2003 baseline.‡

1.2.3. The percentage of respondents and charging parties that report confidence in EEOC’s private sector mediation program is 90% or higher.

1.2.4. By FY 2009, increase the percentage of federal employees who participate in ADR during the pre-complaint stage of the EEO process to 50% or higher.

Strategic Enforcement &
Litigation

1.3.1. By FY 2009, [TBD]%* of private sector resolutions, where EEOC is a party, result in improvements to employment policies, practices or procedures.

1.3.2. EEOC’s high impact litigation and publicity efforts subsequently change workforce status of affected groups and/or improves employment policies, practices or procedures in affected workplaces.

1.3.3. The success rate of EEOC lawsuits is 90% or higher for the period ending in FY 2009.

1.3.4. EEOC’s federal sector evaluations and technical assistance efforts result in federal agencies improving employment policies, practices and procedures.‡

*TBD= To Be Determined
‡ Text of these measures was changed from the text in the Strategic Plan. See Section IX, Addendum : Interim Adjustments to Strategic Plan for an explanation.

C. Private Sector Enforcement

Charge Processing

As part of the emphasis of our mission-driven responsibility to enforce the federal equal employment opportunity laws, we also recognize that we must be sufficiently prepared to meet emerging trends and issues in the workplace. One such issue is the increasing rise of reported discrimination against this country’s youngest workers. In an effort to enhance the agency’s enforcement mission, we will continue to reach our nation’s youth and their employers so that they, too, can benefit from our efforts to promote equality of opportunity in the workplace and ensure the enforcement of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. This will leave us well-positioned to identify specific cases that when filed or resolved will have a broad impact on the issues facing America’s youth/teens in the workplace.

In FY 2004, our resolutions declined by 3% compared to FY 2003 and we ended the year with a pending inventory of 29,966. Additionally, we have maintained our average processing time – with 165 days in FY 2004. As reflected in Table 3, we project that our workload will grow in fiscal years 2005 and 2006.

Chart 1: Private Sector Charges Pending Inventory
For Fiscal Years 2003 through 2006
Chart 1: Private Sector Charges Pending Inventory For Fiscal Years 2003 through 2006

Existing resources will support our endeavors to meet performance measures under this program. Measure 1.1.1. establishes a goal for fiscal year 2009 to resolve 75% of our private sector charges in 180 days or fewer. This overall goal will help us build upon our steady success in recent years in reducing the average time to process private sector charges. Towards that end, our FY 2004 target was to process 65% of the charges in 180 days or fewer. We processed 67.1% of our resolved private sector charges in the time frame; exceeding the target. Our target for fiscal year 2005 is increased to 70%. We anticipate maintaining this level for fiscal year 2006, because the 70% level balances prompt service in our private sector processes with the need to devote resources to charges that take longer to process because meritorious or complex claims are involved. The 70% goal is an ambitious and challenging one, given the projected increases in inventory and overall workload, as well as the need to ensure high quality service.

Another of our measures for the private sector balances our efforts to achieve more timely charge processing and ensuring that the quality of our work is maintained. Measure 1.1.4. uses methodologies and more detailed criteria to assess the quality of our charge processing. In fiscal year 2004, we met our target to define the criteria that will be used to assess the quality of our investigative files and developed a system to collect the information to gauge results. In FY 2005, we will determine our baseline value and establish targets for FY 2006 through FY 2009 to measure our success.

Measure 1.3.1. involves a joint effort of our enforcement programs to measure the effect private sector charge and litigation resolutions have on improvements in the workplace. We know that settlements and conciliation agreements, obtained during the processing of a charge of discrimination, or consent decrees and favorable court orders obtained during EEOC litigation, have an impact on the workplace. It is important, however, to measure these resolutions which improve employment policies, practices or procedures at the workplace. In fiscal year 2004, we developed approaches to obtain more detailed information by modifying our existing charge data base, so that we can collect the information that will allow us to establish a baseline value in fiscal year 2005, set intermediate targets for fiscal years 2006 through 2008, and a final goal for fiscal year 2009. Initially, we sought to use a survey to collect this data. However, upon further examination and clearly defining data needed to assess improvements to employment policies, practices and procedures, we decided to utilize a more cost effective approach to assessing the results of the measure. The methodology adopted utilizes data collected from the agency’s database on private sector resolutions to assess the results of this measure.

Table 3 below shows our workload projections for our Private Sector Enforcement program and our mediation efforts for fiscal years 2004–2006. Table 4 on page 31 provides workload estimates by statute for fiscal years 2004–2006.

Table 3: Private Sector Enforcement Program Workload Table
Workload/Workflow FY 2004
(Actual)
FY 2005
(Estimate)
FY 2006
(Estimate)
Workload      
Total Pending Charges 31,101 29,966 37,332
Total Receipts 79,432 81,016 84,257
Net FEPA transfers 4,692 4,692 4,692
Total Workload 115,225 115,674 126,281
Resolutions      

Successful Mediations

8,086 7,586 7,186

From Contract

1,475 1,375 1,375

From Staff

6,611 6,211 5,811

Administrative Enforcement Resolutions

77,173 70,756 67,523
Total Resolutions 85,259 78,342 74,709
Charges/Complaints Forwarded 29,966 37,332 51,572

*May not add due to rounding.

