EEO Basics for Supervisors and Managers
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Course Title
EEO BASICS FOR SUPERVISORS AND MANAGERS
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Course Level
Managers and supervisors of large, small, or medium size Federal Agencies
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Course Prerequisites
None
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Course Length
2 days or customized
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Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course, attendees will have the skills necessary to:
- Carry out personnel responsibilities (hiring, promoting, awards, performance appraisals) in a fair and impartial manner
- Distinguish between formal and informal EEO complaints and employee grievances
- Prepare for interviews with EEO Counselors, and EEO Investigators
- Effectively deal with disability issues and reasonable accommodation issues
- Effectively deal with sexual harassment complaints and hostile work environment issues
- Effectively deal with sexual orientation issues
- Carry out the supervisor
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Course Outline
Day 1
- Maintaining a Fair and Impartial Workplace Environment Communication with employees
- Dealing with charges of favoritism Making fair and impartial personnel decisions
- Dealing with the employee who was not hired, not promoted or did not get an award
- What to say and not to say in job interviews
- Dealing with affirmative employment matters in personnel actions
- Overview of responsibilities
- Discussion of the Basics of EEO laws Title VII (Criteria for discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy)
- Age Discrimination in Employment Act
- Rehabilitation Act Reprisal Issues (what is it and what are the defenses)
- Remedies in EEO cases (Reinstatement, compensatory damages, back pay)
- Non-EEO disputes (agency grievance process)
- Accountability of managers and supervisors
- Sexual orientation issues
- Theories for proving cases (i.e. disparate treatment and disparate impact)
- Interactive exercise Informal complaints
- Role of EEO Counselor Election to proceed with ADR in lieu of counseling
- Preparing for the EEO Counselor interview
- Questions to ask the EEO Counselor
- The Formal EEO complaint
- What are the differences between bases and allegations
- How are determinations made on whether to accept or dismiss a complaint
- Who makes those determinations How are frivolous complaints handled
- Duty of managers and supervisors to cooperate in the EEO process
- What critical documents must a supervisor or manager maintain
- EEO Investigation
- Purpose of the EEO investigation
- Who conducts investigation
- How are they conducted (various types of fact gathering techniques)
- How to prepare for the interview with the investigator
- How to answer the investigator’s questions
- Role of General Counsel’s Office in the investigative process
Day 2
- EEOC Hearings Discovery process
- Role of the Administrative Judge
- The purpose of the EEOC hearing
- Representation of Complainant and Agency
- Preparing for the EEOC hearing
- What happens at the hearing
- Sanctions against the agency
- Administrative Judge’s decision
- Appeals process
- EEOC’s Office of Federal Operations District Court process de novo proceeding
- Sexual Harassment Prevention
- What constitutes sexual harassment
- Hostile work environment
- Tangible employment benefits
- Special rules for managers, supervisors and co-workers
- Sexual harassment policy statement
- Employer’s defenses
- How to handle sexual harassment complaints
- Disabilities and Reasonable Accommodations
- What constitutes a disability
- Qualified disabled individual
- Requests for reasonable accommodations
- Undue hardship defense
- Requests for medical documentation
- Privacy interests
- Fitness for duty examinations
- Interview questions
- Age Discrimination
- What are the qualifications for coverage
- When may age be considered in employment decisions
- Special procedures
- Comments to avoid Settlements of EEO Complaints
- Role of supervisors and managers
- Settlement terms
- How are settlements funded
- Pitfalls of settlements
- Special settlement rules (do’s and don’ts)
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Delivery Method
On-site instructor-led classroom with questions and answers, plus exercises where appropriate.
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Equipment Required
- LCD projector and screen
- Power strip extension cord long enough to reach power outlet
- Flip chart and markers
- Blackboard or whiteboard (desirable)
- Wireless microphone (depending on class size and room arrangement)
- The GRA instructor will provide the laptop computer necessary for the presentation