The EEOC report offered tips to agency management to speed
up the processing of discrimination complaints, in the
context of an annual report showing that agencies continue
to miss their deadlines for investigating allegations of
age, gender, race and other forms of workplace bias.
To improve pre-complaint counseling times, EEOC suggests
that agencies: establish time frames for each major
counseling task or activity; monitor compliance with the
established time frames and take immediate appropriate
action for non-compliance; require supervisors and managers
to cooperate promptly with counselors; and dvise counselors
how to escalate non-cooperation from management.
To improve investigation times, agencies should: ensure EEO
offices are adequately staffed with individuals who have
the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities; eliminate
unnecessary and redundant procedures that prohibit timely
investigations; develop or improve investigative tracking
systems to monitor investigative time frames; and ensure
agencies’ EEO policy provides for full cooperation of
employees under his/her supervision with EEO office
officials such as EEO Counselors, EEO Investigators, etc.,
to gain timely compliance from complainants and agency
management officials.
To improve final agency decision times, agencies should:
issue dismissal decisions within 30 days following receipt
of a complaint; assign a complaint for final decision
drafting no later than the 36th day following a complainant’s
receipt of the hearing request notice (allowing 30 days
for the complainant to make an election and five days for
the agency to receive it); and specify a firm deadline for
completing a draft decision.
