Defense employees reluctant to report ‘revolving door’ abuses

Twenty percent of Defense Department officials and procurement personnel responding to a recent survey said they knew someone they believed violated post-government hiring rules, but only a fourth of those respondents reported the alleged violation.

Some of the reluctance to report possible violations may stem from uncertainty about how the rules apply, according to an analysis by the Defense inspector general's office. Only 21 percent of respondents said they found post-government employment rules "very clear," while 56 percent rated them "somewhat clear" and 17 percent said they were unclear.

The survey was commissioned by the Defense IG's office in late 2005 in response to a scandal in which Darleen Druyun, a senior Air Force procurement official, admitted she gave Boeing Co. preferential treatment in contract negotiations in exchange for a job with the company.

The survey examined the knowledge and opinions of civilian and military personnel at the GS-12 level and higher regarding post-government employment restrictions. It drew 3,134 responses, for a 35 percent response rate. Ninety-five percent of respondents had worked in government for more than five years.

When polled about seeking advice on employment restrictions, 89 percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that Defense personnel should speak with an ethics counselor before retiring, but only 21 percent felt such consultations take place.

Respondents generally felt their peers were ethical, with 64 percent in the lowest-paid group and 86 percent of the highest-paid group saying they felt their co-workers carefully considered ethical questions. In each of the three pay groups studied, employees rated their supervisors as ethical at a slightly higher rate than they did their peers.

In a series of questions targeting potential ethics violations that went unreported, respondents said the main factors in their silence were that they did not believe corrective action would be taken (47 percent), did not believe they could file an anonymous report (36 percent), feared retaliation by management (32 percent), or were "not sure it was a problem" (38 percent).

Among the most senior respondents, 60 percent said none of the supplied reasons described their failure to report the violation. Only 8 percent of respondents said they thought someone else would report the problem.

Of the 159 respondents who did report a violation, 40 percent said they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the agency's response, while 18 percent were satisfied or very satisfied. Many of those dissatisfied cited a lack of management response and cover-ups of the problem.

Based on the survey results, IG officials recommended that the Defense Standards of Conduct Office assess the risks associated with various post-government employment violations, and focus training on those with the most severe ramifications. That office should provide additional training for supervisors to help them mentor others and should periodically resurvey the workforce, the IG said.

Stephen Epstein, director of the Standards of Conduct Office, made his own recommendation to the IG, urging that the department notify employees who make complaints of the resulting actions. The IG office said financial restraints have prevented the development of an information management system for that purpose.