Our Commitment
Promoting equity and celebrating diversity is core to our City’s values and who we are as a community. As part of its Five-Year Strategic Plan, the City is growing its efforts to ensure an inclusive and diverse workforce that is representative of the citizens it serves.
Established in 2019, the City’s Office of Diversity & Inclusion guides efforts to ensure a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace where all employees feel valued and respected.
The City of Tallahassee’s Office of Diversity & Inclusion leads with tolerance, encouragement, and respect to foster a diverse, inclusive, and equity-driven workplace where all employees feel valued and our workplace matches the diverse population of our community. This is accomplished by the department’s effort in working:
- To promote diversity and inclusion throughout the workplace.
- To utilize analytics, provide statistics on demographics, and to consistently monitor the City’s workforce.
To offer more opportunities for promotional growth as well as to intentionally attract the most qualified and diverse talent for vacant
ADA Statement of Policy
The City’s equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation policies, as well as information for individuals who wish to report concerns of discrimination or harassment or who wish to request a reasonable accommodation or modification, can be found at Talgov.com.
ADA Accommodation
The City is resolute in carrying out the intent of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). As an organization, we strive to provide effective reasonable accommodation in employment and reasonable access to City programs, services and activities for persons with disabilities.
The Office of Diversity & Inclusion processes all requests for reasonable accommodation. From 2019 to 2020, ADA accommodation requests increased by 53%.
EEO Compliance
We are committed to equal employment opportunity (EE0) – providing a workplace free from discrimination and harassment and maintaining an environment that recognizes the inherent worth and dignity of every individual.
The Office of Diversity & Inclusion ensures that all officials, employees, applicants for employment, volunteers, vendors, independent contractors and participants in City services are informed of the City’s equal opportunity policies through policy dissemination and training. Complaints filed under these policies are promptly and impartially investigated.
The City’s equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation policies, as well as information for individuals who wish to report concerns of discrimination or harassment or who wish to request a reasonable accommodation or modification, can be found at Talgov.com.
ADA Policy
It is the policy of the City of Tallahassee to promote the comprehensive realization of equal opportunity by providing equally effective reasonable accommodation to all applicants, employees and residents with disabilities, unless doing so imposes an undue hardship on the City organization or program, or would be a direct threat to the individual or others in the program or in the City organization.
The efforts of the City extend beyond the requirements of ADA based on its commitment to create a stable workforce but are not intended to provide greater benefits than those specified by law.
Specifically, the City resolves to carry out the intent of the ADA through a willingness to reasonably accommodate qualified applicants, employees and residents with disabilities, whether hidden or manifest. To this extent, creativity and flexibility in the modification of processes related to applying for positions and performing essential functions of jobs and accessibility to programs, services, and activities would be considered to reasonably accommodate persons with disabilities. Assistant City Managers, the leadership team, division directors, and supervisors are specifically responsible within their particular organizations for publicizing and enforcing this policy.
ADA / Title VI / Non-Discrimination Policy
ADA (Questions & Answers)
Q:What is a disability?
A: According to the EEOC, a person can show that he or she has a disability in one of three ways:
- A person may be disabled if he or she has a physical or mental condition that substantially limits a major life activity. Major life activities include physical and mental activities (e.g. walking, talking, seeing, hearing, or concentrating) OR the operation of a major bodily function. Examples of limitations to the operation of a major bodily function include abnormal cells growth (cancer) or abnormal operation of the endocrine system (diabetes).
- A person may be disabled if he or she has a history of a disability (such as cancer that is in remission).
- A person may be disabled if he or she is regarded as having an impairment that they do not actually have (someone sees an inhaler on an employee's desk and assumes he has asthma)
Q: Are there specific types of reasonable accommodation?
A: The ADA recognizes three categories of reasonable accommodations:
- Modifications or adjustments to a job-application process so that a qualified applicant with a disability can be considered for a position the applicant desires.
- Modifications or adjustments to the work environment or to the manner or circumstances under which the position held or desired is customarily performed so that a qualified individual with a disability can perform the essential functions of that position.
- Modifications or adjustments that enable an employee with a disability to enjoy equal benefits and privileges of employment as are enjoyed by other similarly situated employees without disabilities.