Table 4: Workload/Workflow by Statute 14
  FY 2004
(Actual)
FY 2005
(Estimate)
FY 2006
(Estimate)
Title VII Only
Charges filed 46,959 48,021 49,884
Charges resolved 50,136 46,233 44,009
Title VII with concurrents
Charges filed 57,299 58,571 60,842
Charges resolved 50,123 46,208 43,990
Age Discrimination in Employment Act Only
Charges filed 9,602 9,819 10,200
Charges resolved 9,882 9,113 8,675
Age Discrimination in Employment Act with concurrents
Charges filed 17,663 18,054 18,754
Charges resolved 15,283 14,090 13,413
Equal Pay Act Only
Charges filed 46 47 49
Charges resolved 52 48 46
Equal Pay Act with concurrents
Charges filed 1,186 1,213 1,260
Charges resolved 1,057 975 928
Americans with Disabilities Act Only
Charges filed 9,465 9,680 10,055
Charges resolved 10,474 9,659 9,194
Americans with Disabilities Act with concurrents
Charges filed 15,348 15,688 16,296
Charges resolved 17,118 15,781 15,023
Total
Charges filed 79,432 81,016 84,257
Charges resolved 85,259 78,342 74,709

Mediation/ADR Workload and Initiatives

Our private sector mediation program is an important tool for resolving charges quickly to the benefit of both employees and employers. The program has been very successful and has contributed to our ability over the past few years to reduce our inventory and resolve more charges in 180 days or fewer.

As part of our contract program, FEPAs may compete for our contract mediation funds, in addition to the amount of funds provided for enforcement activities under the State and Local component of our appropriation. This opportunity recognizes the progress that some in the FEPA community have made in incorporating the critical components of our ADR program into their own enforcement efforts and which allow us to benefit from their skills through their mediation of charges that would otherwise be processed by EEOC.

We have three performance measures that will help us gauge the success of our private sector mediation efforts. Measure 1.2.1 assesses the contributions our mediation program makes towards improved workplaces. Measure 1.2.2 seeks to increase the number of employers agreeing to mediate. Measure 1.2.3 gauges the level of confidence of participating charging parties and employers in the agency mediation program.

A key aspect of success for our mediation program is the impact it has on the workplace. Measure 1.2.1 will enable us to assess the contributions our mediation program makes toward improved workplaces. As expressed in the target, initially, we planned to conduct a program evaluation for this measure. However, we devised a more cost effective approach, similar to Measure 1.3.1, to assess the results of this measure. In fiscal year 2004, we began to develop procedures and criteria to collect information in our charge database to assess the impact of the private sector mediation program towards improved workplaces. Once this information is collected and analyzed, we will establish targets for FY 2005 through FY 2009.

While participants almost uniformly view our mediation program favorably, the number of employers agreeing to mediate is considerably less than the number of charging parties agreeing to mediate. A past independent study of our mediation program identified several key reasons that made employers reluctant to participate in EEOC’s mediation program. The study found that employers principally decline mediation because either they have conducted their own internal investigation and believe the specific charge to be without merit, or they have concluded that EEOC will not issue a reasonable cause finding and prefer to let the charge through the investigative process. In FY 2004, we implemented a new performance measure to increase the number of charges in which employers agree to mediate. We established the target for FY 2004 to maintain the FY 2003 level of employer acceptances. We achieved this target by maintaining the baseline range. During FY 2004, 13,100 employers agreed to participate, which is 77 below the FY 2003 level of 13,177, but is within 0.5% of the baseline. This represents a maintenance of the FY 2003 baseline range. We are continuing our efforts to increase the number of employers agreeing to participate in our mediation program. However, we face several challenges in meeting this measure and will be assessing our performance to identify the resources and other activities needed to reach the target in future years.

Finally, Measure 1.2.3 will help us maintain a high level of confidence of those charging parties and employers who participate in our mediation program. Our past results from survey information, asking participants whether they would use the mediation program again, demonstrated at least a 90% confidence level in our program. In FY 2004, using the same survey, we questioned a sample of mediation participants and achieved a 95.6% confidence level, surpassing the target for FY 2004.

Litigation

The importance of a strong litigation program to effectively enforce our statutes cannot be overstated. Not only does it provide relief to many victims of discrimination who may have no other recourse, we also believe it serves as an incentive for other employers to settle cases earlier in our administrative enforcement process, rather than to face the matter in a court of law. In addition, we believe that publicity regarding our high impact cases and other litigation increases employer compliance with the civil rights laws we enforce.

The Agency estimates filing 300 new lawsuits in fiscal year 2006. This figure represents less than one half of one percent of the approximately 84,000 charges EEOC projects for FY 2006. Our projected workload of 795 cases is a small reduction in the workload from past years. In addition to their litigation function, field legal staff perform a wide range of other functions: They provide advice and counsel to enforcement staff in all phases of the administrative process of private sector charges; they process thousands of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests received from the public each year; and they participate in Agency outreach programs under Strategic Objective 2.

Chart 2 below depicts the estimated Litigation inventory including the number of lawsuits filed, pending lawsuits and resolutions for the fiscal years 2004 through 2006.

Chart 2: Litigation Inventory
For Fiscal Years 2004 through 2006
Chart 2: Litigation Inventory For Fiscal Years 2004 through 2006

While we plan to continue to file 300 to 400 cases per year, the effectiveness of our litigation program cannot be measured only by the number of cases we file. Also, obtaining monetary benefits is crucial to the fulfillment of our public interest role. However, it is only part of positive change that can be brought about by our enforcement and litigation programs. We have begun to capture empirical data and report on the prospective improvements in the workplace garnered through our enforcement efforts.

Consistent with the Agency’s Strategic Plan, we plan to use our resources more strategically to litigate more cases that have a high impact on reducing discrimination and removing barriers in the workplace. High impact cases frequently affect large numbers of individuals, including individuals not party to a case, and can lead to positive changes throughout a wide geographical area, industry, or employer community. Such cases can be more resource intensive at times, but often may involve less expense where developing legal issues are of primary concern.

We adopted Measure 1.3.2 to address our high impact litigation and the subsequent publicity that results from that litigation. This measure will assess how this litigation and publicity changes the workforce status of affected groups and/or improves employment policies, practices, or procedures in affected workplaces. In FY 2004, we defined the type of cases that constitute our “high impact litigation” and how we will measure any “change in workforce status.” Throughout FY 2005 and FY 2006, we will initiate steps to collect information to assist us in measuring the impact of our litigation and to develop approaches for improving our efforts to achieve greater results.

