Sec. 6. Provision of climate surveys
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In this section— the term bureaus and offices of the Department of State includes the Foreign Service (as that term is defined in section 102 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 ( 22 U.S.C. 3902 )); the terms Department of State and Department include the Foreign Service; and the terms employees and officials of the Department of State includes members of the Service (as that term is defined in section 103 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 ( 22 U.S.C. 3903 )). Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and every 2 years thereafter, the Office of Employee Advocacy within the Department of State shall conduct a survey of covered employees of the Department of State regarding harassment, discrimination, sexual assault, and related retaliation in Department of State employment, including a survey of the following:
The prevalence of perceived violations by employees and officials of the Department of State. The extent to which such violations arise from harassment or discrimination, including on the basis of sex, race, religion, national origin, disability, genetic information, and other demographic characteristics. The presence of a hostile work environment in the agency. Whether employees are aware of their rights and Department processes and procedures, and able to effectively exercise the rights and protections provided under this Act and other applicable laws, including the effectiveness of the procedures applicable under this Act and other applicable laws for investigating and holding accountable violations.
The extent to which employees feel comfortable making use of the available reporting and resolution mechanisms. For employees who have used the reporting and resolution mechanisms, the extent to which the process was accessible and fair. In each survey conducted under this section, the Office of Employee Advocacy shall survey respondents regarding the prevalence of and attitudes regarding harassment, discrimination, sexual assault, and related retaliation in Department of State employment.
The Office of Employee Advocacy shall endeavor to compile information from the survey on the basis of various categories of demographic characteristics, including gender, race and ethnicity, and age, so that the survey will report on the rates of incidents of harassment, discrimination, sexual assault, and related retaliation affecting each such demographic category. The provision of such demographic information shall be voluntary. The Office of Employee Advocacy shall develop the survey in consultation with offices of the executive branch which currently conduct similar surveys of their employees, including the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office of the Department of Defense, the Office of Violence Against Women of the Department of Justice, and the Merit Systems Protection Board.
Additionally, in developing the survey, the Office of Employee Advocacy shall enter into agreement to receive technical assistance from Workplaces Respond to Domestic and Sexual Violence: A National Resource Center (also known as Workplaces Respond ), the nonprofit nongovernmental entity described in section of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 ( 34 U.S.C. 12501 ). The underlying data of the climate surveys shall only be available to the Office of Employee Advocacy. The Office of Employee Advocacy shall conduct each survey under this section in accordance with the following:
All responses to all portions of the survey shall be anonymous and confidential, and each respondent shall be told throughout the survey that all responses shall be anonymous and confidential. The Office of Employee Advocacy shall design the survey so that it will take no more than 15 minutes to complete, and so that it may be taken online through the use of both stationary communication devices (such as desktop computers) and portable communication devices (such as cell phones and tablets).
The Office of Employee Advocacy shall include in the survey a list of resources available to respondents who wish to get more information about harassment, discrimination, sexual assault, or related retaliation in Department of State employment, including the services the Department of State provides to individuals who allege violations.
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