EEOC compiles the data from the agencies for publication in the annual Federal Sector Report on EEO Complaints Processing and Appeals. Likewise, as indicators of the nature and extent of workplace conflict, these data could be important to EEOC as it carries out its broader mission, which, as stated in the agency’s Strategic Plan, “is to promote equal opportunity in employment by enforcing the federal civil rights employment laws through administrative and judicial actions, and education and technical assistance.”

	Scope and Methodology

In assessing why the data collected and reported by EEOC were not helpful in answering fundamental questions about the nature and extent of conflict in the federal workplace, we examined several sources. These officials provided observations about trends in the bases for and issues cited in complaints. Some Data That Would Answer Fundamental Questions Are Not Collected

EEOC does not collect relevant data in a way that would help answer some fundamental questions about the nature and extent of workplace conflict alleged in federal employees’ discrimination complaints. Among the kinds of questions that cannot be answered are:
How many individuals filed complaints? In how many complaints was each of the bases for discrimination alleged? What were the most frequently cited issues in employees’ discrimination complaints and in how many complaints was each of the issues cited? In addition, some of the data collected and reported by EEOC have lacked the necessary reliability because agencies did not report their data consistently, completely, or accurately, and because EEOC did not have procedures that ensured the data were reliable. Recommendations

To help ensure that relevant and reliable data are available to decisionmakers and program managers, we recommend that the Chairwoman, EEOC, take steps to enable EEOC to collect and publish data on complaint bases and issues in a manner that would allow fundamental questions about the number of complainants and the prevalence of bases and issues in the universe of complaints to be answered, and develop procedures to help ensure that agencies report data consistently, completely, and accurately.
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the nature and extent of workplace conflicts that underlie the rising number of discrimination cases, focusing on: (1) the statutory bases (e.g., race, sex, or disability discrimination) under which employees filed complaints; (2) the kinds of issues (e.g., nonselection for promotion, harassment) that were cited in these complaints; and (3) why the data collected and reported by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) were not helpful in answering the questions raised.

What GAO Found

GAO noted that: (1) relevant and reliable data about the bases for federal employee discrimination complaints and the specific issues giving rise to these complaints would help decisionmakers and program managers understand the nature and extent of conflict in the federal workplace; (2) these data could also be used to help plan corrective actions and measure the results of interventions; (3) however, EEOC does not collect and report data about bases and issues in a way that would help answer some fundamental questions about the nature and extent of workplace conflicts, such as: (a) how many individuals filed complaints; (b) in how many complaints each of the bases for discrimination was alleged; and (c) the most frequently cited issues in employees' discrimination complaints and in how many complaints was each of the issues cited; (4) moreover, the reliability of the data that EEOC collects from agencies and reports is questionable; (5) GAO found that agencies reported basis and issue data to EEOC in an inconsistent manner; (6) GAO also found that agencies did not report to EEOC some of the data it requested and reported some other data incorrectly; and (7) in addition, because EEOC did not have procedures that ensured the reliability of the data it collected from agencies, it published some unreliable data in its annual Federal Sector Report on Equal Employment Opportunity Complaints Processing and Appeals.