Plan Development Process

Priority 1.1 – Attract and hire the most qualified employees, who reflect the diversity of our country, in the right roles across the Federal Government

Value – Equity: We commit to advancing equity as a core part of Government management and decision-making processes. We will demonstrate that advancing equity is not a zero-sum game that benefits some communities at the expense of others. Equity benefits all of us, not just some.

• Executive Order 14035
  On June 25, 2021, President Biden released Executive Order 14035: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce. This executive order launched a whole-of-government initiative to cultivate a federal workforce that draws from the full diversity of the Nation and that advances equitable employment opportunities. More information about this executive order can be found in the EO 14035 Fact Sheet.
• Executive Order 13985
  Released on January 20, 2021, Executive Order 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government directs federal agencies to assess whether their programs and policies perpetuate systemic barriers to opportunities and benefits for people of color and underserved groups, and to make the necessary changes to deliver resources and benefits equitably to all. More information about this executive order can be found in the EO 13985 Fact Sheet.
• Executive Order 14031
  Executive Order 14031: Advancing Equity, Justice, and Opportunity for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders establishes a White House initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, as well as a Presidential Advisory Commission, both of which aim to advance equity, justice, and opportunity among these groups. More information about this executive order can be found on the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders page.
• Executive Order 13988
  Executive Order 13988: Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation reiterates that discrimination on the basis of sex includes discrimination on the bases of gender identity and sexual orientation. More information about this executive order can be found in the EO 13988 Fact Sheet.
• Executive Order 14049: Executive Order on the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities
• Executive Order 14045: Executive Order on White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics
• Executive Order 14050: Executive Order on White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans
• Executive Order 14041: Executive Order on White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Historically Black Colleges and Universities

President Biden has released two presidential memorandums concerning DEIA: Memorandum Condemning and Combating Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States and Memorandum on Advancing the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Persons Around the World.

The Government-wide Strategic Plan to Advance DEIA in the Federal Workforce offers a roadmap for implementing Executive Order 14035 and lays out key steps agencies can take to strengthen DEIA in their workforce policies, practices, and culture.

To advance DEIA, the plan recommends that agencies should adopt strategies that incorporate the following five foundational principles:

• Use data and evidence-based decision-making;
• Focus on continuous improvement;
• Adopt a collaborative whole-of-agency mandate with partnershipengagement;
• Prioritize accountability and sustainability; and
• Understand the perspectives of the workforce and the customers.

Objective 1.1: Achieve a Federal workforce that is drawn from the diversity of America, exhibited at all levels of Government, by supporting agencies in fostering diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible workplaces, increasing a Government-wide Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility index score by 6 percentage points

Strategies:

• Review policies and practices to eliminate potential barriers to equity,and develop plans to eliminate those within OPM’s authority, in each ofthe following workforce functions: recruitment; hiring; promotion;retention; professional evaluations and rewards; professionaldevelopment programs; the availability of mentoring programs orsponsorship initiatives, employee resource group and affinity groupprograms; temporary employee details and assignments
• Track demographic data and leverage expertise to look deeply atdiversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility across grade/pay levels andthe employee lifecycle to the extent permitted by law
• Improve outreach and recruitment from historically underservedcommunities by promoting partnerships, paid internships, fellowships,and apprenticeships
• Utilize diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility assessment tool toevaluate agency recruitment, hiring, promotion, retention, professionaldevelopment, pay equity, reasonable accommodations access, andtraining policies and practices for fairness and impartiality across all paylevels
• Assess potential barriers to access and advance employmentopportunities (to include SES) and equity for employees with disabilitiesand develop plans to eliminate those barriers
• Assess potential barriers to employment for LGBTQI+ employees,including non-binary gender marker options in Federal hiring,employment, personnel vetting, and benefits enrollment paperwork and develop plans to eliminate any barriers identified and advance equities across the employment lifecycle
• Review job classification pay-setting regulations and guidance and draftproposals to promote pay equity across all levels of Government

Objective 2.6: Promote a positive organizational culture where leadership drives an enterprise mindset, lives the OPM values, and supports employee engagement and professional growth, increasing OPM’s Leaders Lead Score by 3 points

Strategy: Strengthen DEIA within OPM, addressing all aspects of the employee lifecycle

Key Milestones: