DOD uses term and temporary appointments to hire civilian personnel for non-permanent positions that have uncertain funding or workload. (Temporary appointments are generally shorter than term appointments.) DOD recently extended the duration of its term and temporary appointments. Term appointments can now last up to 8 years (versus 4 years), and temporary appointments can last up to 3 years (ve...

A 2009 executive order called for actions to increase veteran employment in the federal government. But concerns have been raised about the retention and job satisfaction of newly hired veterans. We found that, compared to similar non-veterans, veterans: Left government jobs at a higher rate (6.7% vs. 5%) between FYs 2014-2018Resigned 1.6 times more oftenLeft in their first 5 years at higher rates...

This is a supplement to our report, Securities and Exchange Commission: Personnel Management Shows Improvement, but Action Needed on Performance Management System, GAO-20-208. It provides the results from our web-based surveys of employees on their views about SEC’s organizational culture and other aspects of working there, such as training, intra-agency communication, leadership, and performanc...

The Securities and Exchange Commission works to protect investors and maintain fair, orderly, and efficient securities markets. To do so, it needs to attract and retain a high-quality workforce. SEC has strengthened its personnel management practices in workforce planning and other areas, but it has not implemented our 2013 recommendation to validate its performance management system by obtaining...

Technology, demographics, and attitudes toward work are evolving. But federal government employment policies were designed generations ago. As a result, the government may struggle to compete for talented workers—which is one reason why federal human capital management is on our High Risk list. We testified on talent management strategies. For example, agencies can: Assess skills gaps to ensur...

Technology, demographics, and attitudes toward work are evolving in the private and public sectors. But federal government employment policies were designed decades ago. As a result, the government may struggle to compete for talented workers—which is one reason why federal human capital management is an issue on our High Risk list. We testified about the state of the federal civil service and...

This is an e-supplement to GAO-16-62. It presents the results from GAO's survey of 57 senior CFPB executives as of January 31, 2015. A total of 36 senior executives responded to our executive survey for a response rate of 63 percent. GAO excluded responses to demographic and open-ended narrative questions...

Nonexecutive employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) who responded to GAO's survey identified strengths and areas for improvement in CFPB's personnel practices and culture. Most respondents agreed that enthusiasm for CFPB's mission is high and that immediate supervisors respect and value differences among individuals. However, GAO's survey found heightened concerns related to...

From 2006 through 2014, government-wide engagement levels—as measured by the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Employee Engagement Index (EEI)—increased to an estimated high of 67 percent in 2011 and then declined to an estimated 63 percent in 2014. This decline is attributable to several large agencies—including the Department of Defense—bringing down the government-wide average. The...

All seven of the agencies in GAO's review--U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and Transportation Security Administration--have written policies supporting an employee's ability to earn and use compensatory time off for r...