Because of this problem, FDA was unable to receive unqualified audit opinions on its financial statements for fiscal 1996 and fiscal 1997. The House Commerce Committee summoned agency officials to a hearing last April to explain the property management problems. FDA is taking the problem seriously, says Byrd. In the area of human resources management, FDA has a mix of centralization and decentralization that serves the agency well. Most FDA human resources professionals work for the Office of Management and Systems, a centralized human resource office, but each of the agency's seven centers has a complement of HR staffers as well.
Morale is high.
FDA has been aggressive in providing flexible work options. FDA has few labor relations problems. The National Treasury Employees Union, which had represented only about 20 percent of FDA field employees, won an election in April 1997 that will extend its representation to approximately 60 percent. Union officials praise FDA managers for their attention to labor relations since the election. ASAP FDA also seems to have been able to strike a balance between centralization and decentralization in managing information technology.