U S Government Accountability Office

Securities and Exchange Commission U S Government Accountability Office

" Personnel management is important to the mission of federal agencies. Several high-profile enforcement failures have raised concerns about SEC's personnel management. Section 962 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act mandates GAO to report on SEC's personnel management. This report examines (1) SEC's organizational culture and (2) its personnel management challenges and efforts to address these challenges. GAO assessed SEC's personnel management systems against OPM guidance and other criteria related to workforce planning and performance management (which includes appraisals and feedback); reviewed relevant reports; surveyed SEC employees and senior management (with 78 and 74 percent response rates, respectively) to gather their views on SEC's organizational culture and personnel management practices; and spoke with former employees, the SEC Inspector General, representatives of the employees' union, financial industry associations, consulting firms, and academics. "