EEOC Approves Strategic Plan For Fiscal Years 2012-2016

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
PRESS RELEASE
2-22-12

WASHINGTON – In a public meeting today at agency headquarters, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) approved its Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2012-2016. The Strategic Plan establishes a framework for achieving the EEOC’s mission to stop and remedy unlawful employment discrimination, so that the nation might soon realize the Commission’s vision of justice and equality in the workplace. Implementation of the new Strategic Plan will begin in March 2012.

“In approving the Strategic Plan, the EEOC today is taking a significant step toward realizing the Commission’s vision of ending employment discrimination and promoting equal opportunity in the American workplace,” said EEOC Chair Jacqueline A. Berrien. “I am very pleased with the hard work of staff across the agency who provided assistance throughout the planning process, and I look forward to the successful implementation of the plan.”

The Commission voted 4-1 to approve the FY 2012-2016 Strategic Plan. The Plan serves as a framework for the Commission in achieving its mission by focusing on three strategic objectives: strategic law enforcement, education and outreach, and efficiently serving the public. The three strategic objectives each have a number of performance measures detailing outcomes to be achieved during the four year period the Plan is in effect. The different outcomes are designed to measure the Commission’s progress in carrying out its mission in a time of static resources and a growing need for its services.

As an example of the plan’s proposed outcomes, the Strategic Law Enforcement objective includes the development of a new strategic enforcement plan to better leverage the Commission’s resources to “stop and remedy unlawful employment discrimination” and to build on its existing systemic program to remedy discrimination against large numbers of individuals or where the discrimination has a broad impact on an industry, profession, company, or geographic area.

In the area of Education and Outreach, the plan requires the Commission to develop “significant partnerships with organizations that represent vulnerable workers and/or underserved communities” as well as significant partnerships with organizations that represent small or new businesses (or with businesses directly), since those two groups were found to be in greatest need of assistance with understanding the laws the Commission enforces. In the objective of providing excellent and consistent service, the plan asks the Commission to “ensure the effectiveness of its systems by leveraging technology to streamline, standardize, and expedite the charge process across its field offices.”

The plan was created by work groups comprised of staff from the EEOC’s headquarters and field offices, with a broad range of internal and external expertise and understanding of the programs and activities conducted within the agency. Every four fiscal years, Congress requires Executive departments, government corporations, and independent agencies to develop and post a strategic plan on their public website. These plans direct the agency’s work and lay the foundation for the development of more detailed annual plans, budgets, and related program performance information in the future.

The Commission will hold open the Feb. 22, 2012 Commission meeting record for 15 days, and invites audience members, as well as other members of the public, to submit written comments on any issues or matters discussed at the meeting. Public comments may be mailed to Commission Meeting, EEOC Executive Officer, 131 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20507, or e-mailed to Commissionmeetingcomments@eeoc.gov. All comments received will be made available to members of the Commission and to Commission staff working on the matters discussed at the meetings. Comments will also be placed in the EEOC library for public review.

The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.

http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/2-22-12.cfm