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DOCUMENT FESUME
1'4316 - [B3494754]
[The Need to improve Holiday Administration Overseas]. ID-78-7;
B-180403. December 12, 1977. 2 pp. + enclosure (9 pp.).
Report to Secretary, Department of State; by J. K. Fasick,
Director, International Div.
Tssup Area: Personnel management ard Compensation: Compensation
(305).
Contact: International Div.
Budget Function: international Affairs: Conduct of Foreign
Affairs (152); General Government: Central Personnel
Management (805).
Congressional Relevance: House Comwittee on Post Office and
Civil Service.
GAO previously reported to Congress that the degree to
which holidays were being observed overseas appeared to be
inappropriate. The Department of State advised its diplomatic
and consular posts of these findings and asked them to review
their holiday observance policies. 7he posts were told that they
should observe only local holidays where failure to do so would
be contrary to the interests of the United States, ;,it the posts
were not specifically instructed to reduce the numb-r of
holidays obi1g._.ved. Findings/Conclusions: U.S. Embdssies in the
17 countries originally reviewed recognized an average of 19.8
holidays in 1973 and 19.1 in 1976. According to 1977 holiday
schedules, these Embassies will recognize an average of 18.2
holidays. The decreaE~e in 1977 is largely because the Embassy in
Laos reduced the number of holidays it recognized to 14, down
from 30 In 1973 and 25 in 1976. It would appear that the posts
need stronger urging if the number of holidays recognized
ovprseas are to be significantly reduced. In October 1977, the
Civil Service Commission asked Federal departments and agencies
to comment on proposed guidelines for observing holidays in
forrign areas. The guidelines emphasize giving American and
foreign rational employees only thcse holidays which are their
official holidays ur.less the employees are placed on annual
leave for the day or the annual pay of foreign national
employees is reduced to reflect additional non-workdays
rssulting fr'c. observing Federal hclidays. The guidelines appear
to be sufficiertly tlexible to cover the varying circumstances
w.thin and betu'een foreign countries and specific enough, if
properly implemented, to reduce the number of lost workdays.
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