On March 31, 2023, OPM released updated guidance on gender identity and inclusion in the federal workplace. According to OPM, “The new guidance reflects several major changes in law and executive policy that have occurred since this guidance was first written in 2015 and updated in 2017, expands the guidance beyond workplace transition, and ensures the guidance language is inclusive of all gender identities.” And just last week, OPM hosted a webinar on DEIA to provide an overview of recent DEIA accomplishments and plans to continue advancing on these efforts in the future.
Currently, job applications and personnel forms from OPM, including USAJOBS, and other federal agencies don’t capture pronouns and Male/Female are the only options for gender. OPM had started this initiative about 6 years ago, but the program was terminated. At this time, it is unclear when federal agencies (OPM, IRS, EEOC, etc.) plan to update their forms to reflect the latest guidance to expand on gender identity and inclusivity initiatives. MonsterGov prides itself on helping agencies best connect with their job seekers and potential future employees, and in this case, that means adjusting our language to better reflect our communities.
MonsterGov is reaching out to OPM about their plans to update their gender data collection in USAJOBS, in addition to other mandatory forms with non-inclusive language, so we can implement more inclusive language into your talent acquisition system. We invite you to join us in advocating for these changes. In the meantime, agencies can visit our updated resource center for DEIA recruitment and hiring.