Welcome to

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NEW EMPLOYEE ON-BOARDING

Our Mission“To foster a diverse workforce and

inclusive work environment that ensures equal opportunity through

national policy development, workforce analysis, outreach,

retention, and education to best serve our Nation’s Veterans.”

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Our Diversity Vision

VA is a leader in creating & sustaining a

high-performing workforce!

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Our Strategic Goals• A diverse, results-oriented, high-performing

workforce

• A flexible and inclusive work environment

• Outstanding customer service and stakeholder relations

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Our Policy

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The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is committed to ensuring equal employment opportunity (EEO), promoting diversity and inclusion, and

resolving workplace conflict constructively to maintain a high performing workforce in service to our Nation’s Veterans. To that end, the Department will

vigorously enforce all applicable Federal EEO laws, regulations, Executive Orders, and Management Directives to ensure equal opportunity in the

workplace for all VA employees.

Our PolicyEEO and Prohibited Discrimination

1. VA will not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, gender identity, parental status, sexual orientation, age, disability, genetic information or retaliation for opposing discriminatory practices or participating in the discrimination complaint process.

2. Office of Resolution Management (888.737.3361) is your point of contact for handling allegations of discrimination.

3. Employees have 45 calendar days of the date of the alleged incident to contact an EEO Counselor.

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Our PolicyWorkplace Harassment

Harassment is a form of discrimination and will not be tolerated.

Harassment by or against VA employees, applicants, contract employees, clients, customers, and anyone

doing business with VA is prohibited.

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Our PolicyNo FEAR/Whistleblower Protection

VA employees are protected from unlawful discrimination and reprisal for participation in protected EEO and whistle-blower

activity.

Retaliation against individuals for reporting violations of laws, opposition to discrimination, or participation in the

discrimination-complaint process is unlawful and will not be tolerated. This includes complainants, witnesses, and others

who provide information concerning such claims.

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Our PolicyAlternative dispute resolution

• VA offers Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to assist parties in constructively resolving workplace disputes and EEO complaints as well as training to develop better skills in managing conflict.

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Our PolicyALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION

http://www.va.gov/adr/workplaceADR.asp

See VACO ADR Policy at:http://www.va.gov/adr/docs/VACO ADR Policy.PDF

For more information on ADR:– VACO ADR program manager at 202.461.0239– VACO ADR liaisons:

http://www.va.gov/adr/docs/VACOADRLiaisons.pdf– AFGE Local 17– Workplace ADR website:

www.va.gov/adr/WorkplaceADR.asp

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Our Policy

Resolution Support Center• VA offers another forum where employees* can call to discuss

different issues that may arise during the course of their employment including:

- EEO complaint processes and procedures - Reasonable Accommodation - Harassment (EEO and Non-EEO) - VA policies and procedures - Federal and VA regulations

• Call 1-888-56-NEW VA (1-888-566-3982) *Supervisors/Managers, non bargaining unit employees and bargaining unit employees(with the exception of NAGE and NFFE) can utilize the services of RSC at this time.

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Our PolicyAccommodation

VA is committed to providing 1) reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and 2) religious accommodation to employees in accordance with the law, unless doing so imposes an undue hardship on the Department.

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Our PolicyMandatory EEO, Diversity, and Conflict Management

Training• Employees are required to complete No FEAR Act/ Workplace

Harassment Prevention training within 90 days of initial hire and biennially thereafter.

• https://www.tms.va.gov/plateau/user/learning/dispatchFlexLearningPlanActions.do

• Managers and Supervisors are required to complete Mandatory EEO, Diversity, and Conflict Management Training biennially.

• https://www.tms.va.gov/plateau/user/catalog/createSearchResults.do

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Our PolicyToward Diversity & Inclusion

We define “Diversity” in its broadest context to include all the characteristics that makes each of us unique.

We define “Inclusion” as configuring opportunity, interaction, communication, information, and decision- making to leverage the potential of employee diversity.

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The Loden Diversity Wheel

15Reprinted with permission from Loden Associates.

Secondary Dimensions of

Diversity

  

Primary Dimensions of

Diversity

Toward Diversity & Inclusion

Why Diversity & Inclusion?• Adaptability… Agility…• Range of Available Strengths…• Creativity… More Ideas…• Improved Communications…• Innovation…• Tolerance…• Enhanced Reputation…• A Better Image…

Increased Productivity & Performance!

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Why Diversity & Inclusion?Center for Creative Leadership

• Diverse teams are more creative and perform better in problem solving than homogeneous teams.

• Diversity in workforce and processes results in better decision-making.

• The effects of diversity are highly dependent on the presence of facilitating or inhibiting conditions in the organization; absent facilitating conditions, the aforementioned outcomes are reversed.

Marian N. Ruderman et al. (eds.). Selected Research on Work Team Diversity. 1994.

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Why Diversity & Inclusion?

“Organizations that are successful in leveraging the diversity of their

people are better able to adapt to changes in the external

environment.”

Business Case for Inclusion and Engagement. By Marcus Robinson, Charles Pfeiffer, and Joan Buccigrossi (2003), wetWare, Inc.

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Contact Us

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Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Diversity & Inclusion (06)

810 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20420

E-mail: odi@va.govPhone: (202) 461-4131

Fax: (202) 501-2145

Web siteWeb sitewww.diversity.va.govwww.diversity.va.gov

Department of Veterans Affairs

Service To Our Nation’s Veterans

BEGINS WITH YOU!20