The Department of the Interior commissioned a survey last year to document the prevalence of harassment within its agencies, prompted by the intense scrutiny it received after the Office of Inspector General found employees, especially women, were marginalized and regularly harassed with little or no action taken by managers. Forty-five percent of DOI employees responded to the survey, which looked at incidents that occurred in 2016.
Secretary Ryan Zinke has promised a hard-line approach to tackle issues of harassment, which were first highlighted in earnest during former Secretary Sally Jewell’s tenure. In the fall of 2017, after the results of the survey were released, Zinke fired four senior managers, promising he’d “remove 400 more” if necessary. Some agencies within the department are still waiting for a formal action plan to address their harassment problem.
We are collecting tips on harassment inside tribal affairs agencies and public land agencies. Read more and report here.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline By the numbers: harassment in the Interior Department.
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