ADMINISTRATIVE MESSAGE ROUTINE R 292211Z MAR 01 MIN ZYB PSN 267448J31 FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N09// TO NAVADMIN UNCLAS //N05354// NAVADMIN 070/01 MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N09// SUBJ/RESULTS OF THE 1999-2000 NAVY EQUAL OPPORTUNITY SEXUAL /HARASSMENT (NEOSH) SURVEY// RMKS/1. THIS NAVADMIN HIGHLIGHTS THE RESULTS OF THE LATEST NAVY EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/SEXUAL HARASSMENT (NEOSH) SURVEY. THE SURVEY WAS MAILED IN JANUARY 2000 TO 15,103 SAILORS, CHIEFS, AND OFFICERS. ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED TO ASSESS THE CURRENT PERCEPTIONS OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY (EO) WITHIN THE NAVY, TO IDENTIFY OCCURRENCE AND FORMS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT (SH), AND TO IDENTIFY TRENDS WITH RESPECT TO THE PREVIOUS SURVEYS CONDUCTED BIANNUALLY SINCE 1989. OVERALL, THE RESULTS OFFER BOTH ENCOURAGEMENT AND AREAS OF CONCERN. THOUGH WE ARE STILL MAKING PROGRESS IN MANY AREAS OF EO AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT, WE APPEAR TO HAVE BECOME STAGNANT IN OTHERS. TO AVOID COMPLACENCY, WE MUST MAINTAIN OUR AWARENESS AND BE MINDFUL OF THE PROFOUND IMPACT THAT EO AND SH ISSUES HAVE IN OUR NAVY. UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF TREATING ALL WITH RESPECT AND DIGNITY IS PARAMOUNT TO MISSION ACCOMPLISHMENT. 2. IN THE AREA OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, THE LATEST SURVEY SHOWS ALL DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS INDICATED POSITIVE OR NEUTRAL PERCEPTIONS OF THE NAVY'S EO CLIMATE. ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 5, THE AVERAGE RESPONSE WAS BETWEEN 3.4-3.6 FOR ENLISTED AND 3.7-4.2 FOR OFFICER GROUPS. THIS MEANS, ON THE AVERAGE, THAT NAVY PEOPLE TEND TO AGREE THAT THEY HAVE AN EQUAL CHANCE TO SERVE, LEARN, AND PROGRESS. A. THERE HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMMAND MANAGED EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM (CMEO) FROM 51 PERCENT IN 1991 TO 78 PERCENT IN 1999. B. THE GENDER GAP BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE ENLISTED HAS VIRTUALLY DISAPPEARED INDICATING BOTH GROUPS HAVE SIMILAR PERCEPTIONS ABOUT EO IN THE NAVY. C. THE PERCENTAGE OF MINORITIES WHO SAID THEY EXPERIENCED RACIAL/ETHNIC DISCRIMINATION DURING THE PAST YEAR CONTINUES TO DECLINE AS COMPARED TO PREVIOUS YEARS. 3. THOUGH WE HAVE MADE MEASURABLE PROGRESS OVERALL IN THE AREA OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, THERE ARE CONCERNS: A. THE NUMBER OF OFFICERS WHO ATTENDED EO/SH AND FRATERNIZATION TRAINING DECREASED SINCE 1997 AND IS LOWER THAN THE PERCENTAGE OF ENLISTED WHO ATTEND THESE TRAININGS. B. JUST OVER HALF OF ALL RESPONDENTS WERE FAMILIAR WITH THE NAVY EO/SH ADVICELINE (1-800-253-0931). C. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MINORITY AND WHITE OFFICERS ARE LARGER THAN THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MINORITY AND WHITE ENLISTED IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS: PERCEPTIONS OF LEADERSHIP AWARNESS, SUPPORT AND RESPONSIVENESS TO EO/SH ISSUES; FAIRNESS OF GRIEVANCE PROCESSING; AND FAIRNESS IN PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS. D. FINALLY, THE SURVEY INDICATED THAT ENLISTED MINORITIES HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED A DECLINE IN THE OCCURRENCE OF CERTAIN RACIAL DISCRIMINATION BEHAVIORS. NEGATIVE COMMENTS AND OFFENSIVE JOKES REMAIN THE MOST COMMON FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION BEHAVIOR REPORTED. WHILE WE HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS SINCE THE 1989 NEOSH SURVEY, I'M CONVINCED WE MUST INCREASE OUR EFFORTS IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE OUR GOAL OF VALUING ALL INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT CONCERN FOR COLOR, ETHNICITY, AND GENDER, OR NATIONALITY. 