U.S. Department of State Fiscal Year 2020 Agency Financial Report

not receiving regular, structured professional development, mentoring, training, and opportunities. 69 In Australia, FAST employees at the embassy and Consulate General Sydney told OIG there were few activities or opportunities in which they could gain additional experience. 70 Holding Leadership Accountable to Department Principles Effective leadership remains a paradigm of the Department’s success, but FY 2020 witnessed some incidents that hindered some employees’ trust in that leadership. In one report, OIG found that Department officials ended the detail of a career employee after significant discussion concerning the employee’s perceived political views, association with former administrations, and perceived national origin, which are non-merit factors that may not be considered in assigning career personnel under the Department’s policies. OIG recommended the Department institute training on the Department’s merit-based personnel rules for political appointees. 71 At Embassy London, OIG learned through employee questionnaires and interviews that the Ambassador sometimes made inappropriate or insensitive comments on topics generally considered sensitive, such as religion, sex, or color. According to Department policy, offensive or derogatory comments based on such categories can create an offensive working environment and could potentially rise to a violation of Equal Employment Opportunity laws. 72 In Nepal, Consular Section managers’ failure to adequately address improper conduct by two officers had a negative effect on locally employed staff morale. Several months before the inspection, staff complained to consular managers about the officers’ conduct, which involved the use of abrasive language and tone with visa applicants and frequent pressure on locally employed staff to translate the rude comments. Although 69 ISP-I-20-08, December 2019. 70 ISP-I-20-07, February 2020. 71 OIG, Review of Allegations of Politicized and Other Improper Personnel Practices Involving the Office of the Secretary (ESP-20-01, November 2019). 72 OIG, Inspection of Embassy London and Constituent Posts, United Kingdom (ISP-I-20-12, August 2020). 73 ISP-I-20-22, May 2020. 74 ISP-I-20-12, August 2020; ISP-I-20-22, May 2020. 75 OIG, Compliance Follow-Up Review: Targeted Review of Leadership and Management at the National Passport Center (ISP-C-20-27, June 2020). consular managers attempted to address the officers’ conduct and had kept the Deputy Chief of Mission fully informed, the officers’ conduct continued to be a problem even after the inspection. After OIG questioned their handling of the situation, consular managers worked with the Front Office and the Human Resources Officer to take further action. 73 We note that there are counterexamples within the Department, and our inspection work frequently highlights embassy leadership that strives to set the appropriate tone at the top. 74 Additionally, in a compliance follow-up review to a 2018 report that found long-standing and widespread leadership and management deficiencies at the National Passport Center, OIG found that the Bureau of Consular Affairs had undertaken various initiatives to implement OIG recommendations. 75 7 P romoting A ccountability T hrough I nternal C oordination and C lear L ines of A uthority Promoting accountability through careful internal coordination and clear, well-defined lines of authority is still a challenge for the Department. OIG finds that poor coordination and vague or dispersed authority are at the root of some of the Department’s other deficiencies. This is a concern that affects a wide range of Department functions: it is often implicated in problems particular to certain Department programs or projects, and it is likewise relevant to some of the Department’s more long-standing and systemic difficulties, including ensuring physical and information security. In a recent evaluation concerning the Department’s handling of sexual harassment reports, OIG found that the Department lacks coordination and guidance on the investigative and disciplinary processes for these reports. The Department does not have joint guidance that coordinates the Department’s 128 | U ni ted S tates D epartment of S tate 2020 A gency F inanci al R eport OTHER INFORMATION | INSPECTOR GENERAL’S STATEMENT ON THE DEPARTMENT’S MAJOR MANAGEMENT AND PERFORMANCE CHALLENGES