DEPARTMENTAL MANAGEMENT GOALS
The DOL Management Review Board (MRB) coordinates action on the
Presidents Management Agenda and other department wide management issues.
The Deputy Secretary is shown here discussing program performance results and
cost issues with the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management, who
is chairperson of the MRB, and the Acting Chief Financial Officer. Photo by:
Shawn Moore
DOL is committed to improving mission performance through better
utilization of information technology, effective stewardship of DOL resources,
and maintainingan environment in which employees are encouraged todevelop their
individual skills and pursue career goals.To achieve these objectives, the
Department has increased the electronic distribution of training and other
human resources information, continued upgrades to the payroll systems,
expanded continuous learning and career management programs, and increased
participation in employee-friendly programs. This section
highlights progress toward achieving the Department's internal management goals
in the program support areas of human resources, finance, and information
technology.
MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY AND STEWARDSHIP OF THE DEPARTMENTS
FINANCIAL RESOURCES
All DOL financial systems meet the standards set in the Federal
Financial Management Improvement Act (FFMIA) and the Government
Management Reform Act (GMRA).
Results: The goal was fully achieved, as all 17 financial
management systems met the FFMIA standards. The Department fully achieved the
GMRA standards as confirmed by the unqualified opinion on its Consolidated
Financial Statement audit.
Program Description: The Office of the Chief Financial Officer
(OCFO) provides comprehensive direction to all DOL agencies on financial policy
arising from financial, legislative and regulatory mandates. FFMIA requires
agencies to implement and maintain financial management systems that
substantially comply with Federal financial management systems requirements,
applicable Federal accounting standards, and the United States Government
Standard General Ledger at the transaction level. GMRA requires each agency to
prepare and submit audited financial statements. The financial statements must
comply with the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Bulletin No. 97-01,
Form and Content of Agency Financial Statements (and amendments).
Analysis of Results: For the fifth consecutive year, DOL received
an unqualified ("clean") audit opinion which states that the financial
statements are presented fairly in all material respects in accordance with
accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. Also, no material
weaknesses were identified in the Report on Internal Controls.
During FY 2001, all 17 eligible DOL systems met the requirements of
FFMIA. Previous years audit findings for the Back Wage Collection and
Disbursement System and the Civil Money Penalty System were eliminated during
the 2001 audit conducted by the Departments Office of the Inspector
General.
Strategies: During FY 2001, the Department invested substantial
funds to improve the financial systems of the DOL program agencies, resulting
in the closure of all outstanding recommendations.
Goal Assessment and Future Plans: The Department has maintained
the goal of all financial systems and operations being in compliance with FFMIA
for FY 2002 and will seek to remain in compliance in the future.
(Goal FM1 FY 2001 Annual Performance Plan)
MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY AND STEWARDSHIP OF THE DEPARTMENTS
FINANCIAL RESOURCES
DOL meets all new accounting standards issued by the Federal
Accounting Systems Advisory Board (FASAB) including the Managerial Cost
Accounting Standard.
Results: The Department fully achieved the goal.
Program Description: The Office of the Chief Financial Officer
(OCFO) provides guidance, assistance, and oversight in implementing cost
accounting applications at summary levels in each Agency to measure costs in
achieving organizational goals. In FY 2001, the Department continued its work
in meeting the managerial cost accounting requirements outlined in FASAB
Statement Number 4. Development of cost accounting applications is continuing
in FY 2002.
Analysis of Results: The Department maintained compliance with
all FASAB accounting standards.
Strategies: As part of the effort to advance progress toward full
compliance with Federal managerial cost accounting requirements, the Department
is developing a strategy to systematically implement managerial cost accounting
across DOL. Several agencies conducted pilot projects during FY 2001 that
improved organizational and financial management practices. For example, the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration used the pilots results to
evaluate and re-engineer processes; OCFOs initiative provided support for
reimbursement and fee-setting determinations; and the pilot developed more
effective budgeting and cost controls for the Veterans Employment and
Training Service. For FY 2002, DOL is moving from a strategy of conducting
agencyby-agency pilot programs to a department wide approach for
implementing managerial cost accounting.
Goal Assessment and Future Plans: The Department will continue to
maintain compliance with the new Government wide standards for financial
systems and accounting practices. With the shift to a department wide approach,
efforts will focus on the development of a high-level departmental cost
accounting model. This model will provide improved cost information and support
better accountability and resource allocation. Later updates will provide more
detailed cost information and better reporting capabilities in support of
performance budgeting. These cost accounting efforts will significantly enhance
management decision-making in the Department by providing accurate, relevant,
and timely information on the cost of DOL programs.
