CNBC brings us a Financial Times article reporting the findings of a Government Accountability Office report on how difficult it is to fire rotten Federal employees. FT writes:
Firing government employees is such a lengthy and complicated process that most agencies don't even bother getting rid of their worst workers—no matter how badly they're failing at their jobs.If you haven't worked in government you are probably telling yourself it can't be as difficult as described above. Sadly, the description is accurate. During the process, which often takes 2 years, the loser sits in your section, angry, hostile, doing nothing useful and anything s/he can think of that is troublesome and divisive.
The federal government's ridiculously inefficient firing process is described and scrutinized in a report released this week by the Government Accountability Office. The auditors explain that the termination process for poor performing workers can take between 170 to 370 days depending on the situation. Sometimes the process includes counseling sessions for the employee, then a grace period during which the employee can attempt to demonstrate improvement.
If managers decide to go forward with termination, employees can still appeal that decision, which can take another 200 days to complete.
You'd rather put the person to be fired on paid leave of absence pending separation, but that isn't allowed. If it turns out that you, their boss, have done anything that isn't 100% by-the-book, with all I's dotted and T's crossed, the Merit System Protection Board administrative law judge will throw the case out.
Then you are stuck with the terrible employee, after investing maybe a year of your time in the process. No wonder government bosses don't bother to fire losers.
Honestly no one in government expects them to do so. The firing process is simply too labyrinthine, difficult and worst of all uncertain. Think due process run amok.
