OWD addresses diversity, EEO (equal employment opportunity), and affirmative employment matters. Specifically, we are charged with taking steps to foster a diverse workforce; with promoting and ensuring equal opportunity for all FCC employees and candidates for employment; and with developing the Commission’s affirmative employment goals and objectives.
The FCC workforce is diverse and reflects many distinguishing characteristics, including age, race, disability, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and religion. By valuing and managing our diversity well, each of us can help to ensure that all Commission employees have opportunities to advance to the fullest extent of their skills and abilities. Through effective diversity management, we can maximize our organizational potential.
Our EEO program has two objectives: to provide a full and fair opportunity for all employees, regardless of non-merit factors such as race, religion, gender, color, age, disability, sexual orientation or national origin, to pursue a career in the Federal service and to advance based upon their performance and abilities. The second objective is to enable all employees to carry out their duties in the workplace free from unlawful discriminatory treatment, including sexual harassment and retaliation for engaging in legally protected activities.
We manage the Commission’s EEO compliance program, which includes providing counseling and mediation services to employees and applicants on EEO matters and processing formal complaints alleging employment discrimination. Every effort is made by OWD and the Commission’s staff of collateral-duty counselors to resolve EEO complaints informally. However, where counseling and/or mediation is unsuccessful, an employee or applicant may avail himself or herself of the formal complaint process. We also facilitate requests for disability-related accommodations.
Any employee or job applicant who believes that he/she has been discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation or for engaging in protected EEO activity must contact an EEO counselor within 45 calendar days of the alleged discriminatory or retaliatory act to initiate the EEO complaint process.
In carrying out our EEO and other dispute resolution functions, OWD does not represent any of the parties involved. Instead, we seek to educate the parties about the applicable laws and regulations, identify and review the pertinent facts impartially, and assist in developing solutions that are consistent with law and that promote efficiency and fairness for all -- employees and managers alike.
Our affirmative employment responsibilities include collecting and analyzing data on the Commission’s employment activities and accomplishments and preparing reports on these subjects as required by regulation.
Finally, we advise the Commission and Bureaus and Offices of their responsibilities under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended; the Equal Pay Act; and all other statutes, Executive Orders and regulations relating to workplace diversity, EEO, anti-discrimination and civil rights.
If you are a current or former FCC employee or applicant to the FCC, and we can assist you with respect to any of the areas described above, please do not hesitate to contact us at 202-418-1799.