(Goal FM2 FY 2001 Annual Performance Plan)
EXTEND AND IMPROVE ACCESS TO AUTOMATED SERVICES
Increase integration of DOL IT systems and extend access to automated
services.
Results: This goal was met. The first phase of the
Departments common office automation software was completed, and
additional electronic services were made available to employees and managers to
enhance hiring, communications, and other services.
Program Description: The Departments Office of the
Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management (OASAM) provides
leadership, policy guidance and assistance to DOL agencies to promote the
efficient and effective use of information technology (IT).
Analysis of Results: Two performance indicators were established
to measure the accomplishment of this goal: installing the first phase of a
common office software suite within DOL, and increasing electronic services
provided by the Departments internal network LaborNet.
Implementation of DOL-wide common office software is a 3-year initiative
which began in FY 2001, and progress to date includes 90 percent installation
at DOLs National Office, including the training of employees to work in
the new software environment. Operating from a common set of department wide
software tools has improved internal efficiency, allowing employees to work
collaboratively through sharing networking, word processing, email, and other
applications.
Online LaborNet enhancements during FY 2001 include the posting of
vacancy announcements via the Departments QuickHire system, providing
computer training announcements, the addition of a Sexual Harassment Awareness
course, and a new Flexiplace webpage for employees to learn about the alternate
work arrangements offered by the Department. LaborNets Locator system,
which provides online access to employee phone numbers and office addresses,
was enhanced to allow employees to update their contact information through
designated agency personnel. Acustomer service survey posted on LaborNet
indicated that 83 percent of respondents were satisfied with the content and
timeliness of LaborNet information. Finally, throughout the year LaborNet was
continuously updated to keep employees informed of current events
including information related to the September 11 attack on America, such as
assistance for affected workers and security practices and procedures.
Goals Assessments and Future Plans: The Department has developed
a more outcome-oriented information technology goal and performance measures
for FY 2003. The new goal is: Improve organizational performance and
communication through effective information management and deployment of IT
resources. The goal incorporates quantifiable measures for several key
objectives, including improving customer access to DOL information and
services, reducing severe unauthorized intrusions, and facilitating vendor and
grantee services to the Department and its constituents.
(Goal IT1 FY 2001 Annual Performance Plan)
ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF THE DOL WORKFORCE AND SUPPORT DOL EMPLOYEES
Goal HR1: Recruit, develop, and retain a highly competent and diverse
workforce to support the accomplishment of the DOL mission by:
- Attract a diverse, highly competent applicant pool of candidates
- Provide lifelong learning programs and services to support mission
accomplishment
- Implement and expand model workplace initiatives to enhance morale
and retention rates.
Results: This goal was achieved. Performance measures were met or
exceeded for all four of the goals performance indicators.
Program Description: To accomplish its mission more effectively,
DOL strives to attract highly competent and diverse job applicants. Selecting
officials are given the opportunity to assess the effectiveness of recruitment
efforts by providing feedback about the quality and diversity of applicants.
Following employment, the Department offers employees a myriad of tools to
develop their skills and advance in their careers, including formal classroom
and online courses, workshops, seminars, career counseling, mentoring, and
career development programs. Employees also receive assistance to balance their
work and family lives through workplace services and programs, thus enhancing
morale and retention rates. These programs include: leave transfer and leave
sharing for employees facing health or family crises; the web based Employee
Express service which allows access to the employees human resources
information such as taxes, health insurance and savings plans; and
LifeCare.com which offers employee assistance in prenatal planning,
adoption, child care, adult dependent care and other areas of interest to the
employees and their family members. Since workplace disputes and grievances
will arise inevitably among a workforce of approximately 16,500 employees, the
Department established a nationwide program for Alternate Dispute Resolution to
allow management and employees to mutually resolve disputes.
Analysis of Results:
- 85 percent of managers will indicate satisfaction with the
diversity and quality of applicants referred for their vacancies.
Ninety-seven percent of hiring officials expressed satisfaction
with the quality of job applicants, and 95.5 percent indicated satisfaction
with the diversity of these candidates.
- Increase utilization of career assistance and continuous learning
opportunities by 25 percent over FY 2000.
Employees increased their use of career assistance and
continuous learning opportunities by 26 percent.
- Reduce third-party litigation by 2 percent via use of Alternative
Dispute Resolution approaches.
Managers and employees accepted Alternative Dispute Resolution
approaches to reach solutions to 10.3 percent of disputes originally designated
for binding third-party resolution.
- Increase participation in family friendly programs by 10 percent
over FY 2000.
