CONSULTING
Our team of Consultants is comprised of individuals from across multiple divisions within EDI. Their focus is to streamline our service delivery and improve the customer experience. They are the “head, heart, and hands” of the organization –– liaising daily with a variety of agency stakeholders to improve strategic thinking, manage change, and enhance organizational culture and performance. They provide an array of services –– from customized toolkits that address manager and employee workplace needs, to workshops and programs that recognize leaders within our agency.
In a nutshell, their purpose is to simply “put you first.” They focus their energies and efforts on providing competent, efficient, and responsive services “the EDI way” –– 365 days a year.
PEOPLE
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) understands that equity, diversity, and inclusion are critical, scientific imperatives that allow NIH to achieve its goal of turning health into discovery. Accordingly, NIH is deeply committed to advancing diversity and inclusion, and ensuring that the experiences and contributions of all members of our community are valued while also protecting and honoring their civil rights.
Empowered by Executive Orders issued by the President of the United States, federal laws, and regulations from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), NIH commissioned the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion to design portfolios to place special emphasis on positive, equitable, and inclusive employment experiences for federally identified minorities. These portfolios are an integral part of the success of the Agency. EDI works diligently with Institutes and Centers, workgroups and committees, and employee resource and affinity groups to identify barriers that keep targeted groups from achieving their career goals at rates consistent with the general workforce.
Each portfolio is led by a principal strategist and a supportive committee. The Strategists provide educational and cultural/sensitivity awareness opportunities to our community as well as engage with various internal and external stakeholders on matters that encompass all aspects of equal opportunity and non-discrimination in department programs and employment. In partnership with committee members, they develop and implement strategies that improve the work and quality of life for employees who are Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander; African, Black American, and persons of the African diaspora; Hispanic and Latino; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex individuals; American Indians and Alaska Natives; People and Veterans with Disabilities; and Women at NIH.
TRAINING
Our curricula and approach are tailored to reflect the needs of our customers. Our Training Cadre delivers four customized core competency trainings in EEO compliance, reasonable accommodations, diversity, and harassment. Their expertise enhances workplace awareness and provides managers and employees greater familiarity of EEO Programs, practical understanding of employee responsibilities, strategies to reduce workplace discrimination, and applicable knowledge of the benefits of EEO.
RESOLUTIONS
Our Resolution and Equity team provides unbiased counsel to individuals who seek to resolve workplace conflict. Our experts educate the workforce on employee rights and responsibilities in the EEO process. They determine the claim and basis raised by a potential complaint; conduct inquiries during the initial interviews to identify jurisdictional questions; seek resolution of a dispute at the lowest possible level through informal counseling or through alternative dispute resolution in collaboration with the NIH Office of the Ombudsman; and ensure prompt and efficient processing of formal complaints.
DATA
Our Data Analytics team translates statistical data and analysis reports into useful information and insights that drive the Agency’s equity and diversity initiatives. Using quantitative tools to influence qualitative decision making, our Analysts develop, monitor, and disseminate EEO Affirmative Action and diversity metrics, analyses, and reports. Additionally, they deliver presentations and workshops to educate the NIH community on patterns in hires, separations, promotions, and awards arranged by variables such as race, ethnicity, sex, and disability status.
Our Analysts work in partnership with NIH Institutes and Centers to ensure that they receive relevant equity, diversity, and inclusion information that will influence better business decisions for the Agency.
POLICY
At the core of the EDI portfolio is our policy development. We work closely with our NIH stakeholder community on the development of agency policy regarding civil rights and diversity and inclusion. Through committees consisting of partners throughout NIH’s Institutes and Centers, we harness the ideas and perspectives needed to develop legally sound policy for the Agency.
Each year, the NIH Director issues a policy statement to the workforce, underscoring NIH’s commitment to a workplace free of discrimination and declaring a value proposition for diversity and inclusion. To uphold that commitment, our policies serve to articulate the rights and responsibilities of every manager, supervisor, and employee, and are consistent with current law. EDI experts conduct comprehensive research to stay informed about changes in statutes, regulations, Executive Orders, and new guidance from EEOC and OPM. We make every effort to ensure that NIH policies remain current and that our workforce understands any changes to our policies.