[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 46 (Thursday, March 9, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12978-12979]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-5779]



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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Glass Ceiling Commission; Criteria and Application Process for 
the National Award for Diversity and Excellence in American Executive 
Management

SUMMARY: The Glass Ceiling Commission is announcing the procedure for 
applying for the Frances Perkins/Elizabeth Hanford Dole National Award 
for Diversity and Excellence in American Executive Management. The 
award is an annual Presidential award to recognize a United States 
business for excellence in promoting a more diverse skilled work force 
at the management and decisionmaking levels in business.

DATES: Applications are due by April 30, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Applications should be sent to: The Glass Ceiling 
Commission, Perkins-Dole Award, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 
Constitution Avenue, N.W., Room C-2313, Washington, DC 20210.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Rene A. Redwood, Executive Director, The Glass Ceiling Commission, U.S. 
Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room C-2313, 
Washington, DC 20210. Telephone (202) 219-7342.

Background

    The Frances Perkins/Elizabeth Hanford Dole National Award for 
Diversity and Excellence in American Executive Management was 
established pursuant to Public Law 102-166, The Glass Ceiling Act of 
1991. The glass ceiling is defined as those artificial barriers based 
on attitudinal or organizational bias that prevent qualified minorities 
and women from advancing in their organizations into management and 
decisionmaking positions.

Purpose

    The Frances Perkins/Elizabeth Hanford Dole National Award for 
Diversity and Excellence in American Executive Management is an annual 
Presidential award to recognize a United States business for excellence 
in promoting a more diverse skilled work force at the management and 
decisionmaking levels in business.

Business Defined

    For the purposes of this award, business includes:
    1. Corporation including nonprofit corporations;
    2. Partnerships;
    3. Professional association;
    4. Labor organization;
    5. Business entity similar to any entity described in 1 through 4;
    6. An education referral program, a training program, such as an 
apprenticeship or management training program or similar program; and
    7. Joint program formed by a combination of any entities described 
in 1 through 6.

Evaluation Criteria

    The business must demonstrate that it has made substantial effort 
and progress to promote the opportunities and developmental experiences 
of minorities and women in order to foster advancement to management 
and decisionmaking positions within the business, including the 
elimination of artificial barriers to the advancement of minorities and 
women, and deserves special recognition as a consequence. Demonstration 
of substantial effort in promoting work force diversity initiatives 
must include a formal process that is quantifiable and emulatable and 
must be designed to:

--Create a work environment where all employees are able to achieve 
their full potential within the organization;
--Eliminate barriers to the advancement of minorities and women;
--Share information on successful diversity management and its benefits

    In addition, the business must provide its definition of what 
constitutes senior management and a detailed demographic breakout of 
the total number of women and men within each management level by race 
and ethnicity.
    The policies, programs, achievements, of each applicant will be 
evaluated in the following areas.

Leadership

    The CEO and senior executives must demonstrate personal involvement 
and leadership in developing and maintaining an environment for 
diversity management excellence. The applicant must describe how the 
requirements for such excellence are communicated and reinforced for 
all managers and supervisors and integrated into day-to-day leadership, 
management and supervision. Key methods of evaluating and improving the 
effectiveness and accountability of such leadership and involvement 
should be addressed. The result of effective leadership should also be 
discussed.

Recruitment, Selection, and Retention Practices

    The applicant must demonstrate how the practices for filing 
management and decisionmaking positions take into consideration the 
diversity of the candidate pool for such positions. The applicant must 
describe the human resource recruitment practices as related to 
monitoring search firm referrals; word-of-mouth recruitment; 
designation of high potential employees and other strategies for 
recruiting. The selection procedures, including identification and 
selection of high potential employees must be described. The applicant 
must also describe successful results of recruitment and selection of a 
well diversified candidate pool for management and decisionmaking 
positions. Practices for retaining minorities and women must also be 
discussed.

Development Practices

    The applicant must describe: the mechanisms for selecting employees 
for developmental experiences; the kinds of developmental practices 
provided, e.g., [[Page 12979]] on-site and off-site training, 
rotational assignments, special projects, etc.; the extent to which the 
nature of the developmental opportunities reflect the race, ethnicity 
and sex characteristics of the total management candidate pool; the 
role of relocations and overseas assignments in advancement and the 
extent to which diversification of such assignments is assured; and to 
what extent and how this is monitored.
Successful Initiatives

    In addition to the elements above, the applicant must describe how 
all other factors are combined to create a complete initiative which 
has resulted in a diverse management work force for both minorities and 
women. These initiatives may include, for example, family friendly 
workplace policies, antiharassment, training or prevention, anti-
discrimination procedures, pay equity evaluations and adjustments and 
the like. The applicant must discuss the innovative aspects of the 
initiative, the key factors of success and what makes this initiatives 
worthy of special recognition.

Other Evaluation Considerations

    There must be no indications based on recent or current EEO 
Compliance reviews, complaint investigations or other federal 
enforcement activity of substantial noncompliance by the applicant with 
any civil rights laws. Considerations shall be given to whether or not 
businesses that have been cited for specific EEO violations, such as 
unlawful discrimination, sexual harassment, etc., have been required to 
take corrective actions during the period for which the business is 
being considered for this award.

Evaluation Process

    Applicants will be ranked based on the criteria outlined above. An 
on-site tour to each business ranked in the top five will be made and 
interviews with selected officials and other employees may also be 
conducted.
    The Commission shall select the Perkins-Dole awardee from 
businesses ranked in the top three. Recognition may also be given for 
successful efforts in eliminating the glass ceiling for businesses 
ranked from two to five.

Publicity

    A business that received this award may publicize the receipt of 
the award and use the award in advertising, if the business agrees to 
help other United States businesses improve with respect to the 
promotion of opportunities and developmental experiences of minorities 
and women to management and decisionmaking positions.

Application Procedures

    Businesses wishing to be considered for the Frances Perkins/
Elizabeth Hanford Dole National Award for Diversity and Excellence in 
American Executive Management shall submit a written application to the 
Glass Ceiling Commission. The application shall be in the form of a 
letter and shall include information that demonstrates that the 
business has made substantial effort and progress to promote the 
opportunities and developmental experiences of minorities and women to 
foster their advancement into senior management positions and deserves 
special recognition as a consequence.
    The letter shall specifically address the following areas: (See 
Evaluation Criteria)

Leadership
Recruitment, Selection and Retention
Developmental Practices
Successful Initiatives

    The application should also include statistical information 
relative to the business work force profile for middle and upper 
management race, ethnicity and gender for at least the period covered 
by the initiative, but no less than five years. This information will 
be held in strict confidence.
    The application package should be no more than 40 pages, including 
exhibits. Send one original and four copies. The cover sheet should 
contain the following information:
    1. Name of the organization.
    2. Number of establishments.
    3. Number of employees in each establishment.
    4. Address, telephone and fax number.
    5. Name of highest ranking official.
    6. Name, address, telephone and fax number of contact person.
    The letter and other material should be sent to: The Glass Ceiling 
Commission, Perkins-Dole Award, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 
Constitution Avenue NW., Room C2313, Washington, DC 20210.
    Applications should be received no later than April 30, 1995.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 3rd day of March, 1995.
Rene A. Redwood,
Executive Director, Glass Ceiling Commission.
[FR Doc. 95-5779 Filed 3-8-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-23-M