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Management Accountability
Several agencies have incorporated a critical
element of accountability into the performance plans for managers and
supervisors. Some agencies have incorporated a reward and recognition
system, while others ensure that their leadership is aware of the agency's
concerns and commitment.
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Social Security Administration
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The Commissioner reviews the progress
of the agency's recruitment initiatives during monthly meetings
with direct reports. The progress report focuses on results,
is simple (one page), is timely, tracks all groups (not just Hispanics),
does not set numerical goals or quotas, is easy to generate, is
comprehensive, and provides comparative metrics. The report
has institutionalized top-level support for recruitment initiatives
by bringing these efforts to the attention of the agency head.
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Department of the Navy
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The Navy implemented several actions
to increase management accountability. The Secretary of
the Navy asked that every command and activity increase Hispanic
representation to 8% of the civilian workforce. The Department
has implemented a Diversity Scorecard, which compares Navy’s diversity
efforts to those of other Defense agencies. The Scorecard
displays individual command performance on hiring, separations,
and promotions for all underrepresented groups. Commands
use the scorecard to learn techniques and strategies from others
that have been successful in meeting diversity goals. The
Advisory Council on Hispanic Employment provides top level briefings
on accountability held annually for the Under Secretary of the
Navy and at Navy Commands.
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Department of Agriculture
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Established a civil rights critical
element for supervisors. The Office of Civil Rights prepares
a detailed performance standard for agency heads. At the
end of the rating period, the Assistant Secretary for Administration
prepares a rating on the civil rights element based on data compiled
by the Office of Civil Rights. USDA prepares and widely
disseminates among its officials a monthly report on Hispanic
hiring.
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Department of the Army
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Includes an EEO and Organizational
Management objective as part of its Total Army Performance Evaluation
System. One or both of these objectives must be exceeded
in order for the ratee to receive an exceptional performance evaluation
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Department of Commerce
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Incorporated a mandatory diversity
critical element into managers' and supervisors' performance plans.
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Department of Energy
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Established a critical element
in the performance plan of senior executives that stresses the
importance of building and maintaining a diverse workforce, including
eliminating Hispanic under-representation.
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Department of Labor
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Managers' performance plan contains
an element that requires managers to collaborate in achieving
the agency’s EEO goals through recruitment, training, promoting
diversity, and recognizing staff.
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Environmental Protection Agency
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Implemented a framework for
management accountability that holds senior EPA leadership accountable
through the SES awards and recognition process for the recruitment,
development, and maintenance of an agency workforce that is free
from discrimination.
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Farm Credit Administration
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Implemented a mandatory critical
element that holds managers and supervisors accountable to proactively
apply and promote the principles of EEO, affirmative employment,
and diversity in all human resources practices, administrative
actions, and management decisions.
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Merit Systems Protection Board
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All managers bear responsibility
for the recruitment, retention, and promotion of Hispanics.
The Performance Elements and Standards of each manager includes
a diversity element geared toward respecting, demonstrating, and
promoting fairness in the workplace.
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Office of Personnel Management
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Holds supervisors accountable
for the diversity of their workforce. Includes a diversity
element in its management performance standards in order to reach
workforce diversity strategic goals.
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Selective Service System
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Reminds managers and supervisors
of the agency's obligation to recruit from underrepresented groups.
Each merit promotion certificate includes a short notice advising
the selecting official of the agency's commitment to hiring underrepresented
groups, which includes Hispanics.
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Small Business Administration
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Keeps managers informed of areas
of under-representation in their workforce.
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Defense Logistics Agency
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Began assessing Hispanic employment
issues through a series of focus group interviews with Hispanic
employees from various geographical locations. In May 2001,
DLA established a corporate work group composed of senior-level
agency managers. The work group developed DLA’s Hispanic
hiring plan. The plan is called REAL, which stands for Recruitment,
Employment and Advancement for Latinos.
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Innovative Marketing and Recruitment Strategies
Many agencies have developed multiple
approaches. These include establishing partnership agreements with
organizations such as the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
(HACU) and its National Internship Program, developing innovative marketing
programs, developing outreach to Latino organizations, and conducting
targeted recruitment at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs).
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Department of Agriculture
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Established and trained a cadre
of 60 recruiters who recruit for vacancies throughout the Department.
Included in the cadre are USDA/Hispanic Serving Institution Liaisons.
The cadre helped increase Hispanic recruitment from 211 in FY
1999 to 484 in FY 2001.
