22 U.S.C. § 2736f — Efforts to improve retention and prevent retaliation

(a) Streamlined reporting. Within one year after December 22, 2023, the Secretary must create one initial reporting point for discrimination and harassment allegations. It must initially review allegations and, when needed, allow multiple claims from one complaint.

(b) Required annual surveys. (1) Within 180 days after December 22, 2023, and every year afterward, the Secretary must survey employees about job satisfaction, the work environment, and their overall Department experience. (2) The survey must allow open-ended answers. (3) It must ask about: (A) work-life balance; (B) pay and benefits; (C) career development; (D) evaluation and promotion, including fairness and openness; (E) communication; (F) leadership and management; (G) organizational culture; (H) awareness and effectiveness of complaint procedures; (I) accessibility and accommodations; (J) transportation to and from the workplace; (K) information-technology systems’ function and accessibility; (L) understanding of the Department’s structure, mission, and goals; (M) how work relates to the mission; (N) ability to make positive change; and (O) experiences with harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and other events causing people to leave or harming workplace culture and productivity.

(c) Required exit surveys. (1) Within 180 days after December 22, 2023, the Secretary must create a standard, confidential process with anonymous feedback and exit interviews for employees who voluntarily leave, including by resignation or retirement. (2) The surveys must seek information about (A) departing employees’ reasons for leaving, including caregiving, a partner’s or spouse’s career limits, and discrimination, harassment, or retaliation; their overall experience; and suggestions; and (B) questions about leaving, job satisfaction, the work environment, professional growth, leadership, suggestions to improve the Department, and, when applicable, the future employer’s name and industry. (3) The Secretary must compile and analyze anonymized results to find trends, common themes, and areas needing improvement.

(d) Pilot surveys. Within 180 days after December 22, 2023, the Secretary must survey Locally Employed Staff across the Department about retention, training, promotion, and other matters, including harassment, discrimination, and retaliation, and must include staff views on complaint procedures’ accessibility and effectiveness.

(e) Report. Within 60 days after each survey ends, the Secretary must give its key findings to the workforce and submit them to the appropriate congressional committees.

(f) Retaliation prevention efforts. (1)(A) If a superior responsible for rating or reviewing a complaining employee is under investigation for discrimination or harassment, the superior’s supervisor or another appropriate Department employee must review the complainant. (B) This paragraph takes effect 90 days after December 22, 2023. (2) A Department employee accused of discrimination or harassment must receive written guidance, called a “retaliation hold,” describing actions that could be retaliation against the complainant. The accused employee’s immediate supervisor must receive the guidance too.