WASHINGTON–A new report has found the FDIC has not yet established a sexual harassment prevention program, and it needs to improve its policies and practices to facilitate reporting of any harassment.
The FDIC’s Office of Inspector General found the agency lacked a sexual harassment prevention program that “fully aligned” with five core principals by the federal government’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The five principals include:
- Committed, engaged leadership
- Strong, comprehensive harassment policies
- Trusted, accessible complaint procedures
- Regular, interactive training
- Consistent, demonstrated accountability
The OIG report further found FDIC leadership, while demonstrating commitment to preventing sexual harassment, which the report states the FDIC did through use of emails and the agency’s strategic plan, still lacks an established strategy to prevent harassment.
The FDIC “had not established a strategy, such as the use of rewards or performance reviews, to acknowledge employees, supervisors, and managers, for creating and maintaining a culture in which harassment is not tolerated and for promptly reporting, investigating, and resolving harassment complaints,” the OIG report said.
The Recommendations
The recommended improvements include:
- Improved policies, procedures and training so employees and supervisors know how to identify and report sexual harassment
- Ensuring reporting does not result in fear of retaliation
- Ensuring supervisors know how to promptly and effectively address sexual harassment misconduct
- Ensuring discipline is proportionate to the level of misconduct