Counselor Magazine June 2012 : Page 34

News GSA Suspends Incentive Program The federal General Services Administration (GSA) has sus-pended an employee awards program amid allegations of excessive gift limits and mis-appropriation of funds. The GSA’s “Hats Off” program, which was meant to reward employees with points that they could redeem for gifts selected from an online store, ended when investigators for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Commit-tee found that the managers responsible for running the incentive plan were its biggest beneficiaries. Dan Tangherlini, the newly-appointed acting administrator of the GSA, said in a video state-ment to employees that he was ending the incentive program and will review all spending at the agency. “This is a clear expression to our customers and the taxpayers that GSA employees understand that serving our customers well is reward enough,” he said. in 2010 that cost $820,000. The agency’s Hats Off incentive program initially gave out items of nominal value, but over time the awards became iPods, digital cameras, GPS devices and other Also, the GSA had trouble keep-ing track of the merchandise, as investigators found that 115 iPods valued at $20,000 could not be accounted for, while another 40 iPods were stolen from the Philip Burton Fed-eral Building in San Francisco, according to the Inspector Gen-eral’s report. “The Hats Off award pro-gram degenerated into a taxpayer-funded giveaway where employees handed out iPods to their office buddies for almost any reason,” said Rep-resentative John Mica (R-FL), chairman of the House Trans-portation Panel, in a statement. “Not surprisingly, the inspector general’s report identified the supervisors who ran the Hats Off store as the biggest winners of taxpayer swag.” – AC “The Hats Off award program degenerated into a taxpayer-funded giveaway where employees handed out iPods to their office buddies.” John Mica, chairman of the House Transportation Panel The GSA, which essentially acts as the real estate agency for federal buildings, has been under fire recently for lavish spending, including a confer-ence and meeting in Las Vegas high-end electronics. In fact, in the last four years the GSA spent $438,000 on gifts for the incentive program, which was found to far exceed the agency’s per-gift limit of $99. Stock Up on Lightweight Workwear at EQP PRICING NOW! END COLUMN PRICING NO UPCHARGES ON LARGER SIZES PLUS FREE FREIGHT! * $6.21 CLASS 2 $10.58 CLASS 2 800.688.GAME (4263) www.gamesportswear.com BEAT THE HEAT Visit www.gamesportswear.com for other hot summer specials. STYLE 214 $7.59 CLASS 2 $9.66 STYLE I-684 CLASS 2 $7.36 STYLE I-287 CLASS 3 $8.28 STYLE I-85 POLY MESH CLASS 2 $8.28 POLY WOVEN CLASS 2 STYLE 221R STYLE I-84 *18pc minimum for Free UPS ground freight, orders may include any of the styles shown. Call for large order pricing. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Offer good until July 31, 2012. Mention promo code 82 when ordering. WORKING HARD FOR YOU. GAME is the industry leader for Firefighter Job Shirts. We offer a large in-stock inventory of 10 job shirt styles, most of them MADE IN USA, with endless customization options. (Not included in promo 82). 34 JUNE 2012 | COUNSELOR FOLLOW US TM ASI 55752 UPIC GAME0001 SAGE 50417 PPAI 111401

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