VII. CONCLUSION EEO Concept As was stated in the introduction, Equal Employment Opportunity is achieved when all employees can go as far as their ability and willingness to accept challenge will take them. The findings of the Task Force clearly demonstrate that this state does not yet exist in the Depart ment of Labor. A. Findings Statistical analysis has disclosed a substantial amount of underutilization of minorities and women. A small part of this underutilization is a result of the Department perpetuating past discrimination; for example, inadequate departmental training programs to offset the generally lower education of blacks. The major portion of underutilization, however, seems to have resulted from internal causes and cannot be attributed to explanatory factors such as length of service or education. Positive efforts in the area of upward mobility are needed to overcome the effects of discrimination, both past and present. Three Departmental upgrading programs, however, which have been aimed at nonprofessional employees in grades GS 1-7, have had only 45 participants in the last 5 years out of a target population of 3500. Only the program in Manpower comes close to following the Civil Service Guidelines for upward mobility, and nonprofessional employees have been frustrated for so long that they have become apathetic. The recruitment efforts of 7 A&O's examined have been either haphazard or non-existant. This situation exists despite the need to recruit minorities and women for executive and mid-level positions throughout the Depart ment. There is also a need to recruit non-black minori A&O's, ties at all grades and in all A&O's to recruit women for EEO in the Department has been poorly organized in the past. matters have been buried in the bureaucracy. There has Full been neither central authority to set standards, nor adequate coordination and communication between personnel involved in EEO activity throughout the Department. time EEO experts have very low status and there are too few of them to carry out even their minimal responsibiliThe two major aspects of EEO, affirmative action and complaints, have been separated organizationally even though complaints often arise as a result of a lack of ties. affirmative action. Despite these negative findings, the Department of Labor is in a better position to achieve Equal Employment Opportunity than most employers. However, the Department must take continued affirmative action over the next few on the status of minorities and women, and the analytical capability for continuing statistical evaluations of EEO in the Department. b. Minimum numerical goals with constraints must be established semi-annually by each A&O and are to be 2. reviewed by the EEO Director. C. There must be corrective action if these goals are not met. d. A series of self-analysis forms (Form A) should be used in the Department. e. A management system for effecting control and responsibility must be initiated. For Upward Mobility a. There should be 300 trainees in upward mobility programs over the two year period, FY '72-73. b. An application for upward mobility should be used to identify nonprofessional employees who are interested and who have the potential for career advancement, and to determine their occupational areas. c. A career development program should be established for each trainee. d. Job restructuring and occupational analysis should be done to provide the opportunity for advancement from lower level to higher level career ladders. e. An examination of professionals stagnated in lower grades must be conducted. |