On the basis of data submitted by the 41 departments and agencies and our discussions with them, 77 individuals holding noncareer positions were converted to career positions during the 32 months from May 1, 2001, through December 31, 2003. These conversions were reported by 18 of the 41 departments and agencies we surveyed. The other 23 departments and agencies reported no conversions during thi

GAO noted that: (1) federal agencies have broad statutory and regulatory authority to design and implement a variety of incentive programs, including monetary incentives (such as performance and other cash awards) and nonmonetary incentives (such as plaques, trophies, and personal expressions of gratitude and support from superiors) to directly support their unique missions, goals, and organizati

GAO noted that: (1) agencies' complaint inventories and, even more so, EEOC's hearings and appeals inventories, have increased since fiscal year (FY) 1991; (2) at agencies, the number of unresolved complaints in inventory rose about 102 percent, from 16,964 at the end of FY 1991 to 34,267 by the end of FY 1997; (3) at EEOC, during this period, the inventory of hearing requests from complainants i

GAO noted that: (1) most of the federal organizations responding to GAO's survey did not provide comprehensive data on resources used for union activities; (2) of the organizations that provided data, none provided GAO all of the data requested for all of the 8 fiscal years covered by GAO's survey; (3) in some cases, the data they provided covered only portions of fiscal years or were reported on

GAO found that: (1) federal agencies have the discretion to grant employees official time for certain union activities; (2) government employee unions are significantly involved in operational and management decisions but generally cannot bargain over employees' pay and other economic benefits; (3) over the last 6 years, the time spent on union activities at SSA has grown from 254,000 hours to at

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the charging of official time for federal workers' union activities. GAO noted that: (1) 59 percent of federal employees are represented by unions at four agencies; (2) the use of official time for union activities is a widely-established practice in the federal government, but it is limited to noninternal union business; (3) union stewards and e

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed union activities at the Social Security Administration (SSA) and how these activities compare with other federal agencies, federal corporations, and the private sector. GAO noted that: (1) unions have significant involvement in operations and management decisions and union representatives use authorized paid time off to conduct their activities;

GAO discussed the administrative redress system for federal employees. GAO noted that: (1) the federal employee redress system is a complex and duplicative system that affords employees redress at three different levels; (2) the system is inefficient, expensive, and time-consuming because of its complexity and the variety of redress mechanisms available; (3) the system contains significant overla

GAO found that: (1) the agencies have spent significantly more money on employee training and have used in-house training for at least part of their training efforts; (2) in-house training has resulted in reduced costs, customized programs, and credibility with employees; (3) increased and more direct communication between managers and employees has improved the flow of ideas, information sharing

GAO found that: (1) authorizing legislation permits but does not require federal agencies to institute AWS programs; (2) agencies' headquarters promulgate general AWS policies that vary widely and generally do not permit the maximum allowable flexibility in work scheduling; (3) most agencies delegate to their operating units decisionmaking authority to institute AWS programs and decide which empl