Announces all vacancies for professional
and administrative positions for 30 days, and expanded the area
of consideration to all sources.
Translated its recruitment brochure
“Making a World of Difference” into Spanish. The brochure
can be viewed in both English and Spanish on USDA’s website.
More than 10,000 copies of this brochure have been distributed
nationwide.
The USDA Hispanic Serving Institution
Liaisons promote USDA agencies and services to HSIs at all levels.
The liaisons interact with faculty, students and the community
and provide an USDA presence on a daily basis.
Established a USDA/HIS Fellows
Program that offers faculty and staff the opportunity to work
and study with USDA staff for a period of 2-6 weeks. Eleven
faculty members participated in the program this summer.
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Department of the Army
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Signed a partnership agreement
with HACU, and participates in the HACU National Internship Program.
The Army has established a Minority College Relations Program,
which allows for potential involvement in the areas of research
and development, grants, program evaluation, education and training,
facilities and equipment, fellowships, internships, recruitment,
Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA), Reserve Officer Training
Corps (ROTC), student tuition assistance, scholarships, and contract
awards.
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Department of Commerce
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Established partnerships with
four national Hispanic organizations and nine HSIs. Developed
several marketing pieces such as the Realize Your Dreams brochure,
which is given to students at career fairs. Developed print and
electronic media advertisements to recruit potential Hispanic
employees.
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Central Intelligence Agency
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Interacts with Hispanic groups
at schools that are top producers of Hispanic and other minority
graduates. The campus-level program is designed to familiarize
students with Agency opportunities. The CIA is working to
develop closer relationships with Hispanic national organizations,
including the Society of Mexican American Engineers and Scientists,
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, HACU, and the National
Hispanic Business Association. To increase Hispanic enrollment
in its student program, the Agency selects students to participate
in summer programs through a partnership with HACU. The
CIA offers some of these students the opportunity to return during
subsequent summers in the CIA Internship Program. The students
receive limited tuition assistance.
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Defense Contract Audit Agency
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Partnered with OPM's Philadelphia
Service Center to design and implement a productive college campaign
on a large number of colleges and universities. Targeted
many HSIs, including those in Puerto Rico, for visits.
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Defense Education Activity
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Established student teaching
agreements with 151 colleges and universities, many of them HACU
institutions. Places educator recruitment advertising in
Hispanic publications such as Hispanic Times and La Prensa.
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Defense Threat Reduction Agency
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Established a Special Recruitment
Program Branch to enhance ability to attract and sustain a diverse,
high-quality workforce by forecasting future needs. Its
staff includes a specialist dedicated to the establishment, management,
and oversight of Hispanic recruitment issues.
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Department of Energy
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Established a Latino Science and
Engineering Consortium to brings together six major Hispanic science
related organizations and serves as a recruitment and communications
tool to more than 10,000 Hispanic science and engineering students
and professionals. Established partnerships with eight national
Hispanic organizations that resulted in recruiting Hispanic students
for the Department’s Student Diversity Partnership Program and
the Mickey Leland Fossil Energy Fellowship Program.
The DOE Hispanic Youth Symposium
brings together 300 Hispanic youth from across Idaho to participate
in a three-day leadership and development training program provided
by DOE employees and partners from industry. The program
has hosted more than 3000 students and has been instrumental in
reducing Idaho’s Hispanic high school dropout rate from 60% in
1990 to 33% today. Annually, more than 2000 students compete
for 300 admissions to the three-day symposium.
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Department of the Navy
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Encourages commands and activities
to work with Hispanic Serving Institutions to strengthen academic
undergraduate programs in the fields of science, engineering,
and mathematics.
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Environmental Protection Agency
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The National Hispanic Outreach
Strategy is an essential part of the agency's efforts to strengthen
its relationship with Hispanics. This strategy has four
pillars: (1) Employment and Professional Advancement; (2) Education
Pipeline; (3) Economic Opportunities; and (4) Community Partnership.
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Farm Credit Administration
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Hired nine students participating
in HACU’s Internship Program, and converted four of them to the
Student Career Experience Program.
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Department of Labor
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Established collaborative agreements
with the National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives (NAHFE)
and HACU to help raise awareness about Hispanic representation
in the Federal government among DOL managers and Hispanic employees.
