The IG questioned the GPO's seriousness to remedy the issues identified. Image: Tito Wong/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffAn inspector general review of official time at the GPO has resulted in a testy exchange between the IG and agency management over the audit’s findings.
While the GPO is a legislative branch agency, it generally follows most executive branch employment policies including regarding official time, which is on the clock time that employees are allowed for certain union-related purposes.
The IG said that official time “has improved relations between management and labor unions because official time facilitates working jointly to develop solutions or improvements to address workplace challenges.” However, it found that the GPO “lacked adequate controls, processes, and guidance to ensure that the official time used was accurately recorded in the time and attendance system or had met activities authorized.”
In its response, the agency termed that a matter of “record-keeping weaknesses” but the IG fired back that that characterization “may be viewed as dismissive . . . our report repeatedly provided a fair representation of inconsistent or potentially negligent management controls, processes, and guidance which impacts a program affecting over half the workforce. In our opinion, this is not a minor “record keeping” issue.”
And where the IG questioned official time for several employees, the agency responded that management is solely responsible for determining whether official time meets the standards of being “reasonable,” “necessary,” or “in the public interest.”
Said the IG: “This is a curious assertion. The report makes no such claims but simply points out where management did not follow its own guidelines, rules or regulations, or in some cases basic supervisory practices . . . flexibility, even with respect to the nature and complexity of the official time requests, should not be a defense against implementing strong internal controls.”
It added; “Taken in sum, their attitude towards this report’s finding does raise some concern about the agency’s seriousness to remedy the issues identified.”
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