How the congressional workplace can better address harassment

Legislation passed in 2018 required the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights — which is responsible for enforcing fair employment and occupational safety for legislative branch employees — to improve its processes for addressing workplace harassment and discrimination.

According to a Dec. 30 Government Accountability Office report, however, OCWR has implemented a majority of the requirements outlined in the law, but it has not established and maintained a program for the permanent retention of records.

“The Reform Act required OCWR to establish and maintain a permanent records retention program, which includes records of preliminary reviews, mediations, hearings and other proceedings. Since November 2017, OCWR has operated under an interim records retention policy that requires it to permanently keep all records,” the report said.

“According to OCWR, it is not destroying or deleting any records. OCWR’s interim permanent records retention policy states that OCWR will establish standards and procedures for records integrity, privacy and confidentiality. However, as of October 2019, about 4 months after this requirement became effective, OCWR had not developed these standards or established other policies or procedures for maintaining a permanent records retention program other than the interim policy.”

The report also found that OCWR has further opportunities to incorporate better management practices into its handling of harassment and discrimination, such as developing procedures to address the risks that come with permanently storing records, establishing performance targets and milestones and monitoring the effectiveness of their work.

OCWR also stopped implementing changes and improvements to its IT planning, which GAO said could leave the office “less able to carry out its strategic initiatives.”

The report recommended that the OCWR develop a schedule of tasks to be developed, documented and updated throughout the lifetime of IT system projects; identify and assess risks associated with keeping permanent records; identify desired performance results; collect data to determine the effectiveness of harassment education and outreach efforts; integrate IT planning into the office’s overall strategic planning; and incorporate human management practices into that strategic planning.

OCWR agreed with the GAO report’s findings and recommendations.

In Other News

Oklahoma City bombing still ‘heavy in our hearts’ on 29th anniversary

Hatred of the federal government motivated former Army soldier Timothy McVeigh and co-conspirator, Terry Nichols, to commit the attack.

House passes billions in aid for Ukraine, Israel — next is the Senate

The House has approved a $95 billion package of foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies after months of turmoil on Capitol Hill.

Opinion

How Unified Attack Surface Management future proofs fed cyberspace

The threat landscape has evolved far beyond the capability of traditional perimeter-based cyber defenses to contain.

Here’s how the US could rush weapons to Ukraine, if Congress acts

The legislation would include more than $20 billion to restock the Pentagon’s shelves and ensure that the military services have what they need.

Ask Reg: How does my Social Security income affect my pension?

How your Social Security and federal pension intersect.

Opinion

Know your customer – as long as it’s not China

A proposed 'Know Your Customer' rule seeks to stop adversaries from getting their hands on advanced U.S. cloud and AI technologies.

VA to largely end animal testing on dogs, cats within two years

The Department of Veterans Affairs is slated to largely end testing on dogs, cats and nonhuman primates within the next two years.

Ready, set, scan: National Archives to digitize 500M records by 2026

At Archives II in Maryland, paper stacks are not something to be feared, but to be revered.

Biden says uncle’s remains never found during WWII due to cannibals

While the claim contradicts the DPAA report about his uncle's fate, Biden's comments on cannibalism in the region during WWII are not far off.

US, UK issue sanctions on Iran over drone and missile attack on Israel

Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control targeted 16 people and two entities in Iran that produce engines that power drones used in the April 13 attack.

Load More