By Faye Higbee
Biden issued an Executive Order that mandates Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access (DEIA) training for all federal employees. It all sounds “good” on paper, but in practice it may be something entirely different. Will it backfire?
DEIA
Establishes a government-wide initiative to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in all parts of the Federal workforce. This initiative will be led by the Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget, in close partnership with the White House and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The initiative will reinvigorate the whole-of-government approach to DEIA first established in the Obama-Biden Administration. The initiative will advance opportunity for communities that have historically faced employment discrimination and professional barriers, including: people of color; women; first-generation professionals and immigrants; individuals with disabilities; LGBTQ+ individuals; Americans who live in rural areas; older Americans who face age discrimination when seeking employment; parents and caregivers who face employment barriers; people of faith who require religious accommodations at work; individuals who were formerly incarcerated; and veterans and military spouses.
White House Fact Sheet for the DEIA mandate
At a time when numerous communities are pushing back against Critical Race Theory, this order mandates some of the tenets included in it, according to The Gateway Pundit. It mandates agencies create or advance “Diversity officers” — in short, it demands hiring practices that may not help the actual issue of discrimination. In fact, it may one day produce a severe backlash — if this new mandate fails to deliver qualified employees, or creates more division and rancor.
Some of the DEIA mandates include:
- Charges all agencies with assessing the current state of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility within their workforces, and developing strategic plans to eliminate any barriers to success faced by underserved employees.
- Directs agencies to seek opportunities to establish or elevate Chief Diversity Officers within their organizations.
- Expands diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility training throughout the Federal workforce.
- Addresses workplace harassment, including sexual harassment.
- Reduces the Federal government’s reliance on unpaid internships, which can create barriers for low-income students and first-generation professionals.
- Advances pay equity to ensure that all public servants are fairly compensated for their work and their talents.
- Advances equity in the workplace for individuals with disabilities.
- Advances equity in the workplace for LGBTQ+ public servants.
On day one of his administration, Biden deleted President Trump’s order stopping the CRT training for Federal employees. This new DEIA version isn’t much different. Working toward understanding of everyone is one thing – mandating compliance is another.
