Some thought that the Veterans Affairs Secretary should be a medical doctor, because much of the VA business involves medical problems of veterans. However, it was clear to me that the VA difficulties were primarily administrative, from a leadership point of view, and the mishandling of medical problems was only ancillary.
The Washington Times has now come up with a headline that according to Robert McDonald: Firings have begun at Veterans Affairs. Secretary McDonald said that firing processes have begun for employees flagged for disciplinary action in the wake of recent issues with the department that have seen veterans shuttled to secret waiting lists, among other things. A newly-announced reorganization of the department, intended to boost customer service for veterans, is the biggest in history, he said. “We can’t change this department unless we change the culture,” Mr. McDonald said on CNN’s “New Day.” “Primary to changing the culture is holding people accountable when they violate our values…if somebody has violated our value of integrity, we’re going to go after and seek their dismissal [or] separation.”
He went on to say that there is a list of about 40 names they report to Congress each week and another list of more than 5,000 names of people they’re seeking disciplinary action against, or who have been disciplined over the last year. A reporter asked whether he had fired any of those those approximately 40 people. “Of course we have,” said McDonald. He said that the law, presumably from Congress, requires that candidates for firing be first put on Administrative Leave, during which time they are receiving full pay without work. A judge then decides what disciplinary procedures should be followed for each case.
I am pleased with the appointment of Robert McDonald, where his previous as CEO of Procter & Gamble allowed him the hiring and firing of various people. However, I now am questioning whether he is being hamstrung by an outdated law established by Congress. It appears that Congress may have established a law making it difficult to fire employees in order to establish a stability of organization. However, that process also protects from firing various persons who are inept in their jobs.
It now behooves Congress to re-examine any such restrictive firing laws in order to put them on the same basis as those once used in private industry and commerce. This is not to say that any governmental change and firing procedures should be exactly equivalent to those now being used in industry and commerce, because through the years the process has been eroded to the point where government has intruded into the private firing process making it almost equally difficult for private and corporate CEOs to properly do their jobs.
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