The senior executives received discipline for conduct when they worked at the Health and Human Services Department. HHS headquarters building on Oct. 7, 2024, in Washington, D.C. J. David Ake / GETTY IMAGES
Two senior executives receive unpaid suspensions for unlawful hiring practices
While one of the executives currently works for a different agency with a new position, they will still be disciplined, OSC officials said.
The Office of Special Counsel on Dec. 23 announced that two senior executives would receive respective 30- and 36-day unpaid suspensions and retroactive reductions in pay as a result of settlement agreements for conduct involving unlawful hiring preferences.
An OSC investigation found evidence that two senior executives who were working in the Health and Human Services Department’s Office of Human Resources provided illegal preferences and advantages to job applicants, including by pressuring subordinates to choose unqualified individuals for multiple positions.
One of the senior executives in question now has a position at a different agency with elevated duties and pay, but that agency will have to enforce the settlement.
“These agreements reflect the principle that employees who engage in prohibited personnel practices will not be permitted to hide their offenses under the cover of new employment,” according to an OSC press release.
The Senior Executives Association, a professional organization for such federal employees, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier this month, OSC notified the president that it did not consider findings in separate whistleblower-initiated investigations by Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Aviation Administration to be reasonable.