Image: Andrii Yalanskyi/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffFederal agencies are making little use of Intergovernmental Personnel Act mobility program, GAO has said, even though such rotations, which typically are for two years, are relatively easy for agencies to administer, can be used fill needs quickly, and have lower costs “compared with other means of gaining skills or expertise.”
The authority allows rotations between federal agencies and eligible organizations including state and local governments and colleges. Those who rotate out remain federal employees, with pay and other aspects of federal employment continuing. Those who rotate in also continue as employees of those organizations but may become subject to certain federal ethics rules.
However, GAO found in a look at Defense, Energy, GSA and NASA with organizations eligible under that law that each averages fewer than 100 rotations in per year and that the numbers of rotations out are even lower. It attributed the low levels of use to lack of awareness, reluctance of agencies or organizations to temporarily lose employees, and concerns about conflicts of interest restrictions, some of which would continue after the assignment.
It also cited a lack of clarity in OPM guidance regarding the extent to which those brought in may supervise in-house employees and the potential for such persons, inexperienced in federal employment practices, to “take performance management actions that could pose risks to the agency.”
Also, OPM “does not have complete and accurate data needed to track mobility program use” and without it, “does not have the information needed to reliably inform its strategic decisions to oversee, provide guidance, promote, or more generally understand how federal agencies are using the mobility program to meet their mission and address critical skills gaps.”
Safety Protocols in Force Even Though Vaccine Mandate Isn’t, Administration Says
Another Deadline Coming Up for Funding Agencies
MSPB Study Looks at Damage From Aggression in the Workplace
Enforcement of Vaccine Mandate Suspended Pending ‘Ongoing Litigation’
Agencies Told to Stop Processing Exception Requests, Discipline under Mandate
TSP Outlines Strings Attached to Upcoming Investment ‘Window’
5.1 Percent Federal Raise Proposed; Marks First Step in Long Process
When Should a Federal Employee Apply for Social Security Benefits?
