WASHINGTON – The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) today announced important updates regarding the ongoing work to improve the agency’s workplace culture following an independent review of allegations of sexual harassment and other interpersonal misconduct.
At its meeting on June 20, the FDIC Board of Directors (the Board) approved the creation of two new, independent offices, reporting directly to the Board. The FDIC’s Office of Professional Conduct (OPC) will intake, investigate, and report on complaints of harassment, interpersonal misconduct, and retaliation, and determine and enforce discipline. The Office of Equal Employment Opportunity (OEEO) will intake, investigate, and report on complaints of discrimination and retaliation under the laws enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Both offices will utilize independent third-party investigators. The Board will appoint a Director to each office following a competitive hiring process. Job announcements for these two positions will be published to USAJobs.gov.
In addition, the FDIC issued two requests for proposals (RFPs) to retain firms to provide crucial support and insight into the agency’s work, as recommended in the Special Review Committee report. The Independent Transformation Monitor will monitor and audit all recommendations to improve agency culture, policies, procedures, and structures. The Expert Third-Party will advise on those efforts. The FDIC received numerous proposals in response to these RFPs. The Board will make the final selections.
The FDIC also reported progress on a number of other key recommendations. The agency developed an Anti-Retaliation Policy and a separate Anti-Fraternization Policy, and will be soliciting employee input on these draft policies beginning next week. The FDIC will also solicit employee feedback in the development of new exit surveys and harassment complaint communications. Finally, all FDIC employees, including senior management and supervisors, are undergoing in-person anti-harassment training. To date, 24 training sessions for 1,741 employees are completed, and the FDIC is committed to completing training for all employees by the end of the year.