Skip to main content
Audit

Audit  Audit of the Human Resources Division

Our office conducted a performance audit of the Human Resources Division (HRD) for the period July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2022.

Organization: Office of the State Auditor
Date published: July 5, 2024

Executive Summary

In accordance with Section 12 of Chapter 11 of the Massachusetts General Laws, the Office of the State Auditor has conducted a performance audit of the Human Resources Division (HRD) for the period July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2022. When designing the audit plan for affirmative action and diversity plan annual progress reports, we extended the audit period to December 31, 2022 to include the annual progress reports due in August 2022.

The purpose of our audit was to determine the following:

  • whether HRD ensured that state agencies submitted an affirmative action plan, in accordance with Section 3.1(A) and bullet points 6 and 10 of Section 7 of HRD’s Guidelines for Implementing Executive Order 592;
  • whether HRD ensured that state agencies submitted a diversity plan, in accordance with Section 3.1(B) and bullet points 6 and 10 of Section 7 of HRD’s Guidelines for Implementing Executive Order 592; and
  • whether HRD ensured that state agencies submitted an annual progress report that detailed actions these state agencies took and progress these state agencies made toward meeting their affirmative action and diversity goals, in accordance with Section 3.2 of HRD’s Guidelines for Implementing Executive Order 592.

Below is a summary of our findings and recommendations, with links to each page listed.

Finding 1
 		HRD did not ensure that each state agency submitted an affirmative action plan and a diversity plan in a timely manner, nor did it implement any remedial courses of action.
Recommendations
 
  1. HRD should develop, document, and implement monitoring controls to ensure that HRD sends follow-up communications to state agencies within the timeframe established for noncompliant state agencies that have not submitted affirmative action plans and/or diversity plans.
  2. HRD should develop, document, and implement monitoring controls to ensure that HRD notifies the chief human resources officer with a recommendation for remedial courses of action until a state agency is compliant.
Finding 2
 		HRD did not ensure that each state agency submitted annual progress reports in a timely manner.
Recommendations
 
  1. HRD should ensure that the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity updates its “Accountability Policy for Affirmative Action Plans for Executive Branch Agencies” to include procedures for missed deadlines for annual progress reports, how HRD should send follow-up communications for late submissions, and how HRD should retain documentation regarding these follow-up communications.
  2. HRD should establish the conditions under which HRD takes remedial courses of action against noncompliant state agencies and how HRD should retain documentation regarding these actions.
  3. HRD should ensure that it retains each state agency’s annual progress report.
Finding 3
 		HRD did not ensure that one state agency identified and detailed the actions it took to meet its affirmative action goals.
Recommendation
 		HRD should develop, document, and implement monitoring controls related to its annual progress report review. These monitoring controls should include guidance and procedures regarding (1) when HRD should either return for amendment or reject progress reports that are missing crucial information (such as the good faith efforts state agencies made toward achieving their goals) and (2) how HRD ensures that state agencies document any good faith efforts they made toward achieving their goals.

Table of Contents

Appendix

Downloads

Help Us Improve Mass.gov  with your feedback

Please do not include personal or contact information.
Feedback