A Slap on the Wrist Won't Do

The EPA inspector general has advised the agency to take employee wrongdoing more seriously, and improve on the average 200 days that it takes to initiate disciplinary actions when misconduct is found. Some of the EPA's actions that weren't tough enough, according to the IG: an oral admonishment to an employee who was absent without authorization for a total of more than 50 days, and a letter of reprimand issued to an employee who pled guilty in court to stealing a credit card from another agency and using it for personal purchases. EPA officials generally agreed with the IG’s recommendations.--Jenny Mandel