Discrimination is unfair treatment or denial of privileges because of an individual’s membership in a protected group.

The EEO office is here to serve Army civilian employees assigned to the United States Army Garrison Italy and Livorno and other employees with whom the agency maintains servicing agreements.

Aggrieved individuals, covered under the USAG EEO servicing agreement, who feel they have been discriminated against based on race, age-40 or older, color, national origin, disability-mental or physical, religion, sex and retaliation/reprisal based on past participation in protected EEO activities.

Retaliation, also referred to as reprisal, is the taking of any adverse action against an individual because of his or her prior participation in the EEO process or opposition to discriminatory practices.

Illegal discrimination as outlined in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national original. Additionally discrimination based on one’s age and religions are grounds for filing complaints of discrimination.

An EEO case is a situation where one perceives an injustice has occurred or a concerned should be addressed primarily because his/her: race, age-40 or older, color, national origin, disability-mental or physical, religion, sex and retaliation/reprisal based on past participation in protected EEO activities appear to be factors in the situation.

An employee grievance is an instance where one perceives an injustice has occurred or a concerned should be addressed, but illegal discrimination (race, age-40 or older, color, national origin, disability-mental or physical, religion, sex and retaliation/reprisal based on past participation in protected EEO activities) does not appear to be a factor in the situation.

An aggrieved individual should make contact with the EEO office not later than 45 calendar days from the alleged discriminatory event or at a point when the aggrieved became reasonably aware that she/he has experienced illegal discrimination.

The EEO office cannot provide a specific resolution date, time, and/or scenario. When multiple factors and parties are involved, full coordination of events must take place to resolve your issues. There are timeframes, however, surrounding the traditional EEO counseling and EEO counseling which includes ADR.
Under the traditional forms of EEO counseling, where no ADR is elected, the counselor has 30 calendar days to seek resolution to the matters raised during counseling.
Under EEO counseling where ADR is elected, the EEO counselor has 90 calendar days to seek resolution to the matters raised during counseling.
If after the 30 or 90 days timeframe has passed-depending in which form of counseling is elected- and there is no resolution to the matters raised, the complainant will have 15 days to file a formal EEO complaint.

No, however, aggrieved individuals are encouraged to work cooperatively with their managers and supervisors on issues of concern prior to seeking EEO assistance.

Confidentiality is of utmost importance to meeting your needs. The EEO office may offer you anonymity in the pre-complaint/informal stage of your complaint. However, if you elect to file a formal case, your right to anonymity will be waived.

Alternative Dispute Resolution is a collection of efficient means of resolving disputes; mediation is a very popular and highly elected form of ADR.

Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when: (1) submission to such conduct is made explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of employment (2) submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis of employment decisions affecting an individual; or (3) such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.

Managers and supervisors must contact the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate within one (1) business day of receiving notice of the alleged harassment. Managers and supervisors must promptly investigate all harassment allegations regardless of whether the harassment rises to the level of severe or pervasive. Managers and supervisors must address allegations of harassment with the employees directly involved in the incident, along with any witnesses who might have firsthand information. Further, managers and supervisors must take prompt preventive and corrective action. Appropriate actions might include: publicizing the organization’s ZERO tolerance policy; providing training; taking disciplinary action against the harasser; monitoring the situation on an ongoing basis and taking corrective action to create for the victim an employment situation absent alleged harassment.

Reasonable accommodations are adjustments or modifications to job application procedures, a job, employment practices, or a work environment that enable a qualified individual with a disability to enjoy equal employment opportunities. They are intended to enable qualified disabled individuals to perform the essential functions of a position, and designed to remove physical and procedural workplace or employment barriers.