Equal Employment Opportunity - Responsibilities Within the EEO Process

A. The Chief of NRCS serves as the Equal Opportunity Officer (EOO) and delegates the overall responsibility for administering the Agency’s equal opportunity program to the Director of the Civil Rights Staff (CRS). The Director exercises personal leadership by ensuring that:

1. Sufficient resources are available to effectively administer the Agency-wide equal employment opportunity program;

2. Management officials take affirmative actions that promote equal employment opportunity in every aspect of personnel policy and practices;
3. Principal and operating officials responsible for carrying out the equal employment opportunity program meet established qualification requirements; and
4. Corrective and disciplinary action is taken in instances where discrimination is substantiated.

B. The Associate Chief, Deputy Chiefs, Regional Conservationists, State Conservationists, and Directors of the Caribbean and Pacific Basin areas, in coordination with the Director, CRS will serve as Deputy Equal Opportunity Officers (DEOO) for their jurisdictional areas. The DEOO will be the principal EEO official responsible for ensuring that:

1. Employees are provided an equal opportunity to develop their skills so they may perform at their highest potential and advance in accordance with their knowledge, skills, and abilities;
2. Employees and applicants who believe they have been subjected to discrimination receive counseling;
3. Complaints of discrimination are processed in a timely and impartial manner;
4.  Barriers to employment and advancement are identified and affirmative action goals and objectives are established in their respective organizational units;
5. Educational institutions, special interest groups, and other potential sources of job candidates are made aware of the NRCS equal employment opportunity policy, employment needs, and job qualifications;
6. Performance of managers and supervisors is monitored, evaluated, improved, and rewarded, where appropriate, to guarantee vigorous enforcement of the equal employment opportunity policy and to recognize superior accomplishment; and
7. Orientation, advice, and training are provided to managers, supervisors, and EEO collateral duty personnel so that they will understand and be better able to implement the equal opportunity policy and initiatives.
   

1. Eliminating barriers to employment and advancement and implementing affirmative action goals and objectives;
2. Monitoring employment-related activities to make sure that nondiscriminatory policies and pr actices are being followed;
3. Reviewing the qualifications of all employees to ensure that they are provided full opportunities for training, promotion, transfers, details, and other assignments;
4. Conducting and supporting career counseling for all employees; and
5. Encouraging all employees to participate in all NRCS-sponsored educational, training, recreational, or social activities.

< Back to Equal Employment Opportunity