GAO presented its Federal Human Resource Management issue area plan for fiscal years 1996 to 1998.

GAO plans to: (1) identify and assess alternatives for decentralizing and streamlining federal human resources management; (2) analyze alternative strategies for fundamentally reshaping the public service; (3) determine whether to privatize the services and functions that federal employees currently perform; (4) evaluate the alternatives for more systematic preparation and training of career managers and supervisors; (5) assess the recent development of the Senior Executive Service; (6) identify cost-effective ways to downsize the federal workforce; (7) help reform the federal job classification system; (8) identify policies to accommodate older workers and to better compete with other employers for the best job candidates; (9) assess the role of affirmative action; (10) examine the role of training in developing a higher performing workforce; (11) identify ways to encourage team management and employee cooperation; (12) identify alternatives to the current employee performance management system; (13) identify opportunities for improving the administrative redress system and federal equal employment opportunity complaint processing; (14) help redefine the role of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; (15) identify approaches for addressing sexual harassment and employee misconduct in the federal government; and (16) identify ways to improve the integrity and efficiency of federal retirement, benefits, and compensation programs.