Is EEO really a readiness issue?

  • Published
  • By Stacie Mason
  • 354th Fighter Wing Equal Opportunity
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, EEO is a readiness issue. The current cost of processing an EEO case at the informal level is around $18,000. However, if the case gets to the formal level, the cost of the case rises to over $100,000.

All complaints are managed by the base equal opportunity office. These cases can affect the whole chain of command from the base commander down to Airmen working out on the line. The EEO program is a commander's program. All complaints are reviewed by the base commander.

"People are our assets, equal employment opportunity cases can affect moral within a unit, involve the highest level of command on the base, and people in conflict are less productive. This has never been more true as our Airmen deploy overseas," said to Master Sgt. Michael McCoy, equal opportunity superintendent.

EEO cases are very time consuming. The process is a long and drawn out with the majority of EEO case taking an average of two years to resolve. In some cases, it has taken as long as five years to resolve. Because of the long process, there are other options to help resolve these complaints at the lowest level possible.

Mediation is an option available to help resolve complaints. Mediation is a tool that is used to allow parties in dispute to sit down with a neutral party that will hear their complaints and resolve the issues. The Air Force is averaging an 86 percent resolution rate in the mediation process.

If there is a case in a unit, it can affect the moral within the unit. If there is a founded complaint, the unit could have problems with polarization, which is when individuals within that unit choose sides. Individuals who used to get together on the weekends or after work, no longer get together. The team environment that is needed within a unit no longer works well as a team. It also could carry over to deploying Airmen.

Individuals in conflict are less productive than their counterparts not in conflict. Individuals who are in conflict are constantly worried about when they are going to be harassed again, he said. This not only affects the unit, it could also affect an individual's self-esteem and their work performance. This could even have an effect on performance ratings. In some cases, individuals have gone as far as calling in sick or going to sick call, taking excessive leave or even quitting their job to avoid the daily work environment.
Eielson's Equal Employment Opportunity office staff can be reached at 377-1357.