The announcement of the REDI Roadmap and creation of the Diversity and Inclusion in Government Council represent the latest in a series of initiatives seeking to steer federal personnel policies through directives and interagency coordination.
The Obama administration previously created the President’s Council on Veterans Employment following an executive order seeking to increase the employment and retention of veterans by federal agencies. It further formed the Hispanic Council on Federal Employment following an order to do the same with Hispanics, for many years the only substantially under-represented minority group in the federal workforce.
Another Obama executive order told agencies to improve efforts to employ workers with disabilities though increased recruitment, hiring and retention. No council was formed to carry that out although the council on veterans employment touches on some related issues by promoting the hiring of veterans with disability ratings due to their military service.
Prior to creation of the REDI Roadmap, OPM had created during the Bush administration the End to End Hiring Roadmap, and the Obama White House had issued an executive order promoting diversity and inclusiveness and one promoting employee engagement.
The Obama White House further created the National Council on Federal Labor-Management relations to carry out an executive order seeking to improve relations, widen the scope of bargaining and give unions pre-decisional involvement in some agency policies.