Measure 1.3.3 will ensure that we maintain a high success rate for resolving our lawsuits at 90% or higher. A five year study of our litigation program demonstrated that we have achieved this rate of success in the recent past. It is important for us to maintain this high success rate to aid our efforts to deter and remedy discrimination in the workplace. Throughout the entire period from FY 2004 through FY 2009, we expect to maintain at least the 90% level using a 6-year rolling average of successful lawsuits to account for minor year-to-year fluctuations that can result from a limited database of observations. For FY 2004, we met our target and achieved a success rate of 92.2%.

Table 5: Litigation Workload Projections
Workload FY 2004
(Actual)
FY 2005
(Estimate)
FY 2006
(Estimate)
Workload      
Total Pending Lawsuits 525 555 535
Total Lawsuits Filed During the Fiscal Year 378 300 300
Total Legal Workload 903 855 835
Resolutions 348 320 340
Legal Workload Carried into Next Fiscal Year 555 535 495

State and Local Contracts

The Commission continues to enjoy strong partnerships with state and local Fair Employment Practice Agencies (FEPAs) and Native American Tribal Employment Rights Organizations (TEROs) throughout the country. In addition to the work-sharing agreements with state and local agencies for the purpose of coordinating the investigation of charges dual-filed under state and local law, and federal law where appropriate, we have engaged in joint training and outreach initiatives which benefit both the employee and employer communities. During fiscal year 2004, we contracted with 92 FEPAs to resolve dual-filed charges, thereby preventing duplication of effort and streamlining the charge resolution process. We also contracted with 64 TEROs during fiscal year 2004. These organizations help EEOC with targeted outreach by promoting equal employment opportunity on or near Indian reservations.

These collaborative efforts have proved beneficial in advancing equal employment opportunity nationwide. We plan to continue our collaborations with both the FEPAs and TEROs in future years and will continually look for opportunities that will allow us to enhance these valuable partnerships that are mutually beneficial.

Table 6: State and Local Workload Projections
Workload FY 2004
(Actual)
FY 2005
(Estimate)
FY 2006
(Estimate)
Charges/Complaints Pending 62,064 57,808 53,552
Charges/Complaints Received 57,318 57,318 57,318
Total Workload 119,382 115,126 110,870
Charges/Complaints Resolved 56,882 56,882 56,882
Charges/Complaints Deferred to EEOC 4,692 4,692 4,692
Charges/Complaints Forwarded 57,808 53,552 49,296

D. Federal Sector Enforcement

Our Federal sector program has a unique role in ensuring that all Federal applicants have the freedom to compete in the workplace on a fair and level playing field and to be judged on the merit of their performance and not on the basis of their race, gender, ethnicity, religion, age, or disability. Our hearings and appellate enforcement efforts and our monitoring, guidance, and assistance activities help us achieve our purposes. We plan to continue reducing the age of the complaint inventory by utilizing approaches that will yield swifter processing. We also will continue our recent success in controlling the growth of the appellate inventory while ensuring that appeals are resolved in a fair and efficient manner. Using the guidance and principles contained in the landmark MD 715, which became effective October 1, 2003, the Commission will evaluate the progress of Federal agencies in creating effective equal employment opportunity programs. We will monitor plans submitted by the Federal agencies to the EEOC to identify and remove barriers to free and open competition in the workplace. With the implementation of MD 715 and our focus on establishing effective relationship programs with agencies, we will deliver relevant and helpful information, training, and EEO solutions to Federal agencies.

In addition to the contributions the Federal sector enforcement program makes to the achievement of Measure 1.1.5 (the measure was discussed in the introduction to performance results for Strategic Objective 1: Justice and Opportunity), the Federal sector enforcement program has four additional performance measures for FY 2006.

Federal Sector Improvements – Hearings

Increased efforts by our hearings program to utilize early case assessment as a tool to expedite the processing of cases along with the continued use of ADR in the hearings program has aided in the proficient resolution of cases in FY 2004. We have targeted a higher rate in FY 2005 and FY 2006. The increased use of ADR provides the parties with a setting to mutually resolve their complaints without the need for a formal hearing and has reduced the overall processing time in the Federal sector. The incidence of future complaints is also affected by improving communication between parties through mediation and other forms of ADR.

In fiscal year 2006, proficient resolution will be supported by an improved federal complaint system to ensure timely resolutions. Measure 1.1.2. sets our long-range goal to increase the rate to 50% for Federal sector hearings to be resolved in 180 days or fewer. We had a target of 35% in FY 2004 and achieved a rate of 32.8%. We believe our results were affected by two factors, specifically our focus on reducing the aged inventory and the inter-district transfer of cases. In FY 2004, we targeted the oldest cases in our inventory for resolution, which meant we were not able to devote as much attention to new complaints. Because of staffing imbalances in our field offices, we had to utilize complaint transfers to shift our workload, and, as a result, it took more time for these cases to be processed. We have raised our target for FY 2005 and FY 2006 to resolve 38% and 40%, respectively, of our hearings in 180 days or fewer.

We intend to achieve these goals by using coordinated initiatives we began in FY 2004 to provide substantive and operational support and oversight towards the resolution of hearings cases to help prepare decisions more expeditiously. Our administrative judges, who conduct the hearings on discrimination complaints filed against Federal agencies, will be provided additional guidance and assistance. The hearings workload will be monitored by analyzing hearings data and evaluating staffing needs and the quality of administrative judges’ work. We will continue to expand the use of ADR to resolve complaints at the hearings stage. Federal sector appellate legal tools will be made available to assist administrative judges in processing hearings efficiently by making available fully researched and computerized legal language for inclusion in findings and decisions and fully-searchable past decisions on our Intranet site.

Table 7 - below shows the overall hearing inventory for fiscal years 2004 through 2006. We expect to continue making significant inroads into resolving our pending inventory of hearings cases and resolving more complaints at the hearings stage in 180 days or fewer.

