# Presentation: 415701

## AETD Diversity Focus Group Report

- Diversity Council Meeting
- June 12, 2001

## AETD Report to the Diversity Council

- May 8, 2001

**Recent Accomplishments**
**  ****Secretaries All-Hands Meeting in March**
**  ****Development of Metrics**
**Gains**
**Losses**
**Growth & Recognition**
**Promotions**
**Awards**
**  ****Supporting Career Development Team **

## AETD Report to the Diversity Council

**  ****Awards Team**
**Comprised of Directorate & Engineering Center Staff**
**Revitalize Participation in Goddard Quarterly Awards**
** ****and NASA and Goddard Honor Awards**
**Goal to Increase Nominations in all Areas**
**  ****Technicians**
**Reviewing all Grades**
**Promoting Where Appropriate to FPL-12**
**Developing Individual IDP’s**
**Developing Criteria and a Process for Above FPL **
**Promotions **

**AETD Report to the Diversity Council**
**May 8, 2001**

## AETD Report to the Diversity Council

**May 8, 2001**

**Continuing Efforts**
**  ****Active Mentoring Program**
**  ****Diversity Focus Group**

## Our Mission

**The AETD Diversity Focus Group is committed to working with **
**AETD Management in cultivating and maintaining a work environment **
**that ensures all of its employees feel valued, respected, included, fairly and equally treated, and able to fully contribute to AETD’s Mission.**

## Our Vision

- We’ve successfully established a work environment where employees are:
**Valued: **We value one another’s ideas, regardless of who they come from
**Respected: **We respect on another’s opinions and values as professionals, even if we don’t agree with them
**Included: **Barriers have been eliminated and there is diversity at all levels of the organization
**Fairly and Equally Treated: **There is flexibility and accommodation to diversity, and policies and practices reflect an appreciation for diversity
**Able to Fully Contribute: **There is high morale - we’re self-motivated and take responsibility because we know we’re accepted and appreciated for who we are

**Notes:**
This is what the future would look like to us.

## 2001 Goals

**Goal 1:  Establish AETD Diversity Website**
**Goal 2:  Post AETD Diversity Suggestion Boxes**
**Goal 3:  Create AETD Diversity Recruiting Display**
**Goal 4:  Develop AETD Diversity Feedback Mechanism**
**Goal 5:  Conduct AETD Diversity Survey**

## Goal 1

**Goal 1 – Establish AETD Diversity Website: **Develop a functioning website to provide diversity information, highlights, issues and events to the AETD workforce.
** **
**Task Team Members:**
- Kanitra Tyler – Lead and Curator
- John Catena
- Joanne Uber
- Larry Hull
- Namrita Owens
- (Howard Kea)

## Goal 1 Current Status

- The QSS contractor currently redesigning the AETD web site has been given the new mission, vision, and goals of the DFG.
- The contractor has been requested to incorporate this data into the redesigned site and include the existing policies and procedures
- The Website will also host a virtual Suggestion Box, Diversity Tips for the Week, a Newsletter plus links to other pertinent sites.
- The contractor will have a demo site available the week of May 7th for preview

## Goal 2

**Goal 2 – Post AETD Diversity suggestion boxes: **Establish accessible “suggestion boxes” (physical and electronic), to allow anonymous comments, requests, etc. regarding diversity.
** **
**Task Team Members:**
- Joanne Uber – Lead
- Guinevere Boyd
- Mark Branch
- Scott Starin
- Jack Rosenberg
- (Howard Kea)

## Goal 2 Current Status

**Developed an AETD Diversity  - Anonymous Comment Form**
**This form is to provide a convenient way for anyone to submit suggestion, compliments, criticisms or problems to the AETD Diversity Focus Group (DFG)**
**Methods for Submission of Comment Forms Under Consideration **
**Set-Up e-Mail Account for AETD DFG**
**Set-Up a link from the AETD Website **
**Set-Up Mail slot in AETD Center Office**
**Set-Up actual Suggestion Boxes in Key AETD Buildings**

## Goal 3

**Goal 3 – Create recruiting display: **Develop a diversity-focused display to accompany AETD recruiters.
**Task Team Members:**
- Howard Kea – Lead
- William Yuknis
- Paula Reitan
- Namrita Owens
- Scott Starin
- Mark Branch
- Michael White

## Goal 3 Current Status

**The first draft of the poster was presented in April**
**Currently reviewing 2****nd**** draft**
**We have 4 individual photos and still need two more to profile on the poster**
**The poster will be used for the recruiting booths and each Engineering Center Office in AETD will be presented with one.**

## Goal 4

**Goal 4 – Develop AETD diversity feedback mechanism: **Develop a feedback mechanism for employees to give feedback to supervisors regarding diversity management and issues.
**Task Team Members:**
- Guinevere Boyd – Lead
- William Yuknis
- Mark Branch
- John Catena
- Brenda Bentley
- Namrita Owens
- Bill R.
- (Howard K.)

