What is the EEO office?

I doubt (and sincerely hope) that you’ll need to contact the EEO office while you’re still going through the hiring process, but the concept of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) is one of the most important things every prospective employee needs to know about the workplace culture in the Federal government.  Since a goal of this blog is to make you as prepared as you can possibly be before you land a government job, I’d like to take a few minutes today to talk about this very important office.

On a macro level, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against an employee (or an applicant!) because of the person’s race, color, religion, sex (this includes pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.  These federal laws also make it illegal to discriminate against a person because the person has complained about discrimination, filed a charge of discrimination, or participated in an employment discrimination investigation or lawsuit.

For active federal employees, nearly every department will have contact information for their EEO representative conspicuously posted somewhere in the workplace.  These offices can make great resources if you find yourself in the middle of a work situation that could involve discrimination or hostile conduct, including things like hiring, firing, promotions, training, or salary disputes.  It’s been my experience that whenever you put a large group of employees together, eventually there’s going to be some kind of conflicts.  If this should ever happen to you, make sure to use the resources you have available to resolve the situation as early as possible.

Most times, disagreements or concerns can be resolved by going directly to your manager or first-line supervisor, and I almost always recommend following this route.  It takes a lot of guts to speak up and address a concern, but being upfront goes a long way towards preventing any hurt feelings that may arise down the road.  If your issue is with a superior, then the EEO office or your union steward (if you have one) is probably the best source for an impartial opinion.  Professional conduct, especially when resolving disagreements, is one of the greatest assets you can apply towards building your career with the federal government.

With that in mind, it’s important for job seekers to understand that professional conduct is also expected even before you have the job!  It’s very easy to get frustrated with sending hundreds of applications out through USAJOBS, but most of the time, it’ll be that hiring manager’s first time looking at your resume.  If you want to build a successful career, make sure that you’re being remembered for the right reasons.  If you want to stop your career in its tracks before you’ve even had a chance to get started, go ahead and get yourself remembered for being unprofessional!  Take some time now to familiarize yourself with the EEOC standards so that hopefully, you’ll be able to avoid making a wrong move that could end your promising federal career!