Below is a list of our open audit recommendations. When a report is issued, the Postal Service responds to each recommendation, and if there is agreement, it provides a corrective action plan with a date of planned implementation. We request written confirmation from the Postal Service when those corrective actions are completed and evaluate this information and provide concurrence when the recommendation can be closed.
If the Postal Service disagrees with a recommendation, we work towards agreement by elevating discussions between USPS and OIG management. Any recommendations that the Postal Service does not act on remain open and are reported to Congress until a resolution is achieved.
Reiterate to managers and supervisors at all levels, the importance of policy requirements to manage and document leave, including pandemic-related leave.
$12,381,178
Closed
Agree
4
Reiterate Postal Service policy to all employees for consistent, nationwide
application for monitoring leave to not exceed allowable leave limits.
$0
Closed
Agree
2
Modify the system to allow for all employees to digitally complete Postal Service Form 3971, Request for Notification of Absence.
$0
Open
Agree
3
Modify the payroll systems or develop another methodology for accurate recording of administrative leave for rural carriers.
Reiterate to field supervisors the requirement to input continuation of pay hours into the Employee Resource Management System.
$0
Closed
Agree
2
Enhance the Enterprise Management Resource System and the Time and Attendance Collection System, respectively, to automatically calculate days of continuation of pay per employee and limit supervisor's ability to enter continuation of pay hours when the 45-day limit is reached.
$37,213
Open
Agree
3
Reiterate to supervisors the requirement to timely communicate to Injury Compensation Specialists when injured employees return to work or experience a change in Loss Wage Earning Capacity status; and record workers' compensation leave without pay hours.
$15,696,140
Closed
Agree
4
Enhance relevant systems to provide automated tools and edit checks to reduce reliance on manual procedures during the payroll and claims approval process.
To the VP of Delivery Operations: Develop a national plan, based on key data factors, to help reduce the aggregate costs of door deliveries along rural routes and in urban apartment buildings.
R1 – Enhance current Interactive Voice Response system performance metrics by including metrics for the rate of complete, contained calls and the rate of incomplete, abandoned calls.
R1 - Develop a formal avenue to periodically solicit feedback from Informed Visibility users to ascertain system functionality and gauge opportunities for enhancements.
Continue to evaluate and implement management staffing and retention strategies and reduce the percentage of acting supervisors/managers at the 10 facilities.
$0
Closed
Agree
6
Ensure that all non-career employees receive orientation training at the 10 facilities and explore ways to standardize on-the-job training nationwide to reduce the learning gap that may impact employee training, skills, and knowledge.
$0
Closed
Agree
7
Reinforce procedures to verify that required training for newly promoted supervisors and managers at the 10 facilities is completed in the period required to gain the needed knowledge, skills, and abilities to optimally perform their role; and consider implementing the procedures nationwide.
$0
Closed
Agree
8
Evaluate all employee exit/stay survey responses quarterly and communicate the results directly with management at the 10 facilities to ensure transparency and accountability and consider implementing the evaluations and communications of employee surveys nationwide.
$0
Closed
Agree
9
Provide refresher training to employees and supervisors at the 10 facilities on proper procedures for preparing, feeding, jogging, and culling mail prior to processing mail to prevent or reduce machine jams.
$0
Closed
Agree
5
Create a formalized program to track and provide standardized training for any employee at the 10 facilities who assumes a role as an acting manager or supervisor and consider implementing the program nationwide.
$0
Closed
Agree
2
Develop and implement an action plan, with milestones and measurable goals, to address all safety and health issues identified during our audit of the 10 facilities.
$0
Closed
Agree
3
In accordance with policies and procedures, remove excess mail transport equipment from the 10 facilities.
$0
Closed
Agree
1
Evaluate efficiency at the 10 facilities to identify inefficiencies in the mail flow (e.g., facility layout/location, space constraints, customer and service impacts, and equipment relocation costs) and, based on the results, consider properly aligning the impacted facilities to efficiently meet the challenges they face based on changes in market demand.
$82,429,376
Open
Agree
10
Issue supplemental guidance on management oversight to remind supervisors to check mail inventories and daily projections to ensure each machine is adequately staffed.
To provide refresher TACS disallowance of time policy training to all postal service employees responsible for disallowing time and determine the frequency of training and retention time for TACS training documents.
$0
Closed
Agree
3
Resolve system deficiencies that allow supervisors to bypass completing the time disallowance record by implementing system controls to ensure all required fields are completed once the affected employee is notified.
$1,612,467
Open
Agree
2
Develop a formal process to ensure supervisors and managers perform periodic reviews of disallowed timecard documentation for completeness in TACS.
Develop a verifiable process for all sexual harassment complaints from multiple systems to be accurately collected, monitored, and analyzed in accordance with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission requirements.
$0
Closed
Agree
5
Update Publication 552 to require validation that managers and supervisors have completed required training before they initiate an Initial Management Inquiry Process.
$0
Open
Agree
3
Implement system controls to require an issue code and issue description for cases processed in the Grievance and Arbitration Tracking System and issue guidance to staff to reiterate grievance case file retention requirements.
$0
Closed
Agree
4
Establish a process to refer sexual harassment complaints that are dismissed from the Equal Employment Opportunity complaint process for procedural reasons to Human Resources for management investigation.
$0
Closed
Agree
6
Require all users who have access to Workplace Environment Tracking System to provide documentation they completed the required training and implement a process to validate the training has been completed before granting access to new users.
$0
Closed
Agree
1
Conduct an employee-wide survey to assess the extent to which sexual harassment is not reported to the Postal Service and evaluate the effectiveness of the Postal Service's anti-harassment policies and procedures.
Develop a plan for on time arrival of the Post Office Box mail to administrative and remotely managed post offices at the Athens, GA, Sorting and Delivery Center.
$0
Closed
Agree
1
Develop measurable targets to address increases in customer inquiries during peak season.