Table 7: Hearings Workload Projections
Workload FY 2004
(Actual)
FY 2005
(Estimate)
FY 2006
(Estimate)
Hearings Pending 8,863 5,975 4,563
Hearings Requests Received 9,027 9,473 9,473
Hearings Requests Consolidated After Initial Processing 15 (175) (175) (175)
Total Workload 17,715 15,273 13,861
Hearings Resolved 11,740 10,710 9,690
Hearings Forwarded 5,975 4,563 4,171

Chart 3: Hearing Workload Received, Resolved, and Pending
For Fiscal Years 2003 through 2006
Chart 3: Hearing Workload Received, Resolved, and Pending For Fiscal Years 2003 through 2006

Appeals and Oversight of Federal EEO Programs

Our federal sector program adjudicates appeals from administrative decisions made by federal agencies on complaints of employment discrimination filed by federal employees or applicants for federal employment. The federal sector program has fully implemented the Proficient Resolution component of the Commission’s Five-Point Plan by streamlining operations to make its appellate adjudicatory body more efficient with the result that we have dramatically reduced the number, age, and processing time of pending appeals. In fiscal year 2003, we reduced the appellate inventory more than 26% from FY 2002 levels, and we reduced the inventory of appeals more than 500 days old by 76%. We also processed 44% of the appeals received in fiscal year 2003 in 180 days or fewer. We have continued these trends in fiscal year 2004 with the result that the age of our pending appellate inventory is at 171 days, a more than 33% reduction from the end of fiscal year 2002.

In Table 8, we project that while new appeals will increase we will be able to effectively manage the appellate inventory through strategically designed appellant inventory management projects and technological innovations.

Table 8: Appeals Workload Projections
Workload FY 2004
(Actual)
FY 2005
(Estimate)
FY 2006
(Estimate)
Appeals Pending 3,831 3,634 3,477
Appeals Received 7,831 8,066 8,308
Total Workload 11,662 11,700 11,785
Appeals Resolved 8,028 8,223 7,655
Appeals Forwarded 3,634 3,477 4,130

Chart 4: Federal Sector Appeals Received, Resolved, and Pending Inventory
For Fiscal Years 2004 through 2006
Chart 4: Federal Sector Appeals Received, Resolved, and Pending Inventory For Fiscal Years 2004 through 2006

Resources will support our endeavors to meet performance measures in our appellate program. Measure 1.1.3. demonstrates the significant results we have achieved over the years by timely completing more of the appellate cases. We have a goal to resolve 70% of our Federal sector appeals in 180 days or fewer by FY 2009. We set a goal for FY 2004 to resolve 45% of the new appeals received within this time frame. Even though there was an 11% increase in new appeals, we contained the growth of the appellate inventory and continued our progress to ensure that we met this target with 51.8% of new appeals resolved in 180 days or fewer.

We have had an appeals measure of this type since FY 2000. With a relatively high and aged workload, we initially established targets based on the appeals received and resolved within a specific fiscal year; helping us to simultaneously work on new appeals coming into the workload while using some of our resources to resolve the aging inventory. We used this approach in FY 2004 and will continue using it for FY 2005. For FY 2006, however, we will be revising the method we use to calculate the appellate resolutions to mirror the way we measure the timeliness of charge resolutions in the private sector and hearings resolutions in the Federal sector. We will include in the calculation all appellate cases regardless of the fiscal year they were filed.

By fiscal year 2006, using this new and more challenging approach, we will increase the rate of resolving appeals in 180 days or fewer to 55%. This target will help us continue to make steady gains towards our long-range target as many of the streamlining efforts and other federal sector reforms take hold. As the federal sector enforcement staff successfully resolve the older appellate inventory, resources will be deployed to resolve an increasing percentage of newly filed appeals in 180 days or fewer. We expect to achieve our goal in this area with staffing adjustments, appellate inventory management pilots and technological improvements.

Using ADR can have a powerful impact on Federal agencies’ EEO complaint inventories and, in turn, EEOC’s hearings and appeals inventories. Resolving disputes as early as possible in the Federal sector EEO process will improve the work environment and reduce the number of formal complaints, allowing all agencies, including the EEOC, to redeploy resources otherwise devoted to these activities.

With Measure 1.2.4., we aim to increase the use of ADR techniques at the pre-complaint stage in the Federal sector; the stage before a formal complaint is filed with a Federal agency. The Commission’s efforts in promoting and expanding mediation/ADR at all stages of the Federal EEO complaint process appear to be having a positive effect on Federal agencies’ EEO complaint inventories. As more agencies expand their efforts to offer ADR during the informal process, we expect to see continued decreases in the number of formal complaints filed, which will reduce costs for complainants and all Federal agencies, and enable an agency to focus resources on its primary mission.

The goal for Measure 1.2.4 is to increase ADR participation to 50% or higher at the pre-complaint stage by FY 2009. Our FY 2004 target was 25%. Since Federal agencies do not report their information to the EEOC until the middle of the first quarter of FY 2005, we will provide the information on the achievement of this target as soon as possible after the reporting period ends.

In fiscal years 2003 and 2004, the Commission partnered with 22 federal agencies to identify best practices, provide technical assistance, and develop strategic plans to improve the quality and effectiveness of the partner agencies’ ADR programs. The Commission will publish the results in a comprehensive ADR study. In fiscal years 2005 and 2006, the Commission will expand its partnership with federal agencies beyond the initial 22 agencies, and utilize the best practices showcased in its ADR study to assist agencies in evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of their ADR programs. A key component of the Commission’s strategy to assist agencies in developing effective ADR programs will be the delivery of specialized ADR training modules to federal agencies. This training initiative is designed to increase federal managers’ participation in the ADR process, to make ADR available to a larger number of federal employees, and to improve the effectiveness of mediators engaged in resolving workplace disputes involving EEO matters.

