This evaluation of the Federal hearings and appeals processes of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was conducted by The Center for Organizational Excellence, Inc. and CohnReznick LLP on behalf of the EEOC Office of Inspector General (OIG). The main objective of the assessment was to help the Office of Field Programs (OFP) and Office of Federal Operations (OFO) improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Federal hearings and appeals processes by performing a forward-looking evaluation of key activities and providing recommendations for improvements.
The evaluation team developed four key findings and eleven ideas for improvement in OFO and OFP processes. The four findings that should be addressed are:
1. The Office of Field Programs has an outdated Administrative Judge (AJ) Handbook4 with standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the hearings process that are not consistently followed by District and Field offices.
2. Organizational structures in some District and Field offices do not match the ideal structure defined by management.
3. Integrated Mission System (IMS)5 development and upgrades do not match EEOC’s reporting and tracking needs.
4. The appeals intake process consistently runs at a slower pace than needed within OFO’s Compliance and Control Division (CCD).