Reports of Programs and Services 



71 



• Persons with Disabilities Affirmative Action Plan and Accom- 

 plishment Report: an informational document submitted to 

 the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regard- 

 ing SI recruitment and hiring of disabled employees. 



• "Federal Statistical Report of Discrimination Complaints": 

 a compilation report submitted to the Equal Employment 

 Opportunity Commission supplying information regard- 

 ing the numbers and nature of Institution-wide complaints 

 on a fiscal-year basis. 



• Equal Opportunity Report to Congress: an extensive analysis 

 of the SI work force and detailed synopses of museum ex- 

 hibits and programs requested by and submitted to the 

 House and Senate Committees on Appropriations. 



• Annual Accomplishment Report for Diversity Action Plans: a 

 comprehensive account of the accomplishments of muse- 

 ums, research institutes, and offices with 25 or more em- 

 ployees to enhance diversity within their units. Forwarded 

 to the Secretary and the Under Secretaries for considera- 

 tion in assessing the diversity/equal employment opportu- 

 nity performances of responsible officials. 



• "Procurement Preference Goaling Report": established 

 Si's percentage goals in utilizing small, minority, and 

 women-owned businesses, and was submitted to the Small 

 Business Administration. 



• "Contracting Achievemenr Report": submitted to the 

 Small Business Administration, this report chronicled Si's 

 successes in meeting small business goal as stated in the 

 "Procurement Preference Goaling Report." 



Equal Employment Opportunity 

 Complaints Administration 



The use of dispute resolution procedures, put into place sev- 

 eral years ago, continued to be highly effective in increasing 

 the number of disputes resolved during the informal stages. 

 Early intervention and mediation were Techniques that 

 proved to be instrumental in office successes. This past year 

 alone, 562 employees (approximarely 8.2 percent of the SI 

 work force) requesred EEO counseling to address disputes. 

 Of that number, 535 (95 percent) of the disputes were re- 

 solved during the informal stage of the EEO process. 

 Counting only projected costs for the investigation of one 

 issue per case, approximately $1,605,300 was saved in cost 

 avoidance this fiscal year. This is an extremely low figure 

 when benchmarked with industry standards. It does not in- 

 clude the pro-rated cost of management and staff time nor 

 rhe additional cost for the investigation of multiple issues 

 per case. Additionally, through its in-house investigation 

 initiative, OEEMA saved approximately $13,000 in cost 

 avoidance. These are measurable examples of aggressive risk 

 management in practice. 



Affirmative Employment and Special 

 Emphasis Programs 



As one of its principal functions, OEEMA represented to 

 management and employees at all levels EEO laws, policies, 

 and procedures. Advice and assistance were also provided 



through the development and publication of policies and 

 through cooperative working relationships with employee 

 groups such as the EEO officers, the Employee Relations 

 Working Group, the Latino Working Committee, the SI 

 Training Council, SI Advocacy groups, the EEO Advisory 

 Council, and various others. 



The office developed and published the Secretary's Policy 

 on Diversity/EEO, which established his position on EEO 

 and Diversity and set the tone for expectation in this area. 

 This Policy was, and will remain, prominently displayed on 

 PRISM, the SI Intra- Web, and bulletin boards throughout 

 the Smithsonian. 



The expiration of the Panama Canal Treaty left unclear 

 the EEO status and the procedures for acquiring, account- 

 ing, and reporting demographic information on employees 

 at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). 

 Responsible for ensuring that SI employees at STRI are in- 

 cluded in appropriate EEO reports, OEEMA initiated the 

 clarification of SI policy and documented the status of all 

 STRI employees regarding demographic accountability and 

 federal EEO coverage, and this included Panamanian as well 

 as U.S. citizens. This effort clarified that American citizens 

 working at STRI are also covered by Title VII of the Civil 

 Rights Act, as amended, and set into motion mandatory ef- 

 forts to provide EEO information to U.S. Smithsonian 

 employees abroad. 



OEEMA continued to provide leadership to units in the 

 development and implementation of their Diversity Action 

 Plans. Units with 25 or more employees developed and im- 

 plemented plans that resulted in the Accomplishment Report for 

 Diversity Action Plans, the management document used by 

 the Secretary and Under Secretaries for determining levels of 

 accountability and accomplishments in achieving diversity 

 and providing equal employment opportunity for all em- 

 ployees. 



Reasonable Accommodation 



Training was provided to unit EEO officers and supervi- 

 sors/managers on recent Supreme Court decisions regarding 

 the Americans with Disabilities Act. Consultation and assis- 

 tance were provided to management at HMAH, HMNH, 

 NASM, OPP, OPS, OEC, NMIA, NZP, Facilities Manage- 

 ment (South Group), and SIL. This initiative assisted 

 disabled employees and their management in realizing these 

 employees' full potential and helped to restore harmony in 

 the workplace. 



EEO Awareness and Training Initiatives 



Innovative training programs continued to be provided that 

 educated and promoted Institutional awareness and adher- 

 ence to EEO principles and practices for managers and 

 employees. Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) train- 

 ing continued as an ongoing efforr. Training was conducted 

 in the Washington metropolitan area as well as in Smithson- 

 ian units in New York and Massachusetts. More than 800 

 employees were educated on the prevention and elimination 



