The CFPB continues to face employee morale and fairness perception problems, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released Monday.
And the agency lacks tools to measure whether those issues are being addressed, the agency said in its performance audit, which included a survey of CFPB employees.
The GAO study followed a series of congressional hearings in 2014, during which CFPB employees leveled allegations of discrimination and retaliation. In addition, employees complained in an internal report that year that bureau managers demonstrated elitism, favoritism, discrimination and a lack of respect.
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Some 85% of those who responded to the GAO survey said their supervisor treated them fairly. However, more than 30% disagreed with the statement that a culture of accountability exists for all employees.
A similar percentage disagreed with the statement that success at the agency is based more on merit than personal connections and favoritism. And in the CFPB's Office of Consumer Response, Office of Human Capital and two of the four agency regional offices, 40% or more disagreed.
More than 25% of respondents said they could not raise concerns or file a complaint without fearing reprisal from a manager. And 23 of the 45 survey respondents who reported experience with the agency's equal employment opportunity complaint process disagreed with the statement that the Office of Civil Rights was a neutral party.
More than 60% of executive and nonexecutive employees responded to the survey, the GAO said.
In a response to the study, CFPB officials said they have taken steps to ensure employees are treated fairly.
The GAO said perceptions about fairness, trust and accountability can take years to address, adding that the CFPB has taken steps to improve those problems. However, the agency does not comprehensively report on its goals and whether they are being reached, according to the GAO.
The GAO report is the second this month to criticize the CFPB. It reported last week that the CFPB's FY15 financial statement showed the agency did not have policies in place that would guarantee its financial statements were prepared in accordance with accepted standards.
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