Fort Myer's Equal Employment Opportunity office runs programs designed to increase the representation of traditionally underrepresented groups such as women, African-Americans, Hispanics, persons with disabilities, Asian-Pacific Islanders and Native Americans.
Sixty two percent of employees are minorities, and 47 percent are women, which Chief Quincy Jeffers said results from the area's large and diverse population.
"We're very proud of fact that we have a really, really diverse workforce," said Jeffers.
On Fort Myer less than one percent of garrison's workforce has filed complaints this year. Fort Myer hasn't had a sexual harassment complaint in more than three years. Since Jeffers joined roughly two and a half years ago there hasn't even been a finding of discrimination.
Jeffers gives credit to the Army's EEO program, which he said has filtered down to installations. For example, all Army employees must complete sexual harassment prevention training.
Training is offered during non-conventional hours and in Spanish to accommodate workers The commander's policy statements come in 15 languages.
"Communication is the root of most our Equal Employment Office issues. The EEO ensures effective communications mediums are provided to our culturally diverse installation workforce to clarify the majority of these issues. The composition of our Fort Myer Military Community team is reflective of the rich cultural fabric of our country. It's a credit to Jeffers' staff that employees from such varied backgrounds work together seamlessly providing quality service to our valued customers," said Garrison Commander Col. Thomas A. Allmon.
Aside from serving garrison employees, the office serves Fort Myer's partners ranging from the National Defense University, Arlington National Cemetery, the Military District of Washington and the Army Space and Missile Defense Command Headquarters.
The office only handles civilian employees. The Equal Opportunity office handles complaints by military members.
Complaints are most common during hiring freezes or talk of workforce reduction.
Some stem from employees not being promoted or not receiving an award.
"Most complaints are caused by communication problems," said Jeffers.
A large part of their work is processing discrimination complaints. His staff tries to resolve complaints at lowest possible level because of the time-consuming and expensive nature of processing complaints. If a handicapped person alleges a reasonable accommodation for disability wasn't found, Jeffers' staff would apply for assistance devices from a free DoD program.
Jeffers cited estimated costs of $25,000 to $50,000 for each complaint that is processed. Investigation fees include hiring a court reporter, the labor of legal services, Jeffer's office and the personnel office. Additionally, the office would have to pay to transport a witness, who might be a Soldier serving abroad. If there is an appeal costs grow even more.
"I want to give credit to my staff. They work very hard and have a good relationship with our supervisors. We're able to resolve a lot of problems," said Jeffers.
Because his four-man team serves 2,000 employees, partnering is key. They frequently interact with the Civilian Personnel Advisory Center, Legal Services and the Garrison commander's office.
"If something is unfair, they should go to personnel, if something is discriminatory, then they come to our office," said Jeffers.
The fluctuating nature of complaints makes projecting a budget difficult. The problem is amplified by military-wide cuts resulting from the war on terror.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Top Official: Chief Quincy Jeffers
Location: Bldg. 203
Employees: 4 Serve: 2,000 employees
Profile of FMMC workforce
62% minorities
47% women
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