scholarly journals Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in the Federal Workforce: Executive Order 13583 and Demographic Trends

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 392-417
Author(s):  
Erin Borry ◽  
Heather Getha-Taylor ◽  
Maja Holmes

President Obama’s 2011 Executive Order 13583 was expected to serve as a catalyst for a coordinated government-wide initiative to promote diversity and inclusion in the federal workforce. This order reinforced the government’s commitment to equal employment opportunity by “using the talents of all segments of society,” achieved by recruiting, hiring, promoting, and retaining a more diverse workforce. The order mandated the creation of a government-wide diversity and inclusion strategic plan as well as agency-specific plans. This study uses institutional theory as a lens to examine agency response to EO 13583 to articulate diversity and inclusion rationales, practices, and correlating workforce demographic trends. We examine how three federal agencies articulated diversity and inclusion practices and activities in the plans. We explore demographic workforce trends prior to, during, and after adoption of the agency diversity and inclusion plans. Together, these analyses offer evidence of varied approaches to diversity and inclusion as well as uneven progress in pursuing the letter and spirit of the order. Specifically, the articulation of agency-specific diversity goals following Executive Order 13583 does not consistently translate to enhanced workforce diversity.

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 536
Author(s):  
Suzanne Westgate

Organisations increasingly accept that a genuine commitment to workforce diversity and inclusion improves profitability, reputation and effectiveness. It is also widely accepted that natural CSG projects on the eastern seaboard face increasing challenges from community opposition groups and regulatory change. Embracing diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and developing CSG projects, both require authentic engagement. AGL Energy Limited’s (AGL) Inclusion and Diversity Policy recognises that a diverse workforce, with its broad range of experience and perspectives, has a better opportunity to understand and engage in AGL’s customer base and the communities in which it works. AGL’s policy also emphasises how a diverse workforce can facilitate more creative, innovative and effective solutions. This extended abstract considers how workplace diversity can positively contribute to the development of CSG projects, which must navigate organised community opposition as well as complex regulatory environments. CSG projects, which are typically located in regional areas, can also positively contribute to a more diverse workforce. Provided are examples of situations in which diversity of—and respect for—skills, experience, gender, age, and backgrounds have assisted in achieving successful access negotiations, and enabled authentic engagement with members of the communities in which AGL operates.


2005 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Stuart Ishimaru

Despite the long history of Asian Americans of fighting for fundamental rights, Asian Americans appear to be less active in complaining about employment discrimination. For example, in 2003, Asian Americans filed proportionally fewer employment discrimination charges with the EEOC than other minority employees. This article examines the factors that create an atmosphere in which Asian Americans do not file as many charges of employment discrimination with the EEOC as one would expect. Also, it explores possible ways to motivate Asian American communities and individuals to engage in and recognize the community’s investment in the equal employment opportunity process. Specifically, it proposes additional outreach and education to Asian Americans to be informed of their rights as well as areas for further research and additional


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Julia V. Furtado ◽  
António C. Moreira ◽  
Jorge Mota

Gender affirmative action (AA) in management remains a controversial topic among scholars, practitioners, and employees. While some individuals may support the use of AA policies as a means of increasing representation of women, others are not supportive at all, further understanding gender AA as an unacceptable violation of merit—even when targeted by it. With the aim of analyzing how scholars have approached the subject, we systematically reviewed 76 published articles (SCOPUS database), covering the extant literature on gender AA and management. Findings indicate a consensus regarding the common antecedents of attitudes towards gender AA with prior experiences with AA and diversity management (DM) (as well as general perceptions of AA). Performance and satisfaction appear as the predominant outcomes. In addition, while investigating the differences among AA, equal employment opportunity (EEO) and diversity management (DM), scholars are mainly focused on the effectiveness of AA as a means of increasing the inclusion of minorities in general. We conclude that despite marginal studies on employees’ attitudes toward gender AA, there is a gap in the literature, particularly an absence of research on the bivalent position of meritocracy (or merit violation) as both an antecedent and outcome of attitudes towards AA, which deserves further scrutiny.


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