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Nuclear Regulatory Commission
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Its Hispanic recruitment strategy
resulted in 15 on-the-spot offers to applicants at a University
of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez job fair last year. In addition,
another 19 applicants were invited to the headquarters office
for further interviews. Before attending the fair, selecting
officials reviewed resumes from qualified applicants in order
to pre-screen the candidates.
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Office of Personnel Management
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Awarded a five-year, $1.8 million
contract to HACU to provide recruitment and screening services
for referrals and interns for developmental assignments under
the HACU National Internship Program.
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Effective, Results-Oriented Hiring and Retention Strategies
At least one agency created a database for resumes collected
at career and job fairs. Other agencies conduct targeted recruitment activities
at HSIs, design marketing and advertising strategies, and hire from all
sources.
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Department of Commerce
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Created a database for resumes
collected at career and job fairs. Agency managers and human
resources staff have access to the database. Commerce also established
a system to assess the efficacy of its outreach and recruitment
activities.
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Defense Commissary Agency
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Conducts active recruitment at
HSIs.
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Central Intelligence Agency
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Reaches out to the Hispanic professional
community through print advertising in national publications and
key websites with significant Hispanic readership.
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Department of the Navy
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Attends job fairs and conferences
as “One Navy Corporation” interested in enhancing the academic
and Federal career successes of Hispanic Youths. The Navy
issues a Calendar of Hispanic Targeted Recruitment Job Fairs and
Special Emphasis Events which serves as a planning guide for recruitment
throughout the states and Puerto Rico.
Hosted a series of Career Planning
Seminars to enhance the employment and advancement of people with
diverse backgrounds. Employees are provided information
on career planning, mentoring and executive development.
The Navy's Advisory Council of
Hispanic Employment (ACHE), which is made up of senior Hispanics,
provides mentors for employees and information on career development.
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Farm Credit Agency
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Held a week orientation session
for all student interns. The interns met with top agency
leaders who briefed them on the operations of the organization.
Each intern was assigned a mentor to provide information and support
during the internship. This approach helped the agency successfully
convert 4 of 9 HACU interns to student appointments.
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Department of Labor
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Prepares an annual department-wide
targeted recruitment plan, which includes aggressive outreach
to the Hispanic community through participation with HSIs, career
fairs, conferences, workshop presentations, and visits to colleges,
universities and high schools with high concentrations of Hispanic
students
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Office of Personnel Management
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Opened its job vacancies to all
U.S. citizens by recruiting from all sources. This includes
positions in the Senior Executive Service and managerial positions
at GS 13, GS 14, and GS 15 levels
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Identifying Barriers to Improving Hispanic Representation
Few agencies described activities to identify
barriers. Those that did indicated that the hiring process itself
is a barrier. However, a few use forums to identify barriers.
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Department of Agriculture
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In order to identify barriers,
USDA hosted two leadership summits with the heads of 15 of the
largest Hispanic organizations. The participants presented
many promising ideas to increase hiring of Hispanics in the USDA
workforce. A third summit will be held this fiscal year
to continue USDA’s commitment to improving Hispanic representation
in USDA.
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Department of Commerce
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Commerce identified as barriers
the inability to make on-the-spot offers at career and job fairs;
reluctance to provide relocation expenses and retention bonuses;
lack of ability to convert students serving in internships at
DOC under grants with Hispanic organizations; and the high number
of job vacancies limited to status applicants.
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Department of Navy
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The Advisory Council on Hispanic
Employment helps identify barriers to Hispanic employment and
development.
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Department of Labor
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Labor identified a hiring process
that is too complex and takes too long to fill vacant positions;
some inflexibility in the hiring process; limited promotional
opportunities; and the low representation of Hispanics in developmental
programs.
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Effective Use of the Bilingual-Bicultural Program
Very few agencies report using the Bilingual-Bicultural
program.
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Social Security Administration
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Uses the Bilingual/Bicultural
hiring authority extensively to fill customer service positions.
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Department of Agriculture
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In order to encourage its agencies
to use the bilingual-bicultural supplementary examining method,
Agriculture entered into a one-time reimbursable agreement with
OPM to centrally fund the staffing services for entry-level professional
and administrative positions covered by the Luevano consent decree.
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While many agencies provided substantive
information and worthwhile ideas, most fell far short in their reporting.
Of special concern were those reports that indicated that they did not
have any activities in place for any of the areas OPM surveyed.
Furthermore, for each of the six issue areas on which we asked them to
report, the number of responses varied considerably.
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