Overall participation in family friendly programs increased by
111 percent, with the use of Employee Express accounting for the
bulk of this increase, but employees took advantage less frequently of some
services during FY 2001, particularly LifeCare.com. While management is
committed to ensuring that family-friendly options are available to all
employees who seek them, participation is voluntary, and employees seek
assistance in response to specific needs or problems.
Program |
FY00 |
FY01 |
Change |
LifeCare.com |
7,899 |
4,380 |
-45% |
Leave Transfers |
1,398 |
1,281 |
-8% |
Leave Bank |
802 |
985 |
+23% |
Employee Express |
12,888 |
41,865 |
+225% |
Goal Assessment and Future Plans:
The Department has significantly revised this performance goal for FY
2002 and 2003 to incorporate the broad based workforce planning objectives
identified in the President's Management Agenda.
(Goal HR 1 FY 2001 Annual Performance Plan)
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Arneice, a Claims Examiner with the
Office of Workers Compensation Programs, participated in the Departments
Pilot Mentor Program. Her mentor, Bonita, is a Program Analyst with the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Bonita shared her knowledge
about DOL with Arneice and provided useful feedback about career development
strategies. In particular, Bonita provided Arneice with valuable advice about
how to better manage her time and heavy caseload while still providing
excellent customer service. Since she began her mentoring relationship with
Bonita, Arneice has received several letters of commendation for the high level
of assistance she provides for ill and injured Federal employees. In
particular, several members of the Senate and House of Representatives have
commended her work in this area. Arneice highly recommends the DOL Mentoring
Program and believes the time was well spent! |
Photo by:
Shawn Moore |
REDUCE THE RATE OF LOST PRODUCTION DAYS
Reduce the rate of lost production days (i.e., number of days
employees spend away from work due to accidents and injuries) by two percent.
Results: This goal was not achieved. The Departments rate
of lost production days increased by 8.6 percent in FY 2001.
Program Description: This goal is one of the Departments
two measures under the Government-wide Federal Employees Health and Safety
Initiative led by DOLs Office of Workers Compensation Programs
(OWCP) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Within DOL,
the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management (OASAM)
assists DOL agencies to reduce work related injuries and illnesses, and to
return recovering employees to the workplace at the earliest appropriate time.
Analysis of Results: The Departments rate of lost
production days increased from 57.1 days per 100 employees in FY 2000 to 66
days per 100 employees in FY 2001. Overall, because DOL experienced an increase
in the rate of employee injuries and illnesses in FY 2001, the goal of reducing
employee lost production days was inherently more difficult.
Strategies: The Department expects to improve results in 2002 by
targeting new resources to develop programs and activities to minimize hazards
contributing to increased injuries and illnesses experienced by DOL employees
assigned to field locations, to use enhanced analytical capabilities to
identify and assess DOL agencies having the largest number of lost production
days, and to target injury case management resources in areas of special
concern. More specifically, four positions have been filled in DOL regions with
elevated rates of injuries and illnesses, and OASAM will assist DOL agencies to
effectively use the analytical capabilities of the new electronic workers
compensation claims filing system to identify cases that would benefit from
Early Nurse Intervention and Return-to-Work strategies.
Goal Assessment and Future Plans: The Federal Employees Health
and Safety Initiative extends for three more years and the Department will
continue to focus attention on reducing employee injuries and illnesses and
fully utilizing Return-to-Work strategies.
(Goal HR2 FY 2001 Annual Performance Plan)
REDUCE THE INJURY RATE AND IMPROVE TIMELINESS OF FILING INJURY CLAIM
FORMS
Reduce the injury/illness rate for DOL employees by 3% and improve
the timeliness of filing injury claim forms by five percent
Results: This two-part goal was not achieved. The injury/illness
rate for DOL employees increased by 11 percent in FY 2001 based on preliminary
data, and the timeliness of filing injury claim forms decreased by 2.1
percentage points.
Program Description: This goal is one of the Departments
two measures under the Federal Employees Health and Safety Initiative led by
DOLs Office of Workers Compensation Programs (OWCP) and
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. To reduce injuries, and
illnesses among DOL employees, the Departments Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Administration and Management monitors on-the-job injuries and
illnesses and initiates appropriate interventions and corrective actions.
Agency |
Incident Rate |
Mine Safety and Health Administration |
9.45 |
Occupational Safety and Health Administration |
5.44 |
Employment Standards Administration |
4.53 |
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration
and Management |
2.51 |
Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration |
1.73 |
Employment and Training Administration |
1.51 |
Bureau of Labor Statistics |
1.27 |
Analysis of Results: In FY 2001 DOLs goal was to reduce
injuries and illnesses to 3.49 cases per 100 employees while filing 57.4
percent of claims in a timely manner. The rate of injuries and illnesses filed
with OWCP by DOL in FY 2001 was 4.07 cases per 100 employees. However, this
rate does not account for cases denied by OWCP. While data from the past
several years indicate that OWCP denies approximately 10 percent of DOLs
total claims, the number of cases denied at the time of this report adjusted
the rate to 4.01 cases per 100 employees. A final rate will be available later
in FY 2002, following the completion of reviews on additional pending cases.
