Summary: Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on equal employment opportunity (EEO) issues in the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) Midwest District Office.
GAO noted that: (1) IRS has acknowledged EEO-related problems in its Midwest District Office, including problems in hiring and promotion, and has begun addressing them; (2) after an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission administrative judge's finding that an IRS employee was a victim of discrimination, the district produced a climate assessment report noting that a lack of trust and goodwill pervaded the work environment; (3) in addition, although the recent independent team did not find discriminatory hiring or promotion practices, its August 1998 report contained many recommendations related to several district problem areas it identified, including the hiring and promotion processes; and (4) since the independent team's report was issued, a new District Director has been named who has stated her commitment to overcoming the district's contentious and long-standing EEO problems.