One of the most important mechanisms in our Federal sector program is our authority to conduct evaluations of Federal agency EEO programs. To better implement the Commission’s focus on establishing effective relationships with Federal employers, we will conduct these assessments to assist agencies in establishing model EEO programs. Using targeted evaluations, combined with the new self-assessment tools and checklists in MD 715, we will help Federal agencies assess the effectiveness and efficiency of their EEO programs and identify whether there are barriers precluding them from effectively utilizing their entire workforce in accomplishing their missions. We will periodically issue evaluative reports on a wide variety of topics in order to share government-wide, as appropriate, valuable information to assist agencies in developing model EEO programs.

The results of these Federal sector activities, included under Measure 1.3.4, will be assessed with a Program Evaluation study in FY 2009. For FY 2005, we will be defining and evaluating steps to take to prepare for this evaluation. Through our Relationship Manager project, we were able to conduct evaluation pilots of six agencies EEO programs. We will use information obtained from pilot evaluations to assist our planning efforts in preparation for the program evaluation scheduled in FY 2009.

E. Object Class Schedule – Strategic Objective 1: Justice and Opportunity

Requirements by Object Class
(Dollars in thousands*)
OBLIGATIONS BY OBJECT CLASS ($000) FY 2004
Actual
FY 2005
Estimate
FY 2006
Request
Personnel Compensation
11.1 Full-time permanent (FTP) 163,023 147,010 150,699
11.3 Other than FTP 3,972 4,800 4,925
11.5 Other personnel compensation 1,180 1,148 1,124
Total Personnel Compensation 168,175 152,958 156,748
12.1 Civilian personnel benefits 40,159 35,993 36,858
13.1 Benefits to former personnel 38 43 43
Total Compensation and Benefits 208,372 188,994 193,649
21.1 Travel of persons 2,133 1,633 1,633
21.1 Litigation Travel 420 362 362
22.0 Transportation of things 39 36 36
23.1 Other rent/Communications 4,993 4,599 4,599
23.2 Rental payments to GSA 26,424 23,052 23,222
24.0 Printing and reproduction 168 156 156
25.0 Other services 18,241 17,295 15,620
25.0 Litigation Support 2,912 2,538 2,538
25.0 State & Local 31,271 32,559 33,000
25.0 Security Services payments to DHS 16 0 1,700 1,870
26.0 Supplies and materials 1,740 1,503 1,503
31.0 Equipment 4,264 3,356 3,356
Total Other Objects 92,605 88,789 87,895
Agency Total 300,977 17 277,783 18 281,544

*may not add due to rounding

IV. INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE

Strengthen America’s workplace by preventing discrimination and promoting workplace policies and practices that foster an inclusive work culture

A. Introduction

Under our Inclusive Workplace Strategic Objective, we made strides in FY 2004 achieving increased voluntary compliance with the Federal equal employment opportunity laws and increased individual awareness and understanding of rights and responsibilities under those laws. Three of the performance measures in our Strategic Plan for this Objective are associated with the Proactive Prevention element of our Five-Point Plan.

Our budget request for FY 2006 for this Strategic Objective is $49,684,000, not including the Revolving Fund. The proposed request will allow us to maintain our outreach efforts, getting our message out to employers and employees, students and educators in diverse communities throughout the country, achieving increased awareness of, and compliance with, EEO laws and reducing discrimination in the workplace.

Table 9: FY 2006 Budget Request Summary for Inclusive Workplace
(Dollars in thousands*)
  FY 2004
(Actual)
FY 2005
(Estimate)
FY 2006
(Estimate)
Outreach, Education, Technical Assistance (Non-fee based) 19 $23,915 $49,021 $49,684
Revolving Fund (Fee based) $4,276 $4,869 $4,914
Total: Inclusive Workplace (including the Revolving Fund) $28,191 $53,890 $54,598

*may not add due to rounding

B. Performance Measures for Strategic Objective 2 – Inclusive Workplace

Our Strategic Plan for fiscal years 2004-2009 links our broad Strategic Objectives to the agency’s Five-Point Plan. Strategic Objective 2, Inclusive Workplace, relates to one of the elements of our Five-Point Plan–Proactive Prevention. The performance measures are listed below, followed by a discussion for each.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE
Outcomes Expected:

  • Increase Voluntary Compliance with the Federal Equal Employment Laws
  • Increase Individual Awareness and Understanding of Rights and Responsibilities
Proactive Prevention

2.1.1. By FY 2009, [TBD]%* of private and federal sector employer representatives, who participate in a major outreach initiative or training and technical assistance programs, indicate an improvement in an employment policy, practice, or procedure as a result of their participation.

2.1.2. By FY 2009, increase to 50% the percentage of federal agencies that successfully implement the model EEO program attributes described in EEOC guidance.

2.1.3. By FY 2009, increase the percent of individuals demonstrating an awareness of their equal employment opportunity rights and responsibilities by [TBD]%*.

*TBD=To Be Determined

Resources will support our endeavors to meet our three performance measures under this Strategic Objective. Two of these measures focus on the real world impact of our prevention efforts and signal EEOC’s enhanced emphasis in our Strategic Plan to use a range of strategies to prevent employment discrimination from occurring in the first place.

Measure 2.1.1 affords us an opportunity to determine the percentage of employer representatives who improve their workplaces as a result of their participation in one of our outreach or technical assistance programs. To evaluate this measure in FY 2004, we conducted a limited year-end survey sampling of fee-based outreach, primarily targeted to private sector audiences. The initial sampling yielded a rather high rate of workplace changes made. We did not establish a baseline level and targets for FY 2005–2009 using the initial survey results. The results raised several questions about the approach used, including whether the responses and results should be differentiated between private sector and Federal sector audiences and what the impact will be of adding no-cost outreach to the sample in FY 2005. To ensure that the workplace changes reported are those we intended to address and that our measurement approach is sound, we will use FY 2005 to further refine and evaluate the measurement approaches for Measure 2.1.1. We plan to set a baseline and specific targets for FY 2006 through FY 2009.

