USPS Response to Sexual Harassment Complaints

Submitting OIG:

Report Description:

The mission of the U.S. Postal Service is to provide the American public with trusted, affordable, and universal mail service. The Postal Service employs 653,167 career and noncareer employees to carry out its mission. To ensure its employees are working in safe conditions and are compliant with applicable laws and regulations, the Postal Service has policies in place to promote safety and a workplace free of all harassment, including sexual harassment

Date Issued:

Monday, January 9, 2023

Agency Reviewed / Investigated:

U.S. Postal Service

Submitting OIG-Specific Report Number:

21-173-R23

Location(s):

Agency-Wide

Type of Report:

Audit

Questioned Costs:

Funds for Better Use:

Number of Recommendations:

View Document:

Attachment	Size
21-173-R23.pdf	6.69 MB

Recommendation Number	Recommendation Status	Significant Recommendation
1	Open	Yes
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.
2	Open	Yes
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.
3	Open	Yes
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.
4	Open	Yes
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.
5	Open	Yes
Update Publication 552 to require validation that managers and supervisors have completed required training before they initiate an Initial Management Inquiry Process.
6	Open	Yes
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.

Recommendation Number

Recommendation Status

Significant Recommendation

Additional Details

Open

Yes

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.

Open

Yes

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.

Open

Yes