MD‐715 Report: Federal Agency Annual EEO Program Status Report

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Management Directive 715, or MD‐715, requires each federal agency to assess its employment policies, procedures, and practices for alignment with equal employment opportunity, or EEO, laws and principles. Our agency’s MD‐715 Report documents our progress toward meeting those and other EEO obligations, including complying with MD‐715.¹

While the MD‐715 Report is a regulatory requirement, the evaluation process it reflects helps us:

• Improve workforce practices: By systematically reviewing employment policies, practices, and procedures, GSA identifies compliance gaps, procedural inconsistencies, and areas requiring corrective action to ensure alignment with merit system principles and EEO requirements.
• Support informed decision‐making: Workforce data analysis conducted through the MD‐715 process equips GSA leadership with actionable, evidence‐based insights to guide recruitment, development, and retention strategies to ensure GSA has a mission‐ready workforce.
• Enhance accountability: The process highlights both compliance strengths and areas for improvement, enabling targeted oversight, transparency, and ongoing improvement of EEO compliance and workforce management practices.
• Proactively prevent workplace discrimination: MD‐715 assessments support implementation of policies and procedures that mitigate risk, prevent discriminatory barriers, and promote fair treatment in accordance with federal anti‐discrimination laws.

The role of workforce data

The MD‐715 Report contains extensive analysis of workforce data spanning the entire employment lifecycle, such as hiring, promotions, retention, and applicant flow.

What barrier analysis is

Barrier analysis is the systematic process of identifying, assessing, and eliminating barriers to equal employment opportunity. It involves:

• Identifying triggers: Detecting statistical anomalies or patterns in workforce data and inputs from other sources of information that may indicate challenges or inconsistencies.
• Exploring root causes: Investigating relevant policies, procedures, and practices to determine whether they may be contributing factors or barriers to EEO.
• Recommending solutions: Recommending data‐informed solutions to eliminate discriminatory barriers and support effective human capital strategies.

Workforce participation goals

In addition to barrier identification and elimination, MD‐715 and federal regulations require agencies to establish annual goals for workforce representation of people with disabilities and to take steps to achieve those goals. Information about our strategies for recruiting, hiring, advancing, and retaining qualified employees with disabilities is in Part J of our MD‐715 Report.

If you have any questions about MD‐715, our annual MD-715 Reports, or associated barrier analysis efforts, please contact the Office of Civil Rights at AEP@gsa.gov.

Footnote

¹Our annual MD‐715 Reports [PDF - 2 MB] are compiled in accordance with EEOC Instructions to Federal Agencies for EEO MD‐715 and submitted in accordance with EEOC Federal Sector EEO Portal, or FedSEP, requirements.