Fair and Equitable Treatment: A Progress Report

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Fair and Equitable Treatment A Progress Report
John Crum, Ph.D., Deputy Director Cynthia
Ferentinos, Ph.D., Senior Research
Psychologist Office of Policy and
Evaluation U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board
Blacks in Government 29th Annual National
Training Conference August 15, 2007
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Our Purpose Today

• Share initial findings of our research.
• Facilitate a discussion around the current state
  of the Federal workforce in terms of diversity
  and fair and equitable treatment.

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Past Research
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Current Research

• Methodology
• - Literature review
• - Workforce data
• - Survey data
• - Discussion groups
• - Interviews

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Context

• Overall, Blacks are employed in the Federal
  workforce at a higher rate than the Civilian
  Labor Force (CLF).
• However, Blacks are not proportionately
  represented at all pay levels.
• Black employees responding to the Merit
  Principles Survey since 1992 have noted a
  significant drop in racial discrimination, but
  still report more discrimination than some other
  groups.

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Representation of Minorities in the Federal
Government

Source OPMs 2006 FEORP Report
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Representation of Black Federal Employees
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Representation of Blacks by Occupational Category
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Possible Explanations for the High
Representation of Blacks in the Federal
Government

• Federal jobs are often located in urban settings
• Occupational distribution
• Federal Government viewed as a good employer
• Training/career opportunities
• Merit principles fair treatment

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Assessment Issues

• Entry level hiring
• Mid level hiring
• Senior level hiring
• Occupation-specific issues

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Pay Issues

• Distribution of Black employees by pay grade
• Comparison of salaries by occupation
• Impact of pay for performance

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Distribution of Employees by RNO and Pay Level
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Possible Reasons for Pay Differences

• Occupational distribution
• Education
• Discrimination

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Educational Attainment
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Retention Issues

• Turnover rate 2.6 (quits) very similar to the
  overall average of 2.3

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Perceptions of Blacks

• Results from MSPBs Merit Principles Survey from
  1989 through 2005.
• Mixed reactions from Black employees.

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MPS Respondents Report decreasing rates of
racial discrimination.
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In the past 2 years, have you been treated fairly
regarding advancement?
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In the past 2 years, have you been treated fairly
regarding awards?
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In the past 2 years, have you been treated fairly
regarding training?
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In the past 2 years, have you been treated fairly
regarding performance appraisals?
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In the past 2 years, have you been treated fairly
regarding job assignments?
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In the past 2 years, have you been treated fairly
regarding discipline?
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In the past 2 years, have you been treated fairly
regarding pay?
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Do Perceptions Match Reality?

• Next steps
• Further workforce and compensation analyses,
  including examining promotion rates.
• Follow up survey to compare perceptions over time
  on specific issues related to fair treatment.

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How Do We Get to Parity?

• Analyze results of hiring methods for impact on
  representation, with attention to grade level.
• Be prepared to take advantage of upcoming
  opportunities through retirements.
• Pay attention to pipeline and keep diversity in
  mind during succession planning.

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Future opportunities for change

• Government-wide solutions
• Agency-specific approaches
• Individual strategies

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What Can the Federal Government Do?

• Improved assessment methods
• Consider the impact of various hiring authorities
• Set appropriate expectations for representation

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What Can Agencies Do?

• Monitor representation of demographic groups and
  act appropriately.
• Hold managers accountable for their decisions.
• Use assessment methods that fairly evaluate
  qualifications and/or potential for advancement.
• Provide equal opportunity for career-enhancing
  experiences

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What Can You Do?

• Pursue education, training, developmental
  opportunities, etc.
• Gain valuable experience.
• Seek job opportunities/agencies that are aligned
  with your goals.

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Questions or comments?
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For more information