BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. –
The 940th Air Refueling Wing's Military Equal Opportunity and Equal Employment Opportunity offices merged to become the Equal Opportunity office, serving civilian employees, military and family members and retirees.
Capt. Ellen Greco, the office's new chief, said this will be an exciting transformation, providing better service to the Airmen in the unit. Officials for EO said they expect it will create a stronger workforce able to handle both military and civilian grievances.
The EO mission is to positively engage all Airmen in the pursuit of equal opportunity through day-to-day actions and implementation of various EO programs. During training, briefings and other interactions with personnel, the emphasis is on making workplace professionalism a top priority and to take steps to prevent, correct and eliminate unlawful discriminatory behavior.
"We need to treat each other with respect, dignity and sensitivity for others feelings," said Capt. Greco. "The EO staff is responsible for monitoring the whole human relations climate, which encompasses more than sexual harassment and workplace discrimination."
Regular written Unit Climate Assessments are one tool that assist commanders at all levels with keeping a healthy human relations climate, or making improvements.
In addition, the captain and her staff will schedule visits to the work areas of the 940th, engage in discussions and make observations to see if unit morale is healthy.
"We are certified mediators," said Capt. Greco. "If a person can't work with their supervisor, we'll sit down with both of them to try and resolve a complaint."
If mediation fails, the responsibility of the EO office is to review a complaint submitted in writing then present it to the wing commander for approval to enter it into the formal process. That complaint must be submitted within 60 days of the alleged offense, according to the captain.
The EO office doesn't discipline, nor recommend discipline. The EO office does not investigate, and it is important to note they do not have confidentiality with respect to allegations of unlawful discrimination or sexual harassment.
"The EO staff feels educating wing Reservists about equal opportunity is the first step to understanding that the office is there to help resolve a complaint at the lowest level, before it becomes formal and requires clarification," Capt. Greco said.
The captain feels that spending her career in avionics allowed her to break down barriers in a field that was non-traditional for women. Now, she wants to build bridges to better communication, fostering a healthy human relations climate for all the people she represents.
"I work for the people in the unit," Capt. Greco said. "This is a commander's program, but I work for all of them."
The 940th EO office is staffed by Capt. Greco, Master Sgt. Lee Imhoff and Staff Sgt. Sonja Troxell on the drill weekends. They can be reached at 530-634-1823. Ms. Susan Piaskowski, 940th Mission Support Flight, is available full-time as an equal opportunity officer and can be contacted at 530-634-1845.