As in FY 2000, injury and illness rates fluctuated widely among DOL
program agencies, reflecting the types of responsibilities performed by the
agencies. The employees of some DOL agencies, such as the Mine Safety and
Health Administrations mine inspectors, are engaged in far more hazardous
field activities than the majority of DOL employees who work in office
environments.
The Department also did not achieve the second measure under this goal,
targeting the filing of 57.4 percent of workers compensation claims by
agencies within 10 working days of the employees notification of the
injury. The Department filed 55.2 percent of claims on time during FY 2001, a
decrease of 2.1 percentage points from the 57.3 percent of claims filed timely
in FY 2000.
Strategies The Department will undertake new efforts to reduce
the overall occurrence of injuries for DOL employees. These efforts will
include assisting agencies to use the recently implemented electronic
Workers Compensation claims filing system to more quickly identify injury
and illness trends and the hazards causing these trends so that interventions
can be targeted at the causes of the higher rates of injuries and illnesses.
The Department has also added staff in four Regions with elevated injury and
illness rates to provide technical assistance in accident and injury
prevention. The new electronic Workers Compensation claims filing system,
implemented on October 15, 2001, is expected to significantly increase the
timeliness of filing claims.
Goal Assessment and Future Plans: The Federal Employees Health
and Safety Initiative extends for three more years, and the Department will
continue to focus attention on reducing employee injuries and illnesses.
(Goal HR3 FY 2001 Annual Performance Plan)
VERIFY AGENCIES COMPLIANCE WITH CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS
Major DOL program components are in compliance with applicable Civil
Rights laws and regulations and achieve equal opportunity workplaces. This is
accomplished by:
- Assessing compliance and recommending corrective action, as
appropriate, through reviews of two (2) DOL program components.
Results: This goal was exceeded. The following four program
components of the Employment Standards Administration (ESA) were reviewed and
found in compliance: the Wage and Hour Division, the Office of Federal Contract
Compliance Programs, the Office of Management and Planning, and the Office of
Labor Management Standards.
Program Description: The Department has placed a high priority on
establishing DOL as a model workplace. As part of this effort, the Office of
the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management (OASAM) conducts
reviews of the equal employment opportunity programs of DOL agencies to gauge
their effectiveness in establishing an equitable and accessible environment for
all employees.
Analysis of Results: The Office of Workers Compensation
Programs was reviewed in FY 2000. Review of the remaining four program
component agencies of ESA completes the equal employment opportunity program
analysis of components employing approximately 4,000 staff, almost one quarter
of the Departments total workforce. Overall, the review, which included
extensive staff surveys and interviews as well as assessment of each ESA
organizations equal employment opportunity policies and procedures, found
that ESA complied with applicable civil rights and equal opportunity
regulations. Further, the organizations practices in the areas of
recruitment, hiring, development, advancement, and retention of staff supported
workforce diversity. The reviews comprehensive data analysis, including
separations, hires, promotions, affirmative employment, performance appraisals,
awards, surveys and staff interviews, provided valuable information that will
directly assist the agency in future workforce planning efforts.
At least 9 of 10 employees responding to an employee climate survey
reported their managers to be good or excellent about making accommodations for
employee disability, religious practice, or family needs. Further, 7 in 10
employees rated their work organizations as good or excellent in areas
addressed in Departmental and ESA equal employment opportunity policies
inclusion, valuing differences, and respect for others. In addition, nearly 80
percent of respondents perceived that their supervisors generally or always
made decisions based on merit. Although 7 of 10 ESA respondents to the climate
survey indicated their workplaces were characterized by mutual respect and
cooperation between employees, almost 2 of 5 believed that the agency did not
handle conflict promptly and effectively, a potential contributing factor in
the filing of equal employment opportunity complaints. To address these
employee concerns, OASAM is working with ESA to improve conflict management
through training officers to assess the agencys specific needs and
interests, and to encourage enrollment in the Departments course
offerings in conflict management, team building, and leadership skills.
Goal Assessment and Future Plans: Based on the cumulative review
of one-third of the Departments workforce since FY 1999 with favorable
results, the Department will discontinue this goal in FY 2002 and redirect
resources to compliance assistance activities related to training and expansion
of DOLs mediation program.
(Goal HR-4 FY 2001Annual Performance Plan)
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