Illegal discrimination (racial, gender, age, etc.) is on the rise in the federal government. Many federal workers are treated less favorably than others because of their membership in a protected group, despite the federal government’s claim to be non-discriminatory. The federal government, with approximately two million civilian employees, is one of the largest employers in the country. The Federal Government’s Equal Employment Opportunity Policy advises that the United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status , disability and genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or any other non-merit factor. However, the number of federal employees filing discrimination complaints is increasing each year. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the backlog of discrimination cases has led to an average time of one year to complete investigations and close cases. Prosecuting discrimination complaints results in millions of taxpayer dollars being used to address repeated misconduct by federal leaders.
A nonprofit civil rights organization in Washington, DC reported that 16,480 people filed complaints alleging employment discrimination against the federal government in 2010. Approximately $210 million was awarded over a five-year period (2007 – 2011) to resolve discrimination complaints. . When the cost of processing those complaints (i.e., the salary of the government workers who process discrimination complaints) is added to the amount awarded to resolve the complaints, it becomes clear that the interventions of high-ranking public officials (for example , congress and other federal agencies) officials) are necessary. Instead of waiting for public servant leaders to decide to intervene and discipline those who facilitate discriminatory behavior, we must take action to help victims of discrimination and show those who refuse to control their racist/discriminatory impulses that their behavior will result in significant disciplinary action. -including termination. Although the Federal Employees Anti-Discrimination and Retaliation (Fearless) Notification Act provides that federal employees who engage in misconduct must be disciplined, many employees who experience years of discrimination or retaliation at the hands of their leaders never see their leaders disciplined by their Share.
Research on employee perceptions supports the notion that many federal leaders fail to facilitate a fair and nondiscriminatory work environment. Results from a 2009 study of employee perceptions of whether or not their leaders are fair showed that 42% of federal civilians surveyed indicated that their leaders do not use fair hiring and promotion procedures. Fifty-six percent of respondents disagreed that the best candidate for the jobs advertised at their workplace was hired regardless of gender, race, or age. One of the federal government’s DOD agencies conducted a study in 2010 to measure the feelings of civilian employees regarding discrimination in their workplace. The results showed that only 31% of respondents who experienced unlawful discrimination reported the act, 53% of respondents who reported a discriminatory incident experienced adverse consequences, only 55% felt that their leaders effectively confronted prejudice and discrimination, only 61% felt their leaders work well with employees from different backgrounds, and 66% felt unlawful discrimination is tolerated in their workplace.
Taxpayers should require that federal workers perform their duties in a way that ensures that funds appropriated by Congress (ie, taxpayer dollars) are spent responsibly. It must demand that irresponsible leaders be replaced and that hiring and promotion be based on properly developed job-related factors rather than nepotism and quid-pro-quos. Federal workers should unite against workplace discrimination and speak out against behavior that appears discriminatory. After all, workplace discrimination leads to official complaints that can result in multi-million dollar settlements leading to tax increases.
Organizations such as the EEOC and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) exist to investigate and rectify employee complaints. Although the vast majority of EEOC and MSPB complaints result in rulings favorable to the accused leaders, the outcome of each investigation (including some case information) is made publicly available. Each published complaint and resulting final decision serve as a puzzle piece that can be used to paint a picture of possible widespread discrimination. Once seen by an artistic leader, that image will lead to positive changes in government. Federal workers and taxpayers generally should support existing organizations (eg, Coalition For Change-C4C and Blacks In Government-BIG) that have a verbal mission that includes fighting discrimination and helping employees understand your rights. Taxpayers must also develop new organizations designed to uncover, eradicate, and combat discriminatory activities within the federal government.
You must ensure that your government complies with its policy on discrimination. Because federal government policy states that the organization does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability and genetic information, age, membership in a employee organization, or any other non-merit factor, should report violations of that policy to their organization’s leaders, initially, and to outside organizations such as the EEOC and MSPB if their leaders refuse to rectify the violation. You need to keep the 4-Ps in mind: puzzle pieces, paint pictures. His actions could alleviate the need to spend millions of taxpayer dollars to resolve complaints and could, in theory, lead to lower taxes. Together, we can help our country and its taxpayers. Will you join me?