Successfully implementing the Model EEO Program outlined in MD 715 will provide the infrastructure needed to achieve the ultimate goal of a discrimination-free work environment characterized by an atmosphere of inclusion and the free and open competition for employment opportunities. MD 715 describes six “essential elements” that are required to successfully implement a model EEO program at a Federal agency. Measure 2.1.2 establishes a final goal to successfully implement attributes of the Model EEO Program in 50% of the Federal agencies by FY 2009. During FY 2004, we issued MD 715 and implementation guidance, which provide agencies with a checklist for gauging progress in building a model EEO program. We provided training to Federal agencies on the implementation guidance. We are also in the process of designing a measurement index tool to assess agencies’ model EEO program status. We will share the tool with appropriate agencies for input before the tool is finalized.

Measure 2.1.3 is also focused on the broad implications of our prevention efforts. Many of our past initiatives have provided people with the information they need to understand their rights and responsibilities under the equal employment opportunity laws we enforce. Individuals who know their rights, as well as their responsibilities, are more likely to properly understand discriminatory behaviors at the workplace, and know what to do about them. For example, individuals seeking jobs or currently working will have the information they need to evaluate and better distinguish whether a situation is discriminatory, and then know how to proceed to protect their rights. Equally important is the EEO awareness level of the individuals who are responsible for workplace policies, practices and procedures, so that they possess the information to critically assess whether their workplaces are contributing to a discriminatory environment and what their responsibilities are to change the situation.

C. Key Prevention Initiatives

The Five-Point Plan emphasizes Proactive Prevention - a belief that preventing discrimination is an important part of our mission. In fiscal year 2006, the agency will devote a significant portion of its resources to proactive prevention efforts. On the following pages, we highlight specific initiatives that will enable the agency to carry out its efforts to prevent or reduce discriminatory barriers to employment opportunities.

Student/Youth Initiative

According to the Department of Labor, there were 21.6 million Americans in the 16 - 24 age range employed at some point in 2002. The EEOC has seen, through charges filed and anecdotal evidence, that discrimination is a problem for many in this group. We will continue to educate high school students about an employer’s responsibilities, including specific discussions on sexual harassment and how to complain if such harassment occurs on the job. We will reach out to local youth organizations to share the training material, and as resources allow, develop and present training to teenagers about workplace rights and responsibilities.

Small and Mid-sized Employer Initiative

This initiative focuses specifically on small and mid-sized companies. Through the initiative we will continue outreach efforts toward these companies. Our enforcement statistics reflect that these two groups of businesses account for over 50% of our charge receipts. With this trend in charge filings, we need to ensure our outreach efforts are matched to the employer communities where there is a need for further education.

According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), small firms employ about half of the private sector workforce, and generate between two-thirds and three-quarters of the net new jobs. 20 This employer community contributes substantially to the growth of the nation’s workforce and economy. It is critical that our Proactive Prevention efforts are geared toward reaching small to mid-sized employers – providing them with information that demonstrates the benefits of fostering an inclusive workplace.

Smaller employers are often without the resources and infrastructure that exist in large companies to address employment disputes. Our efforts to reach out to small and mid-sized companies will equip them with the information needed to comply with federal EEO laws and implement sound workplace practices. As a workplace partner, EEOC seeks to work with the employer community to proactively prevent discrimination through outreach, education and technical assistance. The materials and training that we will provide to these employers will assist them in identifying ways to promote a work environment that promotes equal employment opportunity.

The President’s New Freedom Initiative

The goal of the President’s New Freedom Initiative (NFI) is to fully integrate individuals with disabilities into all aspects of the nation’s social and economic life.

The EEOC will continue its effort to review best practices for the employment of people with disabilities in state government, to disseminate these best practices (including through the agency’s website, www.eeoc.gov), and to implement an aggressive training and technical assistance program to help states remove any barriers to employment that might exist. In addition, EEOC will continue to provide education and technical assistance to private employers and individuals with disabilities.

The EEOC’s Freedom to Compete Initiative

We have implemented the EEOC’s Freedom to Compete Initiative in a multi-phased approach. This initiative complements the NFI by fostering a level playing field for all individuals to have equal employment opportunities. During the first phase of the Initiative, we engaged a cross-section of stakeholders in a dialogue about EEOC and explored with them how we could broaden our presence and more proactively address 21st century workplace issues. During fiscal year 2006, we will partner, develop alliances and use other collaborative efforts to engage stakeholders in efforts to influence the opinions of leaders in the business community and drive change in the workplace. Our efforts will include speeches, roundtable discussions, Commission meetings, and public service announcements to reach a wide audience. We also will develop programs to honor and recognize individuals and organizations that demonstrate exemplary efforts to open doors to employment and level the playing field to ensure free and fair competition in the workplace.

Federal Sector Programs

The Commission has championed a new approach toward creating a barrier-free, level playing field throughout the federal government. This new approach is captured in Management Directive 715, which was unanimously approved by the Commission and became effective government-wide on October 1, 2003. MD-715 is the roadmap for agencies to identify and remove barriers to equality of employment opportunity so that the American people can have a model federal work force which fully reflects everyone’s contributions. With the resources requested for fiscal year 2006, our federal sector program will be able to effectively monitor the more than 200 agency plans required to be submitted annually to the Commission by federal agencies as part of their efforts to identify and eliminate barriers to equal employment opportunity.

We will work with agencies and provide tools and assistance to help them analyze their work forces and uncover barriers to equal employment opportunities. Once barriers are identified by agencies, we will collaborate with agencies as they develop creative strategies to eliminate or reduce the impact of obstacles identified. We will work with agencies to promote workplace policies and practices that foster an inclusive work culture and prevent employment discrimination. This effort includes working with federal agencies to adopt and successfully implement the attributes of the EEOC’s Model EEO Program.

In fiscal year 2004, the Commission partnered with six federal agencies in a Relationship Management project to explore new ways for our federal sector staff to interact with agencies to ensure that we can assist agencies in creating more effective EEO programs. Applying the strategies and tools developed from the experiences of the relationship management project, we will be in a position to better establish a customer-oriented organization which can deliver relevant information and solutions to federal agencies’ leadership.

