State Department: Additional Actions Needed to Improve Workplace Diversity and Inclusion
Fast Facts
Facing longstanding diversity issues, the State Department has expressed a commitment to building an inclusive workforce that reflects the diversity of the U.S.
State has taken steps to address many leading practices for managing diversity and inclusion, such as appointing a Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. The agency also created a strategic plan outlining its workplace diversity and inclusion goals and actions. However, State doesn't have performance measures to gauge progress for these goals.
We recommended that State measure progress, enhance accountability, and better analyze barriers to equal opportunity in its workforce.
Highlights
What GAO Found
The Department of State's actions address five of seven leading practices GAO identified for managing diversity and inclusion in the workplace; however, gaps remain in measurement and accountability (see table). State is addressing employee involvement and diversity training and has plans to help address gaps in leadership commitment, recruitment, and succession planning. GAO's survey of State employee organizations reinforced these findings, with the majority of respondents having favorable views of senior leadership commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). However, State does not have performance measures and has not taken sufficient actions to enhance accountability for its workplace DEIA goals. Moreover, around 70 percent of the organizations GAO surveyed indicated that State does not hold managers and supervisors accountable for their progress toward achieving diversity and inclusion goals. Without ways to measure progress and enhance accountability, State may not achieve its goal of fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace.
GAO's Assessment of Department of State's Actions Compared to Leading Practices for Diversity and Inclusion Management
|
Leading Practice |
GAO Rating |
|
Employee Involvement |
● |
|
Diversity Training |
● |
|
Leadership Commitment |
◑ |
|
Recruitment |
◑ |
|
Succession Planning |
◑ |
|
Measurement |
◔ |
|
Accountability |
◔ |
Legend: ●—Address. ◑—Generally address. ◔—Partially address. ○—Do not address.
Source: GAO analysis of Department of State actions and GAO leading practices for diversity and inclusion management. | GAO-22-105182
State has taken steps to identify, investigate, and eliminate barriers to workforce diversity, though its analyses vary in depth and have methodological weaknesses. Since January 2020, State has identified four indicators of potential barriers to diversity, including lower promotion rates above the GS-13 level for historically disadvantaged racial or ethnic groups compared to Whites. State has taken some steps to investigate and eliminate barriers, but GAO found that State's analyses vary in depth. For example, State did not assess why fewer women take the Foreign Service Officer test before implementing measures designed to improve recruitment of women. Having not investigated the cause of the disparity, State cannot be sure its response addresses the underlying barrier. In addition, GAO found weaknesses in State's statistical methodology. For example, State's analysis only allowed it to identify extreme disparities as indicators of potential barriers in Foreign Service promotions. If State does not create a plan to improve its barrier analysis process and improve its methodology for identifying potential barriers, it risks using resources on solutions that do not address the root causes of disparities and risks leaving barriers unaddressed.
Why GAO Did This Study
State leaders have highlighted the importance of fostering an inclusive workforce that reflects the diversity of the U.S. State has made efforts to increase DEIA. However, in January 2020, GAO found that State continued to face longstanding diversity issues. These included underrepresentation of historically disadvantaged racial or ethnic groups and women in the senior ranks. Federal guidance requires State to systematically identify, assess, and remove barriers to equal participation in its workforce and to report on such barriers annually.
GAO was asked to review issues related to State's DEIA efforts. This report examines (1) the extent to which State's actions address leading practices for managing diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and (2) the extent to which State has taken steps to identify, investigate, and eliminate barriers to workforce diversity since January 2020. GAO reviewed State documents, surveyed 20 employee organizations, and interviewed State officials. GAO compared State's actions to leading practices, and analyzed State's methodologies for identifying potential barriers.
Recommendations
GAO is recommending that State establish performance measures, enhance accountability for workplace DEIA goals, create a plan to improve its barrier analysis process, and improve its statistical methodology. State concurred with these recommendations.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of State | The Secretary of State should ensure the Office of Diversity and Inclusion establish performance measures for State's DEIA-related goals and objectives in the workplace and develop a process to evaluate progress. (Recommendation 1) |
In commenting on the report, State concurred with this recommendation and subsequently took some action to draft quantitative and qualitative performance measures for a range of goals and objectives in the department's DEIA Strategic Plan. The office that was leading these efforts, and the associated DEIA Strategic Plan, no longer exists following the January 20, 2025 Executive Order 14151, "Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing," which required U.S. departments and agencies to terminate, to the maximum extent allowed by law, all DEIA offices and positions (including but not limited to "Chief Diversity Officer" positions) as well as all "equity action plans," and "equity" actions, initiatives, or programs, among other things. Consequently, we are closing this recommendation as no longer valid.
|
| Department of State | The Secretary of State should develop and implement additional actions to enhance accountability for workplace DEIA goals, including for managers and supervisors, such as analyzing the effectiveness of accountability mechanisms. (Recommendation 2) |
In commenting on the report, State concurred with this recommendation and subsequently took some action to enhance accountability, including issued new decision criteria for Foreign Service tenure and promotion that includes performance objectives for diversity and inclusion. State removed these decision criteria following the January 20, 2025 Executive Order 14151, "Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing," which required U.S. departments and agencies to terminate, to the maximum extent allowed by law, all DEI or DEIA performance requirements for employees, contractors, or grantees, among other things as well as a March 18, 2025 White House memo directing the Secretary of State to remove the "Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility" Core Precept from Foreign Service tenure and promotion criteria. In addition, the department's DEIA Strategic Plan, which included goals to enhance accountability, no longer exists following Executive Order 14151. Consequently, we are closing this recommendation as no longer valid.
|
| Department of State | The Secretary of State should create a plan to improve State's barrier analysis process that ensures all steps of the process are followed. (Recommendation 3) |
State concurred with this recommendation. As of July 2024, State's Office of Diversity and Inclusion was leading a DEIA Data Working Group that was developing guidance to facilitate various State bureaus' ability to conduct their own barrier analyses, according to State. State told GAO that the package includes a Standardized Operating Procedure to guide the department's barrier analyses, a template for Memorandum of Understandings that will be signed between the group and State elements that conduct barrier analyses, and a DEIA data request and user rules of behavior form to ensure ethical data use across the department. State's Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the working group are also working to ensure any guidance distributed on State's new barrier analysis process incorporates Equal Employment Opportunity Commission advice and guidance. We will continue to monitor State's progress on implementing this recommendation.
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| Department of State | The Secretary of State should improve the department's statistical methodology to ensure it is appropriate for identifying potential barriers to diversity. (Recommendation 4) |
State concurred with this recommendation. As of July 2024, State's Office of Diversity and Inclusion was leading a DEIA Data Working Group comprised of data experts from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Bureau of Global Talent Management's Office of Talent Analytics, the Secretary's Office of Civil Rights, and the Office of Management Strategy and Solutions Center for Analytics. According to State, the group now uses sound methodologies to approach data studies and analyses on workforce demographic data. The working group is focused on baseline data studies on Foreign Service bidding and on Civil Service Applicant Data Flow which will help to identify potential barriers in these processes, according to State. After these studies are completed, the working group will undertake further analyses which hone in on the potential barriers identified. We will continue to monitor State's progress on implementing this recommendation.
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