The Postal Service is committed to providing equal employment opportunity (EEO) for all employees. EEO is viewed as a critical component in the Postal Service efforts to recruit, develop and retain a diverse workforce. The Postal Service will not tolerate harassment of any type and holds managers responsible for preventing it.
The Postal Service provides high-quality and timely complaint processing in accordance with EEOC regulations. During FY2014, a total of 12,514 informal complaints were filed. There were 416 fewer informal complaints filed than the year prior. For the same time period, there were 4,077 formal complaints filed, which was 317 fewer formal complaints than the same period last year.
EEO Compliance and Appeals published Management Instruction EL-650-2014-2, Representation of Postal Service Employees in Administrative Proceedings. The management instruction is a consolidation and restatement of existing regulations and policies. It updated a memorandum of policy dated March 26, 1986. Organizational responsibilities were updated to reflect the current organization structure.
Federal Employee Anti-discrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002 (“No FEAR Act”) Training was developed and administered through the Learning Management System to all employees. This mandatory strategic training initiative informed employees of the rights and remedies available to them under anti-discrimination and whistleblower laws and Postal Service regulations.
Initial Management Inquiry Process (IMIP) Lunch and Learn Forums were conducted in July and August, continuing the Postal Service’s commitment to being proactive in complaint prevention. Career and non-career Headquarters, Headquarters-related and field employees were provided current and up-to-date information, in person and via WebEx, regarding the IMIP and how to identify, address and prevent harassment in the workplace.
Publication 553, Employee’s Guide to Understanding, Preventing, and Reporting Harassment, was revised in September to add the Office of Inspector General as a source for employees to report harassment claims, to update language concerning gender identification and gender stereotyping, to add Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) information and reiterated the Postal Service policy of providing a work environment free of all forms of harassment.
