Air Force to Abolish 1,000 Civilian Jobs
The Air Force has announced plans to abolish some 1,000 civilian positions by early April due to funding restrictions and …More
Federal Manager’s Daily Report
Sign up Now! Free eNewslettersDLA Faulted on Long-Term Storage
The Defense Logistics Agency unnecessarily incurred costs to store more than 760,000 items in long-term storage, valued at some $170 …More
Give Employees Time to Complete Survey, MSPB Says
MSPB is sending a Merit Principles Survey, saying that it “has asked participating agencies to instruct supervisors to allow employees …More
Prior Version Raised Favoritism Concerns
The results of the most recent survey, conducted in 2011, raised concerns about favoritism in personnel practices that will be …More
Alternative Purchasing Authority Used Relatively Little
Eleven federal agencies have authority to use “other transaction agreements”–which generally do not follow a standard format or include terms …More
Public Increasingly Sees Government as Problem, Not Solution
For the second straight year, the government has the unwanted distinction of being considered the nation’s number one problem, according …More
EPA Gets Mixed Review on Conference Spending Controls
The EPA has strengthened controls on conference spending in response to laws and OMB memos of recent years but still …More
EEOC Posts Discrimination Guidance
The EEOC has released new guidance regarding discrimination based on religion, national origin or race, advice that applies to the …More
Court Balances Hiring Programs
A recent federal court decision addressed the balance between two special hiring authorities, veterans’ preference and the Pathways Program, finding …More
Workplace Safety Allegation Not Supported, IG Says
The IG of the Energy Department has said that it did not substantiate a complaint it received regarding safety conditions …More
Guidance Sent on Hiring Policy Change
OPM has sent guidance on a law passed last year allowing certain individuals who are serving or who have served …More
Retroactive Whistleblowing Claim Rejected
The MSPB has rejected a Commerce Department employee’s attempt to use an uncommon but not unprecedented challenge to a disciplinary …More
IG Finds Management of Equipment Lacking
The Commerce Department IG has found excess inventory in the hands of grantees in the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, which …More
MSPB Cites Issues with Shortened Appeals
Extending more widely a shortcut process in place for appeals of senior executives at VA would put employees’ due process …More
DoD Could Better Target Acquisition Workforce Growth, GAO Says
DoD increased its acquisition workforce from about 126,000 to about 153,000 from September 2008 to March 2015, GAO has said, …More
SSA’s Ability to Detect Overpayments Questioned
The SSA continues to use a method previously found inadequate to detect substantial overpayments as required by an executive order, …More
GAO Faults DoD Workforce Planning
The Pentagon has only partially complied with requirements that it better plan and document its workforce needs for both its …More
Leave FECA Alone, Groups Urge White House
A coalition of nearly 20 unions and professional associations of federal and postal employees has asked the White House to …More
VA Tangles with Committee, IG over Discipline
When an IG report includes information that might be the basis of a disciplinary action against an agency employee, it …More
Several Personnel Reform Bills Advance
Two Senate committees have advanced personnel policy reform bills, including one of many pending that target the VA in light …More
OSC Cites Workload Growth, Asks for More Powers
The Office of Special Counsel’s workload has grown by about half over the last four years to about 6,000 complaints …More
Charge Card Measure Clears Senate
Before recessing, the Senate passed S-1616, to require the GSA to establish an Office of Federal Charge Card Analytics and …More
Grants Oversight Bill Also Passes
Also passed by the Senate was S-1115, to require agencies to close out within 90 calendar days expired grant accounts …More
Training Can Be Done for Less, Committee Told
The Office of Government Ethics has cited its own experience as an example of how federal employee training can be …More
Experience, Not Training, Shown as Best Route to SES
An MSPB report says that despite the emphasis on career development programs as a means of qualifying to rise into …More
Developmental Assignments Considered Most Effective
The MSPB report also assessed what types of training programs are the most common and most effective, based on responses …More
GAO Lists Best Practices for Project Schedules
GAO has published a best practices guide as a companion to its Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide, which outlines ways …More
MSPB Stresses Value of Frequent Feedback
Performance management involves more than annual performance appraisals, MSPB has said, stressing the value of frequent feedback from the supervisor …More
Other Benefits of Timely Feedback Cited
MSPB also said that timely feedback can result in more positive views of the supervisor and the workplace, two metrics …More
Forward-Looking Feedback Called More Effective
MSPB also said that the most effective feedback is forward-looking, not backward-looking. “Not surprisingly, most people do not enjoy being …More
