EEOC Offers Second Buyout to Staff Overseeing Federal Appeals

The EEOC is giving staff who adjudicate appeals from federal workers the chance to opt into a deferred resignation program as part of the agency’s plan for potential workforce cuts.

The head of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sent an email to all Office of Federal Operations staff offering them the chance to opt into the deferred resignation program between May 27 and June 6, according to a copy of the email reviewed by Bloomberg Law.

The May 20 email is the second offer made to EEOC staff this year and is focused on the portion of the agency that also seeks to ensure federal agencies are compliant with EEOC regulations.

The offer includes paid administrative leave from June 16 to September 30, according to the email.

The EEOC indicated in the email it may cut staff after the offer expires in June

“At the conclusion of the DRP 2.0, the agency may explore additional options to achieve its workforce optimization goals,” the email said.

A spokesperson for the EEOC didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Office of Federal Operations adjudicates appeals from administrative decisions that are made by federal agencies on EEO complaints. The office also provides guidance to federal agencies on the government’s equal employment opportunity program, as well as monitors and evaluates federal agencies affirmative employment programs.

EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas issued two memos on May 22 altering parts of the federal sector program.

One memo bars monetary sanctions against agencies in federal sector workforce discrimination cases. The other seeks to prevent an agency from withholding or delaying a promotion from the subject of an EEOC complaint without finding substantive misconduct.