Return to Home PageThe U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) expects to vote at its meeting on July 8, 2005 on a plan entitled EEOC Field Repositioning Plan to reposition the Commission's field structure. This repositioning proposal seeks to enhance the agency's enforcement presence and improve customer service and public access.
We invite the public to submit comments on the plan before that vote. Please send your comments via e-mail to: repositioning.comments@eeoc.gov, or via fax to: 202-663-4114. Written comments should be sent to the Executive Secretariat, EEOC, 1801 L Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20507. Comments should be submitted by June 17, 2005.
The following questions and answers provide detailed information about the proposed plan.
What does the plan call for?
The EEOC currently has 51 offices open to the public throughout the country. The plan would increase the EEOC's offices to 53. Under the proposed plan, all of the EEOC's existing offices will remain open and two new offices would be created, in Mobile, Alabama and Las Vegas, Nevada, to respond to the growing population of workers in these areas. The goal is to have more staff serving the public directly.
The EEOC's offices are classified by size into four tiers: district, field, area, and local. Under the current alignment, almost half of the offices -- 23 of the 51 offices -- are at the top tier as district offices. They are headed by the highest level managers, district directors, who are Senior Executive Service (SES) employees. The district offices manage the other offices within their jurisdictional boundaries.
The plan calls for expanding the jurisdictional areas of the EEOC's district offices and reducing the number of offices headed by top management, thereby reducing the costs of senior level management and increasing efficiency of operations. Under the plan, there would be 15 district offices. They would oversee 9 field offices, 15 area offices, and 14 local offices. The primary change is the reclassification of 8 existing district offices to field offices and, in one instance, to an area office. This realignment will shift resources from top management jobs to front-line service delivery positions. The reclassified field offices will continue to provide the full range of services to the public.
Is the EEOC closing any offices?
No.
What changes will there be in offices reclassified from district offices to field offices?
There will be fewer managers and administrators over time and more front-line staff conducting investigations, mediations and litigation and providing outreach education services to the community. There will be a more streamlined and efficient structure with greater customer service and more public accessibility, and all services will remain available. With fewer layers of management, employees and members of the public alike would benefit from improved communications, consistency and uniformity in service.
How will the repositioning affect service to the public?
Will charging parties experience any differences in how they deal with EEOC or how they file charges?
No, charging parties will not experience any disruptions or changes in how and where they interact with EEOC. There will be no changes in the kinds of services they can access in any office. Charging parties may continue to file a charge in any convenient EEOC office.
Since the EEOC is not closing any office, all existing locations will continue to be open and available with no change in service. With the opening of new offices in Las Vegas and Mobile, people living, working, or operating businesses in those areas will have much easier access to EEOC offices.
Will there be any change in how federal employees file complaints of discrimination?
No - they will continue to file with their agency.
How will repositioning affect the EEOC's customers - people with complaints of employment discrimination? How, specifically, will they see improved service?
EEOC is expanding - not reducing its presence. All present offices will remain open. Additionally, two new offices will be created in areas in need of our services.
With repositioning of the field offices, more staff can be shifted to the front-line positions to conduct the labor-intensive, nuts-and-bolts work of processing discrimination charges. More staff will be available for daily interactions with the public. Offices with the largest workloads will have enhanced front-line resources to better serve the public, rather than extra layers of management.
Why does EEOC need to reposition its field offices?
The EEOC's organizational structure is outdated, top heavy, and inefficient.
When was the last time EEOC realigned its field structure?
The EEOC's last significant realignment of the field structure was in 1979, more than 25 years ago. At that time, the agency had about 1,400 more employees than it has today. Since then, the workplace has changed in dramatic ways. The EEOC must change to keep pace with the major demographic shifts in the nation's workforce and advances in technology and work processes that have taken place over the last 25 years.
What benefits will the plan deliver?
The field repositioning plan was developed to be customer centered and employee friendly. The plan will move the EEOC in a positive direction by:
How does the plan affect the EEOC's law enforcement activities?
The plan would strengthen the EEOC's capacity to enforce the laws against employment discrimination. Under the plan, the 15 regional attorneys in the 15 district offices would have expanded jurisdictional authority and responsibility, with more front-line resources. Resources would be redeployed from management and administrative jobs to the front-line positions of investigators, mediators, and attorneys, who have direct law enforcement responsibilities.
Does the plan reduce the number of front-line attorneys or investigators?
No.
How would enforcement be enhanced?
The plan would expand both the EEOC's presence in diverse, high-growth communities and its front-line professional staff throughout the country. This will make it easier for individuals to come to the EEOC and have their workplace concerns addressed promptly and proficiently, including through enforcement actions if the law has been violated. By effecting long-term cost reductions and efficiencies in operations, the plan will enable the EEOC to invest in programs central to its mission of preventing and eliminating employment discrimination.
What criteria did the EEOC use to determine which offices to reclassify?
Workload and geography were major considerations, as well as other factors. For example, Las Vegas - where the plan calls for a new office -- is the fastest growing metropolitan area in the country. The EEOC is conforming its structure to the work that has to be done by redeploying staff to the front lines in the areas of greatest need.
What were the criteria for decision-making?
The criteria, developed by an EEOC workgroup sponsored by Vice Chair Naomi Earp and then-Commissioner Paul Miller, included factors such as workload, economies of scale, changes in population, demographics, geographic proximities, and employment data.
Why does the plan propose to open offices in Las Vegas and Mobile?
The determination was made because of the volume of charge activity, demographic shifts, and customer service needs. Las Vegas is the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the country. As for Mobile, there are no state or local Fair Employment Practices Agencies in Alabama or Mississippi, and the workload is heavy. There are almost as many charges filed with the EEOC in Alabama and Mississippi as there are in California -- which has a large and effective state agency.
Does the EEOC really need to open two new offices?
Yes, both the Mobile, Alabama and Las Vegas, Nevada areas are underserved and the EEOC's presence is required.
What process is being used to approve this proposal?
The EEOC's Commissioners are responsible for approving policy matters, jurisdictional boundaries of offices, and significant changes to the EEOC's organizational structure. Commissioners are being asked to vote on geographical boundaries and reporting lines of offices. This includes the types, levels, and location of offices.
What opportunities for public input and comment has the EEOC provided?
The opportunities for public input have been extensive and ongoing. The development of a plan has been aired and discussed over a three year period. The EEOC has received numerous comments and the plan addresses all the concerns expressed by stakeholder groups and employees. The EEOC was asked not to close offices, not to lay off staff, and not to reduce services. The proposed plan does not do any of these things. The plan was crafted around the concerns raised and input provided by the public and EEOC employees.
The EEOC held a public Commission meeting in 2003 where representatives of employees, management, civil rights organizations, the Union and other stakeholders presented their views. The meeting included a review of the report and recommendations of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), a private, Congressionally-chartered organization. After the meeting, the EEOC posted on its web site a special e-mail address to receive additional public comment. The EEOC is now renewing its request for comment through this e-mail address, repositioning.comments@eeoc.gov. Your comments will be carefully considered and shared with all Commissioners.
What will happen next?
The next scheduled Commission meeting is July 8, 2005. At that time, the Commission will deliberate and vote on the proposed plan. The meeting will be open for the public to observe the proceedings. Additional information about the meeting will be posted on the EEOC's web site. If the plan is approved, it will be implemented over time and additional information and updates will be made available on this web site.
This page was last modified on May 31, 2005.