The requested resources will also support our endeavors to meet performance Measure 2.1.2. under this Strategic Objective. Management Directive 715 describes six “Essential Elements” that are required to successfully implement a Model EEO Program at a federal agency. In fiscal year 2004, we have been developing an index using the essential elements in the Directive. We intend to establish a baseline value for the percentage of agencies who successfully implemented the Model EEO Program. Since the final goal for this measure is 50%, we will determine in fiscal year 2005 the target value for improving the percent each year in order to achieve our final result. Federal agencies only report the EEO information we need once each year, after the fiscal year ends. Consequently, we will report the results for this measure on a delayed basis.

Outreach - Education, Technical Assistance and Training

EEOC will continue to expand and enhance its outreach, education, training and technical assistance programs to meet the needs of diverse audiences, incorporating new and innovative approaches - particularly the Internet and other technologies and addressing rapidly changing demographics. We will continue to partner with the employer community and other stakeholders to foster strategies to recognize and prevent discrimination in the workplace.

Existing resources will also be used to form regional Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) advisory groups to continue building relationships with disability advocacy groups and other disability-related constituencies. Field staff in each region of the country will invite stakeholders to participate in regular meetings to discuss the best approaches, how to ensure that victims of disability discrimination have access to the EEOC to file a charge, and the development and litigation of meritorious ADA charges. One of the goals of the advisory groups would be to identify groups serving person with disabilities who may be discriminated against but who are not coming forward to file charges and to develop a plan to reach out to those individuals and/or groups. Another goal is to compile a list of experts in each region to assist with coverage issues, accommodation questions and other relevant issues which arise in ADA litigation.

Revolving Fund - Education, Technical Assistance and Training

The Revolving Fund Act enables EEOC to support a comprehensive public educational program, which includes both free outreach activities conducted by agency staff and fee-based, specialized services sponsored by the Revolving Fund. Congress established the EEOC Education, Technical Assistance and Training Revolving Fund (“Revolving Fund”) in 1992 to empower the EEOC to use receipts of certain outreach events to maintain an active outreach program. The law creating the Fund authorizes EEOC to charge fees to offset the reasonable costs of developing and providing training, education and technical assistance through the Fund. Section 705 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was amended by adding the following authorizing language:

There is hereby established in the Treasury of the United States a revolving fund to be known as the ‘EEOC Education, Technical Assistance, and Training Revolving Fund’ (hereinafter in this subsection referred to as the ‘Fund’) and to pay the cost (including administrative and personnel expenses) of providing education, technical assistance, and training relating to laws administered by the Commission. Monies in the Fund shall be available without fiscal year limitation to the Commission for such purposes.

By creating the Revolving Fund, Congress sought to provide the means for EEOC to offer in-depth and specialized programs that supplement the agency’s general informational and outreach activities that are an ongoing aspect of EEOC’s mission.

The Revolving Fund has transitioned into a competitive EEO educational services provider offering diverse, high quality, reasonably-priced EEO expertise and training products. A new organizational name, “the EEOC Training Institute,” was created for the Revolving Fund Division to emphasize the professional nature and scope of the program, increase name recognition and loyalty by customers and expand the customer base. The EEOC Training Institute has enhanced and diversified its products and services and now offers five product/service lines: Technical Assistance Program Seminars (TAPS), a national federal sector conference, Customer Specific Training (CST), national courses, and direct sale of training products such as books, CD-Roms and curricula modules.

The one and two-day Technical Assistance Program Seminars provided by the Training Institute are responsive to employer requests for information and training and allow EEOC to educate substantially more employers and employees about how to identify, prevent and eliminate workplace discrimination. During FY 2004, 49 TAPS were conducted throughout the US, with more than 6,300 paid participants. In FY 2005, we anticipate conducting a comparable number of TAPS and project the same number of paid participants for FY 2006.

The Training Institute offers a yearly multi-day conference for federal employees. The Examining Conflicts in Employment Laws (EXCEL) conference has become a widely anticipated and highly acclaimed event that federal EEO managers, attorneys, EEO professionals and EEO staff rely on to receive guidance and information on timely EEO topics, recent developments in employment laws and changes in agency procedures. In previous years, attendance has averaged around 300 participants. The recognition of the quality of the EXCEL conference is evident by a dramatic increase in enrollment for the FY 2004 conference over the last three years’ average attendance levels. About 800 participants attended the FY 2004 conference. Additionally, we project comparably high enrollment levels in fiscal years 2005 and 2006.

The Customer Specific Training program is another important vehicle for training employees, managers, supervisors and human resource professionals from both large and small to mid-size employers about their EEO responsibilities and how to prevent and correct workplace discrimination. All of the standardized courses are available for on-site training and we design customized courses that we deliver at the employer’s worksite. During fiscal year 2004, more than 170 customer specific training courses were conducted by EEOC staff, providing direct training to more than 1,000 employees. We anticipate comparable numbers for fiscal years 2005 and 2006.

The Training Institute currently offers six national courses geared toward federal employees. The course topics include EEO Training for New Counselors, EEO Training for New Investigators, EEO Training for Managers and Supervisors, Writing Final Agency Actions, EEO Refresher Training for Counselors, and Drafting Letters of Acceptance and Dismissals Decisions. During fiscal year 2004, 30 national courses were conducted for over 750 attendees. These courses were offered in Washington, DC and in other major federal regions throughout the country. We anticipate maintaining the current schedule size for fiscal year 2005 and expect a slight increase in fiscal year 2006.

The Training Institute also develops direct sale training products to foster the agency’s overall training and technical assistance statutory responsibilities. Among the products we currently offer are a Workplace Harassment Issues Toolkit, a Workplace Harassment Issues Essential Guide, an EEO Training for New Counselor participant manual, an EEO Training for New Investigators participant manual, a TAPS CD and our newest addition to the Essential Guide series, the “ABC’s of EEO for Small Businesses and Supervisors.” We anticipate expanding our product line during fiscal years 2005 and 2006 to include additional desk references in the Essential Guide series and other training materials that address the changing needs of our customers.

