Expert's View:
The High-3
Last week I talked about what’s included in basic pay, and what isn’t. . . writes benefits expert Reg Jones.
Agencies Share Tips on Using Loan Repayment
OPM’s student loan report for fiscal 2009 includes a number of best practices on leveraging repayment authority to help with recruitment and retention.
Agencies – especially the Departments of Justice, Defense, Health and Human Services, and State, the Securities and Exchange Commission and GAO, which use it the most – say the authority to repay these loans is valuable tool, but one that is often limited because of a lack of resources.
Nonetheless, agencies have developed ways to strategically implement and administer their repayments. More
US Marshals Questioned Over Practice of Storing Body Scan Images
Prominent lawmakers are questioning the director of the US Marshal Service, seeking clarification as to why marshals have been storing images produced from full body scans taken at an Orlando courthouse.
Sens. More
MSPB: Some Competencies Not Trainable
The Merit Systems Protection Board has said agencies should think twice before committing resources to trying to train employees for certain competencies that are less trainable than others.
It said some competencies can be developed through training such as job knowledge, some are moderately trainable such as language or social and reasoning abilities, while some are less responsive to training such as motivation and “mental style.”
Agencies should carefully examine second attempts at training and for less trainable competencies, some employees may not have the prerequisite abilities to benefit from the training they are attempting in the first place.
For example a third of federal employees in a recent survey said they were about to attempt to learn something they trained for previously, and most were for inherently unquantifiable competencies -- 30 percent were “retrying” to develop motivational skills, and about 40 percent were attempting to hone their mental style.
MSPB recommended greater use of pretests to help identify employees who have the necessary abilities to benefit from training for less trainable competencies.
MSPB Warns Against Targeting Vacancy Announcements to Specific Candidates , 08/30/10
Managers May Advocate for Political Parties, Candidates on Facebook, 08/30/10
OSC Releases FAQ on Hatch Act and Social Media, 08/30/10
Sen. Panel Approves Veterans Bills, 08/20/10
Union Praises Senate Panel Vote Favoring VA Bargaining, 08/20/10
Accountability for EEO Programs Assessed, 08/20/10
VA Testing Paperless Claims Processing, 08/19/10
GAO: Stronger Leadership Needed for Integrating Research Into NextGen , 08/19/10
Park Service Branch Gets Good Grades, 08/19/10
Union Issues Vote of No Confidence in ICE Leadership, 08/17/10
Secure Border Program Deployed Across Southwest Border, 08/17/10
Funding for New Officers in Border Security Supplemental, 08/17/10
Freeze on Civilian Senior Executives, 08/16/10
DoD Efficiency Initiatives Include Support Contract Cuts, End to In-Sourcing, 08/16/10
No Pay for Performance for Defense Intelligence Agencies, 08/16/10
House Committee Passes IG Improvement Bill, 08/10/10
OMB Will Fund Program Evaluations for Fiscal 2012, 08/10/10
Agencies Still Working to Assess Foreign Language Needs and Address Shortfalls, 08/10/10
VA, HUD, Labor Carrying Out Homelessness Prevention Pilot, 08/04/10
Report Substantiates FAA Oversight Failures, 08/04/10
CIO Council Offers Privacy Office Guidance, 08/04/10
DoD Not Fully Reporting Additional Costs, 08/03/10
Little Room for Error as BRAC Deadline Nears, 08/03/10
Obama Calls for Plans to Hire More People With Disabilities, 08/03/10
Appeals Court Weighs in on Labor Relations Spat, 08/02/10
Accountability for EEO Programs Assessed, 08/02/10
Greater Supervisory Accountability Called For, 08/02/10
Bill Would Give FDA Immediate Recall Authority, 07/29/10
House Panel Passes Supervisory Training Bill, 07/29/10
OMB Issues Science and Technology Budget Guidance, 07/29/10
DHS Announces Additional Funding for Border Operations, 07/27/10
GAO: Data Lacking on Customs and Border Protection Program, 07/27/10
White House Safe Workplace Initiative Eyes Bottom Line, 07/27/10
National Guard to Support Federal Law Enforcement Along Southwest Border, 07/26/10
GAO: High-Threat Environment a Challenge for USAID Afghanistan Mission, 07/26/10
OMB Calls on Agencies to Make IT Accessible to Persons with Disabilities, 07/26/10
GAO Report Puts State Department on the Defensive, 07/21/10
USPS, Commerce Announce Business Partnership, 07/21/10
IG: DHS Needs to Finalize Planning Documents in Systems Consolidation Effort, 07/21/10
DHS Announces Cross-Border Initiatives with Canada, 07/20/10