Smithsonian's Incentive Issues

You can't accuse the Smithsonian of failing to use incentives to recruit and retain employees. The organization has paid out nearly $2 million in cash advances, relocation expense payments and tuition reimbursements in recent years, the Washington Times reports. But the institution failed to report some of the payments to the IRS and "may not have withheld the proper tax amounts for employee pay," its inspector general says in a new report.

Smithsonian officials say they're taking steps to address issues surrounding the incentive program. For example, they told the IG that as of Oct. 1, the organization no longer offers to reimburse moving expenses to new employees "except in limited circumstances where justified."