Coburn Cites AWOL Federal Workers Report
Senator Tom Coburn released a report today detailing the rapid growth in the annual number of hours federal employees are found to be absent without leave (AWOL) from their jobs.
Since 2001, 18 federal departments and agencies reported that employees have been AWOL for at least 19.6 million hours when they should have otherwise been working.
The investigation found that annual AWOL hours have increased gradually since 2001, climbing from approximately 2.5 million hours per year to 3.5 million hours in 2007. The disturbing findings of this report are an example of inefficiencies in the federal government that would not be tolerated in private companies.
“Everyone knows that rule number one for any job is showing up. No private company would put up with its employees refusing to show up for work, let alone watch the problem grow year after year. These findings are an insult to the American taxpayer and should be of great concern to the agencies included and members of Congress,” Coburn said.
Beginning in December 2006, Coburn launched an investigation into the extent to which federal employees fail to show up for work and are thus charged by their agencies with AWOL. Nineteen agencies – including all federal departments and several independent agencies – were asked to provide data for all AWOL hours recorded between 2001-2007.
“It is inexcusable that federal agencies would sit by and let this problem get worse, while some agencies are completely unaware that there even is a problem. Before agencies come hat-in-hand to Congress asking for money to hire more employees, they should fully use the ones they already have by getting the AWOL problem under control. AWOL employees put a hidden tax on the American taxpayer by making the federal government more inefficient with the resources it has been given,” Coburn said.
Only the State Department failed to provide any data for this study, citing as a reason that it does not measure AWOL time.
Since 2001, 18 federal departments and agencies reported that employees have been AWOL for at least 19.6 million hours when they should have otherwise been working.
The investigation found that annual AWOL hours have increased gradually since 2001, climbing from approximately 2.5 million hours per year to 3.5 million hours in 2007. The disturbing findings of this report are an example of inefficiencies in the federal government that would not be tolerated in private companies.
“Everyone knows that rule number one for any job is showing up. No private company would put up with its employees refusing to show up for work, let alone watch the problem grow year after year. These findings are an insult to the American taxpayer and should be of great concern to the agencies included and members of Congress,” Coburn said.
Beginning in December 2006, Coburn launched an investigation into the extent to which federal employees fail to show up for work and are thus charged by their agencies with AWOL. Nineteen agencies – including all federal departments and several independent agencies – were asked to provide data for all AWOL hours recorded between 2001-2007.
“It is inexcusable that federal agencies would sit by and let this problem get worse, while some agencies are completely unaware that there even is a problem. Before agencies come hat-in-hand to Congress asking for money to hire more employees, they should fully use the ones they already have by getting the AWOL problem under control. AWOL employees put a hidden tax on the American taxpayer by making the federal government more inefficient with the resources it has been given,” Coburn said.
Only the State Department failed to provide any data for this study, citing as a reason that it does not measure AWOL time.
Labels: AWOL Federal Employees, Tom Coburn
posted by Mike McCarville @ 9:59 AM
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