Government employees in general, and GAO employees  in particular, often conduct work that can have far reaching implications  and impacts. Such work can positively or negatively affect segments of the  population and thereby the general public’s perceptions of, and reactions  to, the federal government, including Members of Congress. Citing federal agencies that already have many of these flexibilities,  such as the Federal Aviation Administration and the new Department of  Homeland Security, as well as agencies currently seeking reform, such as  the Department of Defense, he has stated his belief that GAO needs to be  “ahead of the curve.”
Under the proposal, rather than relying on the administration’s  determination and the Congress’ mandate for an annual salary adjustment,  GAO can develop and apply its own methodology for the annual cost-of- living adjustments and compensation differences by locality that the  Comptroller General believes would be more representative of the nature,  skills, and composition of GAO’s workforce. These categories set artificial limits on the number of staff being recognized for their  contributions with merit pay and bonuses.”
Related to concerns about subjectivity in the performance assessment  system, Council representatives and employees expressed concern about  data indicating that as a group, minorities, veterans, and field-based  employees have historically received lower ratings than the employee  population as a whole. In this circumstance, employees would need to  reconcile themselves to no permanent pay increases regardless of their  performance. The EAC Appreciates the Comptroller General’s Efforts to Address Concerns of GAO Employees about Pay-Related Human Capital II Provisions

We appreciate the Comptroller General’s efforts to involve the Employee  Advisory Council and to solicit employee input through discussions of the  proposal.
Why GAO Did This Study

This testimony discusses how the Comptroller General formed the Employee Advisory Council (EAC) about 4 years ago to be fully representative of the GAO population and to advise him on issues pertaining to both management and employees. The members of the EAC represent a variety of employee groups and almost all employees outside of the senior executive service (more than 3,000 of GAO's 3,200 employees or 94 percent). The EAC operates as an umbrella organization that incorporates representatives of GAO's long-standing employee organizations including groups representing the disabled, Hispanics, Asian-Americans, African-Americans, gays and lesbians, veterans, and women, as well as employees in various pay bands, attorneys, and administrative and professional staff.

What GAO Found

The EAC serves as an advisory body to the Comptroller General and other senior executives by (1) seeking and conveying the views and concerns of the individual employee groups it represents while being sensitive to the mutual interests of all employees, regardless of their grade, band, or classification group, (2) proposing solutions to concerns raised by employees, as appropriate, (3) providing input by assessing and commenting on GAO policies, procedures, plans, and practices and (4) communicating issues and concerns of the Comptroller General and other senior managers to employees.