From a Request for Information recently posted by Social Security:
... The Social Security Administration (SSA) is seeking a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software and modules in support of the agency’s existing Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) enterprise case management solution. ...
Social Security Administration with its 65,000 employees currently processes approximately 1,000 EEO counseling, 500 formal complaints of discrimination, 550 hearings and 300 appeals per year. A Case Management Information System is required for collection of information on nationwide performance of SSA in counseling, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), investigation, hearings, final agency decisions, appeals and compliance. ...
15 comments:
Worked for SS for 42 years. Path to promotion was file EEOC complaint, whether you prevailed or not. Next time through the system you had an edge.
The Federal Sector EEO Program is so awful, it is no longer relevant to Federal employees.
SSA’s EEO portion is even worse, known for tricking employees who start a case using varying filing dates, and especially closing out cases prematurely without notifying the employee until it is too late to do anything; and most of all, they are corrupt, i.e., they improperly communicate and provide information to SSA OGC counsel, as well as nosey inquiring employees, even outsiders, and they are well known to provide case documents, especially medical records that may be in the case.
SSA EEO telework employees have even conspired to allow an entire EEO case to be stolen, and/or various documents from a case file. SSA OGC counsel is also notorious for sharing documents in case files that reach the Hearing level via email to other SSA inquiring employees.
None of these SSA employees are ever disciplined, let alone, removed for their misconduct. SSA Managers illegally get documents they are not otherwise see from case files that involve them. OGC Counsel also routinely assist, if not down right write, answers for Managers in Interrogatories, Affidavits, etc. There many SSA EEOC cases that take several years before they are finally over. I read one that took 14 years before a Hearing was held and a decision rendered!
Do the stats reflect pervasive discrimination? My experience as a manager
is that employees will use EEO process instead of grievance procedures. Since 2011 when Obama signed the EO on diversity and inclusion I felt that EEO grievances increased in part because employees felt every performance discussion was discrimination based. Extremely frustrating. Much of the training on diversity was questionable but much was worthwhile. I wonder with ban will there even be more of an increase in filings.
@1:38
In recent years, the stats reflect repeated Prohibited Personnel Practices by Managers. Since they are never held accountable, this has become quite frequent.
Sorry , just don't buy all this EEO stuff. Just another example of what a litigious society we have begun. Too often incompetent employees hide behind the shield of discrimination. The response of 11:12 seems to reflect that " the squeaky wheel gets the oil" . Reverse discrimination in my opinion.
For anyone who doubts what personnel practices are carried out by the agency, read about Madison. While the entire management team was removed or relocated, some in R5 were nicely rewarded.
There are other offices whose deeds are less well known to the public but employees who launched EEO complaints saw managers step down or suddenly retire. That said, the practices of their successors will be closely watched.
4:45
Your assumption about EEO being a shield for “incompetent” employees to hide behind is largely stereotypical and wrong. In fact, it is often the most competent employees who are targeted by unscrupulous Managers who only became Managers due to favoritism, i.e., not due to their competence, performance, experience, or qualifications.
I spent my entire career with SSA. Unfortunately, Managers who were promoted through the ranks due to favoritism and not the best qualified candidates turn out to be the worst Managers. These Managers often target other employees whose qualifications, experience, and performance is far superior to theirs and they feel threatened. In many cases, it is the most competent employees who are eventually forced out due to the hostile work environment these Managers create for them due to their own insecurities.
As an Agency, this is a huge problem for SSA. It has grown exponentially because the Managers promoted due to favoritism develop favorites themselves, and eventually promote their favorites over other, better qualified employees. Thus, it becomes a vicious circle, and is encouraged from the very top down because many of those at the top got where they are in the very same manner.
I witnessed job vacancies specifically tailored in such a manner as to allow these Managers to only hire their favorites. I have also frequently witnessed other Managers outright lie and choose to be wholeheartedly dishonest in their efforts to support these unscrupulous Managers because they very well know that’s what their bosses want them to do. In fact, I would go so far as to say this is the most engrained employee relations problem SSA has because they choose not to see it, and reinforce from the top down this system of favorites.
The end result of all of this is you have an Agency who allows their best employees to be pushed out because they are not favorites. Frequently, those pushed out have some sort of Protected Status, such as race, age, disability, sex, etc. Management at SSA has long been adverse to keeping employees who develop some sort of disability while working for the Agency.
Even though these employees are very competent and some of the highest performing employees, SSA will go to great lengths to refuse Reasonable Accommodation requests that would enable them to continue their superior work.
It is engrained in SSA’s culture that the Agency clearly prefers to get rid of these individuals, throw away their years of knowledge and competence, and promote/hire another candidate to replace them, even though it will take years and expense to replace the degree of knowledge and competence of those they allow to be pushed out, and this is often due to age, disability , and other protected statuses.
The Jantz Class Action Disability discrimination case, which SSA fought against for more than a decade is a prime example of the degree and extent to which this is engrained and permeates through SSA’s culture. When you allow Managers from the top down to continuously engage in such unscrupulous practices, and then reward their conduct, rather than promote based on merit, competence, years of Agency specific experience, and superior qualifications, you end up with an Agency where employee morale is extremely low, and is not run in the best, most efficient manner possible. In the 4 years since the Jantz case was settled, little improvement has been seen, unfortunately, for those employees who develop a disability during their career.
There are definitely some legitimate EEO complaints every year. Those who claim this process is merely a mechanism to be abused in order to gain an "edge" for promotions are simply wrong. Additionally, the problem is likely to get worse now that diversity training has essentially been banned. Apparently being taught how to stop saying racist things is just too traumatizing for the many fragile snowflakes out there.
That said, I wouldn't put too much stock in the number of complaints filed. A lot of folks misunderstand what the process is for. For example, I'd wager 99% of the workforce mistakenly believes any sort of unkind behavior can amount to a "hostile work environment," regardless of whether it is motivated by discriminatory intent based on membership in a protected class. That alone tends to account for a huge portion of the claims in a given year, at SSA and everywhere else.
I think R10 the worst especially
Thethe I5 corridor. Months of rioting in Seattle and Portland show the same mentality of failed leadership.
@7:23 There are few promotions based on merit, competence, etc. That's why the agency is in the condition it is.
At least the critical race theory training s are being stopped for now. But your correct EEO complaints will soar. The agency will continue to replace competent management because the it wants positive employee surveys.
7:23 here.
LMAO
7:23 here.
LMAO
Amen. I had to change my recommendations from 'not recommend' to 'recommend' for some employees for promotions. Came from RC. They turned out as what you expected.
In my experience as a harassment investigator, @12:50 is correct.
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