How Hard Is It To Fire A Federal Government Employee? [VIDEO]

We've talked a couple of times about how hard it can be to fire bad employees in the public sector. In fact, the Chicago Tribune had an unbelievable chart a few years ago on How Bad Teachers Survive. In short, after hearings and appeals and more hearing and more appeals it can take up to five years to get rid of even the most "deserving" teachers in the Chicago Public School system.

On the national level, CBS reports that at the Environmental Protection Agency, an employee who has been caught watching porn while on the job is still on the payroll. Officials accused him of viewing videos two to six hours a day while at work since 2010. In fact, investigators found 7,000 pornographic files on his computer. Why is he still working? Red tape is the excuse.

CBS News took a deeper look at similar cases:

A CBS News analysis of cases under review by the Merit System Protection Board (MSPB), an appeals board for federal workers, found other instances of employees who had committed seemingly fireable offenses who were later reinstated to their jobs, often with back pay and interest.

Here's the full report that aired on CBS:

CBS says even workers who are angry, hostile, or threatening can stick around for a while:

Firing belligerent or hostile workers is difficult, too. One former manager told CBS News he tried for more than a year to fire an employee who was intimidating co-workers and superiors, at one point even chasing a manager down the hall.

Upset about being reprimanded, the employee sent him numerous menacing emails, including one that read: "I can stand over you to [sic]. I am 6 foot 3 inches and I weigh 265, and I am not backing down. ... And by the way, I do know where you live."