D. Summary of Financing for the Revolving Fund

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION
EEOC Education, Technical Assistance, and Training Revolving Fund
(Dollars in thousands)
  FY 2004
(Actual)
FY 2005
(Estimate)
FY 2006
(Estimate)
Financing: 3,962 4,277 4,277
Offsetting collections from:
Federal Funds 1,294 1,472 1,472
Non-Federal sources 2,636 2,775 2,775
Recoveries 32 30 30
Orders on hand from federal sources
Unobligated balance, start of year 3,043 2,729 2,137
Gross Budget Authority 7,005 7,006 6,414
Total Obligations 4,276 4,869 4,914
Unobligated balance transferred (rescission)
Unobligated balance, end of year 2,729 2,137 1,500
Net Budget Authority 0 0 0

E. Object Class Schedule – Strategic Objective 2: Inclusive Workplace

Requirements by Object Class
(Dollars in thousands*)
OBLIGATIONS BY OBJECT CLASS ($000) FY 2004
Actual
FY 2005
Estimate
FY 2006
Request
Personnel Compensation
11.1 Full-time permanent (FTP) 14,498 30,529 31,191
11.3 Other than FTP 355 847 869
11.5 Other personnel compensation 105 140 200
Total Personnel Compensation 14,958 31,516 32,260
12.1 Civilian personnel benefits 3,566 7,964 8,119
13.1 Benefits to former personnel 3 7 7
Total Compensation and Benefits 18,527 39,487 40,386
21.1 Travel of persons 396 338 338
21.1 Litigation Travel 0 0 0
22.0 Transportation of things 3 6 6
23.1 Other rent/Communications 464 811 811
23.2 Rental payments to GSA 2,360 4,068 4,098
24.0 Printing and reproduction 15 27 27
25.0 Other services 1,547 3,126 2,830
25.0 Litigation Support 0 0 0
25.0 State & Local 0 0 0
25.0 Security Services payments to DHS 21 0 300 330
26.0 Supplies and materials 220 266 266
31.0 Equipment 383 592 592
Total Other Objects 5,388 9,534 9,298
Agency Total 23,915 22 49,021 23 49,684

*may not add due to rounding

F. Object Class Schedule – EEOC Education, Technical Assistance, and Training Revolving Fund

Requirements by Object Class
(Dollars in thousands*)
OBJECT CLASS Fiscal Year 2004
Actual
Fiscal Year 2005
Estimate
Fiscal Year 2006
Estimate
11.1 Personnel Compensation 1,266 1,797 1,886
12.1 Civilian Personnel Benefits 353 503 528
21.0 Travel and Transportation of Persons 290 320 225
22.0 Transportation of Things 0 0 0
23.1 Other Rent/Communications 400 410 332
24.0 Printing and Reproduction 515 500 352
25.0 Other Services 1,227 1,134 1,396
26.0 Supplies and Materials 175 185 195
31.0 Equipment 50 20 0
21.1 Litigation Travel 0 0 0
TOTAL OBLIGATIONS 4,276 4,869 4,914
Revolving Fund Reimbursement to Salaries & Expenses Account 2,200 2,800 2,800
Reimbursable Full Time Equivalents to Salaries & Expense Account 20 20 20

*may not add due to rounding

V. STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 3 - ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE

Establish an organizational infrastructure that will set and implement the highest quality standards for equal opportunity, customer service, internal efficiency, and fiscal responsibility


OUR MANAGEMENT VISION

Become the world's preeminent civil rights employment law agency and serve as the standard bearer for excellence in outreach, enforcement, and professionalism.

OUR CORE VALUES

Excellence
in our service to the public through professionalism, diligence, and dedication

Empowerment
of our employees through development, recognition, respect, access, and inclusion

Ownership
of our performance through results, accountability, and quality work

Commitment
to our mission through integrity, leadership, and team work

A. Introduction

Organizational Excellence includes the final element of the Chair’s Five-Point Plan—EEOC as a Model Workplace. Our efforts seek to improve our organizational capacity and infrastructure to more effectively carry out our mission through sound management of our resources—human, financial and technological. Each of these resources are essential to achieve our enforcement and prevention goals. Balancing all three of our strategic objectives is necessary to accomplish our mission.

At the heart of our efforts to become a model workplace and achieve organizational excellence is our employees. In FY 2004, we began to implement strategies, programs and practices to strategically manage our employees and enable them to perform their jobs better—achieving the results to which we aspire and the public deserves.

In addition, this Strategic Objective reinforces our efforts to manage for results and focus on our customers, both internal and external. The PMA amplifies these tenets and provides the roadmap for the Objective. We are working diligently to meet the PMA requirements for greater organizational efficiency and effectiveness.

EEOC aims to be an organization that sets and implements the highest quality standards for equal opportunity, customer service, internal efficiencies, and fiscal responsibility. Through vision, leadership, and a culture of continuous improvement, we intend to achieve these goals and become a model for others.

This section articulates our plans towards achieving our goals by implementing the PMA and other agency initiatives.

B. Meeting the President’s Management Agenda

Our roadmap to achieving our principles and standards under Strategic Objective 3, Organizational Excellence, includes implementing the President’s Management Agenda (PMA). The PMA identifies five areas that require improvement throughout the federal government. The five-part agenda is an integrated set of management reforms designed to create a government that is more results-oriented, customer-focused and market-based. Since fiscal year 2003 the agency’s Inspector General has rated the agency in all areas. The ultimate goal for EEOC is to achieve a green rating on the scorecard in all categories. EEOC’s efforts to achieve green in each PMA area are discussed below.

Strategic Management of Human Capital

The thrust of the human capital initiative is not simply having a number of employees, but having the right number, in the right place, with the right skills, at the right time. Realizing the vision of a fair and inclusive workplace requires an agency workforce that can effectively handle the complexities of enforcement, litigation, mediation,