## Goal 4 Current Status

**Reviewed OHR feedback tool and provided comments**
**Developing a Diversity Advocacy Group to help steer employees to the right resources.**

**Notes:**
FEEDBACK MECHANISM GROUP
The Team met to brainstorm how the feedback mechanism should work, and came up with 2 main ideas.  The first idea would be a GLES-type survey that employees would fill out yearly, to evaluate their supervisors’ incorporation of diversity in the workplace.  The second idea was to have an e-mail type of tool that would be used to open a dialogue with a supervisor or co-worker about any diversity issue.
We did some research and found that EEO is incorporating a survey or questionnaire that will be used to evaluate supervisors.  The team reviewed the survey, and made suggestions for questions that could be added or changed to incorporate the topic of diversity.  We decided that this tool could replace the need for a GLES-type survey, as long as diversity is incorporated into the survey.  EEO is adding a Diversity category to their survey.
We are working on creating a Diversity Advocacy Group to arbitrate when needed to settle disagreements related to diversity.  EEO has people who are trained in arbitration, and they are looking to broaden the types of issues that they handle, therefore they appear to be a suitable resource.  Another option is to train members of the DFG to do arbitration.
The feedback mechanism is going to be in a simple electronic and paper form that can be filled out by anyone at any time to document and discuss a diversity issue.  It can be used to educate co-workers, work out problems, or give positive feedback for issues that are being handled well.  The Diversity Advocacy Group would be available for assistance if needed.  Once a resolution is reached, a report with names removed will be generated to be archived by the Diversity Advocacy Group, and used as a “lessons learned” tool for management.  Our next step is to meet with management for approval and input for the actual procedure of the use of this tool.

## Goal 5

**Goal 5 – Conduct AETD diversity survey: **
- Develop and utilize survey to:
- Establish baseline metrics on current state of affairs regarding diversity
- Check support for ideas, action plans, etc.
- Clarify understanding of diversity
** **
**Task Team Members:**
- Felipe Flores-Amaya – Lead
- Guinevere Boyd
- Kanitra Tyler
- Brenda Bentley
- Les Wentz
- (Howard Kea)

**Notes:**
Goal #5 Diversity Survey Task Team
Team looked over the results from the 1999 GSFC Cultural Survey pertaining specifically to Code 500. We noticed that this survey did not significantly address the area of Diversity. Thus, team recommends conducting a Code 500 diversity survey.
The objective of this survey will be to identify the Code 500 employees’ opinions, interests, and concerns with respect to the purpose of the diversity initiative in the organization.
First approach by the team was to develop a survey composed of 30 questions. This set of questions was going to be selected from inputs by all members of the team. The proposed survey was going to be presented to the Code 500 Diversity Focus Group for their review. Following acceptance by the focus group, the diversity survey task team would request funding approval to hire a consultant or contractor to conduct the survey, and analyze the results; to make recommendations to code 500 management.
Current approach is to work with the GSFC Diversity Council. It looks like 
the Diversity Quotient and the Assessment Tool may be conducted late summer 
early fall in place of the 2001 Cultural Survey. The Assessment Tool will 
be targeted to a smaller segment of the workforce.  Howard Kea is working 
to have our Focus Group be a participant in that effort. The next step is 
to get Al Diaz’ approval and the budget approved to conduct the Diveristy 
Survey’s

## Goal 5 Current Status

**Team reviewed the AETD results from the 1999 GSFC Cultural Survey. **
**The survey did not significantly address the area of Diversity**
**The Team recommended conducting a Code 500 diversity survey**
**The feasibility of conducting an Code 500 diversity was considered.  However, leveraging  the Center wide diversity survey activity determined to be a better approach. **