Diversity

WHAT

TVA is committed to:

Creating an environment where people can fully contribute their talents to enable TVA to achieve its vision.
Providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age or disability.
Serving as a role model for equal employment opportunity and managing diversity.
Supporting the efforts of external customers to capitalize on the skills and abilities of Valley residents.

WHO

All employees

WHY

To maximize its productivity, TVA must create an environment which attracts and retains highly competent people who are committed to contributing their maximum potential toward realizing the agency's strategic goals. To maximize the Valley's productivity, TVA must work in partnership with others to create environments that allow all Valley residents to realize their full economic potential.

Federal laws and executive orders require equal employment opportunity in TVA policies, procedures and practices, and prohibit unlawful discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age (40 and over) or disability.

HOW

TVA PROMOTES DIVERSITY THROUGH:

Equal Employment Opportunity.
Affirmative Employment.
Managing Diversity.
Economic and Community Diversity Development.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
TVA provides equal opportunity to all employees by:

Promoting equal opportunity in all TVA policies, procedures and employment practices.
Administering the Equal Employment Opportunity Program and complaint procedure as mandated by federal law. Employees who believe they, or the class they propose to represent, have been discriminated against because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age or disability should contact an equal employment opportunity counselor within 45 days of the date of the matter alleged to be discriminatory or, in the case of a personnel action, within 45 days of the effective date of the action. This program and complaint procedure is fully described in the practice entitled Equal Opportunity Compliance.

AFFIRMATIVE EMPLOYMENT

TVA seeks to achieve its goal of equal employment opportunity to all employees by:

Identifying and removing potentially discriminatory barriers to the recruitment, retention and upward mobility of employees, especially minorities, women, persons with disabilities and disabled veterans.
Developing affirmative employment strategies to achieve adequate representation of groups in TVA's workforce that are protected by law.

MANAGING DIVERSITY

"Managing diversity" is actively working to provide an environment which values differences as assets, fully taps the potential of all individuals and empowers the workforce to accomplish organizational goals.
TVA manages diversity by:

Educating people about differences.
Celebrating differences and similarities.
Assessing its organizational culture to determine what barriers impede and what aids support maximizing the potential of the workforce.
Defining the desired organizational culture, and developing and implementing plans to reach that desired state.

ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DIVERSITY DEVELOPMENT

TVA works to transform the diverse resources of Valley communities and customers into regional economic development assets. Specifically, TVA:

Works with Valley minority communities and other special populations to foster mutual understanding, cooperation and economic growth.
Strives to improve communications with minority populations.
Provides small and disadvantaged businesses in the Valley with:
- Equal access to TVA business opportunities as mandated by federal law,
- Technical assistance to improve their competitiveness within the Valley, and
- New business development assistance.
Improves its own utilization of small and disadvantaged businesses.

ROLES

Diversity Development

Coordinate corporate level diversity and affirmative employment strategy and policy development.
Provides support and assistance to TVA line organizations, Valley minority communities, small and disadvantaged businesses, and other customers interested in managing diversity.

Supervisors/Managers

Create a work environment that enables employees to fully contribute their talents to accomplishing TVA's business goals.
Ensure equal employment opportunity to all employees in their organization.
Ensure TVA programs and services for which they are responsible are offered equitably to all customers.

Human Resource Representatives

Serve as a resource on equal employment responsibilities.
Coordinate the delivery of diversity initiatives in their organization.
Assist in the implementation of affirmative employment plans.

Corporate and Organizational Procurement Groups

Ensure TVA's procurement practices meet or exceed federal requirements.

All Employees

Contribute their talents toward achieving TVA's organizational goals.
Respect their coworkers.

RESOURCES

Human Resource Representatives
Diversity Managers
Director of Equal Opportunity Compliance

This practice is based on various Board actions.

Last Revised 11/1998