Multnomah County has taken a step forward in addressing workplace discrimination with the recent release of a report assessing its Complaints Investigation Unit (CIU). The CIU, a team of three investigators, was established in 2019 specifically to handle staff complaints of discrimination across several protected classes, including race and sexual identity. The unit aims to offer a fair and unbiased process to protect complainants from potential retaliation and ensure compliance with state law.
To better understand employee experiences, Chair Jessica Vega Pederson and Deputy Chief Operating Officer Travis Graves commissioned the County’s Evaluation and Research Unit to conduct the review in fall 2023. The comprehensive report considered the input from 81 employees through interviews, focus groups, an anonymous survey, and a review of case outcomes. Additionally, the assessment benchmarked staffing and practices against similar entities such as Seattle/King County and Oregon Health and Science University. Despite findings that employees view the CIU staff as professional and caring, with investigations described as impartial, there remains an undercurrent of distrust in process transparency and a significant time disruption to teams when complaints are lodged, according to a document obtained by Multnomah County's news release.
One alarming piece of data highlighted in the report is the higher rate of discrimination complaints against Black and African American managers, disproportionate to their representation in the workforce. This is coupled with the trend that these managers are leaving the County at higher rates post-complaint, raising concerns about the causal impacts of the investigation process. Chair Vega Pederson has taken the findings "very seriously" and emphasized the need for further work in a statement released to employees. She underscored that the findings are a catalyst for both building on successes and changing what’s not working in the CIU.