4. IN THE AREA OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT, THE SURVEY REVEALS SEVERAL POSITIVE TRENDS: A. THERE IS BROAD UNDERSTANDING OF PRECISELY WHAT CONSTITUTES SH. THE PERCENTAGE REPORTING THAT SH IS A PROBLEM DECREASED ACROSS ALL GROUPS TO THE LOWEST LEVELS SINCE THE SURVEY BEGAN. FEW BELIEVE THEY HAVE BEEN THE TARGET OF FALSE SH ACCUSATIONS. THAT IS ALL VERY POSITIVE NEWS INDICATING MEASURABLE PROGRESS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. B. THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN FEMALE OFFICERS REPORTING SH BY SENIOR SUPERVISORS. C. FEWER RESPONDENTS REPORTED BEING THE TARGET OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT. THE PERCENTAGE REPORTING THAT SH IS A PROBLEM IN THE NAVY DECREASED. D. A LARGER PERCENTAGE OF FEMALE OFFICERS REPORTED THEY TOLD HARASSERS TO STOP AND 90 PERCENT OF ENLISTED PERSONNEL RECEIVED FRATERNIZATION AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT TRAINING AT THEIR COMMAND. THIS CONTINUES TO BE GOOD NEWS AND IS INDICATIVE THAT OUR EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN EFFECTIVE AND WOMEN HAVE GREATER CONFIDENCE IN BOTH REPORTING HARASSING BEHAVIOR AND STOPPING IT AT FIRST OCCURRENCE. 5. HOWEVER, THERE ARE STILL CONCERNS IN THE SEXUAL HARASSMENT AREA WHICH REQUIRE ATTENTION. WE WILL ATTEMPT TO DETERMINE THE UNDERLYING REASONS FOR THIS AND CONTINUE OUR EFFORTS TO REDUCE ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION. ISSUES ARE: A. ALTHOUGH NEARLY EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS WHAT SEXUAL HARASSMENT IS AND FEW BELIEVE THEY HAVE BEEN THE TARGETS OF FALSE ACCUSATION, CONFIDENCE IN THE COMPLAINT SYSTEM CONTINUES TO BE A CONCERN FOR BOTH FEMALE OFFICERS AND ENLISTED. B. APPROXIMATELY ONE THIRD OF FEMALE ENLISTED AND OFFICERS CONTINUE TO REPORT GENDER DISCRIMINATION. ONE THIRD OF FEMALE ENLISTED REPORTED EXPERIENCING NEGATIVE OR OFFENSIVE JOKES. C. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN FEMALE ENLISTED REPORTING SH IN DINING FACILITIES, ON SHIPS, AND IN BASE CLUBS. 6. ALTHOUGH THE SURVEY RESULTS INDICATE PROGRESS IN MANY AREAS, WE NEED TO ENSURE ALL OF OUR NAVY TEAM KNOWS THAT DISCRIMINATION AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT ARE WRONG AND INCONSISTENT WITH NAVY CORE VALUES. I AM COMMITTED TO PROVIDING A WORK ENVIRONMENT THAT VALUES DIVERSITY AND IS FREE OF DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT. I AM ASKING EACH INDIVIDUAL -- EVERY SAILOR AND CIVILIAN -- TO RENEW HIS/HER OWN COMMITMENT TO OUR HIGH NAVY STANDARDS AND TO ADOPT A ZERO-TOLERANCE ATTITUDE AGAINST ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION. EACH MEMBER OF OUR NAVY IS IMPORTANT, EACH IS VALUED, AND EACH SHOULD BE TREATED WITH RESPECT. ENGAGE YOUR OWN LEADERSHIP AND GET THEM INVOLVED. SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH THEM. WE ARE IN A WAR FOR TALENT. IF WE DO NOT TREAT OUR PEOPLE WITH RESPECT, THEY WILL OPT FOR ALTERNATIVES TO NAVAL SERVICE. RECOGNIZING THE WORTH OF EVERY INDIVIDUAL IS CRITICAL IN SUSTAINING A WELL-BALANCED, PROFESSIONAL FORCE. WE MUST HOLD OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE. 7. IN ADDITION, WE MUST BE PROACTIVE IN PROMOTING A POSITIVE COMMAND CLIMATE. THE RESULTS OF THE 1999 SURVEY POINT TO POTENTIAL COMPLACENCY IN OUR LEADERSHIP RANKS REGARDING EO/SH ISSUES. THIS ISSUE IS NOT A PROBLEM THAT WE CAN DECLARE RESOLVED, BUT ONE WHICH MUST BE WORKED EVERY DAY. OUR SAILORS DEPEND ON US AS LEADERS AT EVERY LEVEL. THEY RELY ON OUR POLICES THAT GUARANTEE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE MAXIMUM OF THEIR CAPABILITIES. OUR POLICIES ARE ONLY AS EFFECTIVE AS THE EFFORTS WE TAKE TO LIVE BY THEM. 8. WE HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS AND RIGHT PROGRAMS. WE NEED RENEWED COMMITMENT FROM DECKPLATE SUPERVISORS, CHIEFS, AND OFFICERS THROUGHOUT THE COMMAND TO LIVE UP TO OUR EXPECTATIONS IN EO AND SH. I SINCERELY APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS OF THOSE OFFICERS AND ENLISTED PERSONNEL WHO TOOK THE TIME TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SURVEY. THEIR RESPONSES WILL ASSIST SENIOR LEADERSHIP IN IDENTIFYING FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS TO OUR CURRENT EO/SH PROGRAMS. IN ORDER TO RAISE THE BAR ON EO AWARENESS AND SH PREVENTION, RESPONSE TO FINDINGS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL BE FORTHCOMING IN CAPTAIN'S CALL KITS AND MEDIA ARTICLES, AND WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO EXISTING LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAMS. MORE INFORMATION ON THESE PROGRAMS AND EOAS IN YOUR AREA CAN BE FOUND AT NAVPERSCOM (PERS-61) EO WEBSITE, WWW.BUPERS.NAVY.MIL/PERS61. THE WEBSITE OFFERS GUIDANCE ON GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES AVAILABLE TO ALL HANDS, RANGING FROM INFORMAL TO FORMAL, AND A WEALTH OF INFORMATION DESIGNED TO ASSIST YOU IN YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS CO'S. 9. ADMIRAL WILLIAM J. FALLON, VCNO.// BT