Diversity Policy Statement

As a new calendar year begins, I want to reaffirm my commitment to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) goal to leverage and embrace a diverse workforce. As part of this effort, we all need to respect individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences, as well as each individual’s culture, race, religion, ethnicity, age, and gender, ensuring that they are fully included, valued, and respected by their peers, supervisors, and managers. I believe embracing and supporting diversity is the foundation for building and maintaining a high-quality workforce in support of the BLM’s mission.

Diversity is a core value and strategic business imperative that contributes to BLM’s strength. By embracing diversity, BLM benefits from the talents, abilities, ideas, and viewpoints of a workforce drawn from our diverse society. Diversity sparks innovation by incorporating new approaches and fresh perspectives to problem solving. We must strive to ensure that we recruit, retain, and sustain a diverse, talented, and highly skilled workforce.

Within BLM California, there are many resources to assist us in continuing to create a more diverse and inclusive organization. The Diversity Change Agent (DCA) and Special Emphasis Programs (SEP) are two programs which serve to advance our diversity and inclusion mission. The DCAs are a trained cadre of BLM employees located throughout the state who champion our goal of creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace. The SEP conduct routine barrier analysis to determine if there are obstacles to equal employment and seek to ensure our policies and practices are aligned with principles of equality and inclusion. A Special Emphasis Programs Committee provides resources, support, and training to all BLM employees on topics which specifically highlight communities who have traditionally been underrepresented within the federal workforce.

Currently, our Human Resource and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) offices are working with hiring managers, State Leadership and subject matter experts in developing updated outreach and recruitment plans to diversify our applicant pool and strategize targeted outreach efforts to reach a more diverse audience of candidates.

Each of us has important responsibilities and obligations as it relates to building and maintaining a diverse workforce. For all managers and supervisors it is your responsibility to ensure that the standards established within this policy and by the EEO Office are adhered to within your respective area of responsibility; to familiarize yourself with the procedures in all EEO documentation; and to ensure engagement and leadership of employees to act in a non-discriminatory manner. As an employee it is your responsibility to cooperate with any measures introduced to ensure equality of opportunity; report any discriminatory acts or practices; not induce or attempt to induce others to practice unlawful discrimination; and not reprise against anyone for pursuing the discrimination complaint process.

In closing, our workforce remains dynamic, innovative, and productive because we support and promote diversity. We understand that diverse teams outperform non-diverse teams, that diversity fosters inclusion and that an inclusive work environment remains an enduring goal.