Audit of SSA Reopening Shows Broader Issues of Returning Teleworkers
An audit has illustrated issues that arose with the partial reopening of SSA field offices, including a lack of contact …More
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Report Shows Pattern of Increased Sick Leave Usage at USPS During Pandemic
Postal Service employees used 8 percent more sick leave in 2020 than in 2019, an inspector general report has said …More
OPM Maps Repeal of Trump-Era Disciplinary Rules
OPM intends to act in August to repeal a wide-ranging set of rules it issued last fall to carry out …More
Building Occupancy Limit Lifted; Reentry Guidance Calls for Reviews of Telework
New guidance from the Biden administration paves the way for bringing more federal employees back to their official duty stations …More
Guidance Issued on New Juneteenth Federal Holiday
Following is guidance issued by OPM on June 17 regarding the new Juneteenth National Independence Day holiday that passed Congress …More
Hybrid Schedules Expected for Much of Federal Workforce; Seen as Recruiting Incentive
In their memo to agencies about drawing up workplace “reentry” plans, OMB, OPM and GSA said they “anticipate that many …More
Agencies Can’t Require Employees to Disclose ‘Vaccination Status,’ Task Force Says
The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force has issued the following guidance related to agencies asking employees whether they have been …More
GSA Moves to Widen Relief from Taxes on Relocation Payments
The GSA has proposed to reimburse more categories of federal employees for additional taxes they may owe on the value …More
Court Says Challenge to Hatch Act Guidance on Trump Impeachment Moot
A federal appeals court has left unresolved questions raised by 2018 guidance from the Office of Special Counsel regarding the …More
All Workplace Changes Must be Bargained Over, Says Guidance; Employees to be Notified
New workplace planning guidance from the Biden Administration stresses in several places that agencies must “satisfy any applicable collective bargaining …More
OPM: Hiring Push, Labor Relations, Diversity are Top Priorities
OPM has listed hiring for critical skills, labor relations and diversity and inclusiveness initiatives as among the administration’s top priorities …More
Budget Process Setting Stage for Federal Employee Policies; OPM, OMB Still Without Confirmed Leaders
Congress has started hearings that will lay the groundwork for decisions on federal employee policies and the budgets for the …More
OPM Broadens Direct Hire Authority for Former Feds; Higher Pay Grade
OPM broadened an authority for agencies to non-competitively hire former federal employees into competitive service positions, by extending that authority …More
OPM Addresses Concerns Over Former Feds Taking Positions at Higher Grades
In finalizing a broadening of a non-competitive hiring authority for former federal employees, OPM addressed concerns that were raised during …More
Reminder on FSA Election Opportunity
A “special election period” for the flexible spending account program that started June 1 runs through the end of the …More
DHS Moves to End Separate Pay, Bargaining Policies for TSA
DHS has moved to end the separate pay and union-related policies that have applied to its subcomponent TSA at management’s …More
Biden Budget: 2.7 Percent Federal Pay Raise, No Benefits Cuts
President Biden has proposed a 2.7 percent federal employee raise for 2022 while meanwhile seeking no changes in benefits programs, …More
Budget Drops Reference to Study Cited for Holding Down Pay; Views of Co-Worker Performance
The White House budget proposal drops reference to a study on federal pay that the Trump administration had cited for …More
Max Telework Authority Remains in Place as WH Reviews Workplace Issues
The White House budget proposal takes no firm position on the question of potential changes to telework and other pandemic-related …More
Vaccine: EEOC Updates Guidance on What Employers Can Ask or Require
The EEOC has updated and expanded its prior guidance on how the laws it enforces affect workplace considerations related to …More
Survey: Feds Cite Safety Concerns in Returning from Telework
Assurance of properly functioning ventilation systems, notifications about potential COVID-19 exposure of colleagues, protections against retaliation for employees who report …More
MSPB Calls Its Situation ‘Dire’
After more than four years of lacking a quorum on its governing board to decide appeals, the MSPB “faces its …More
I Fund Sets the Pace for TSP in May
The international stock I fund gained 3.61 percent in May, well outpacing the other two stock-based TSP funds; the large …More
Special Election Period ahead for FSA Program
The flexible spending account program for federal employees will hold a “special election period” June 1-30 due to a series …More
Pressures Growing for Both Sides on Remote vs. Onsite Working
Pressure is building on the question of how soon and how widely to return federal employees from telework to their …More
Proposed Changes in Hiring, other Personnel Policies Get Hearing in House
The House Armed Services Committee has held a hearing on recommendations on a number of hiring and other federal employment …More
New Senate Postal Bill Mirrors House Measure; Other Bills Offered
A bipartisan group of senators has introduced a counterpart to a bill moving in the House to revise numerous Postal …More
Review of TSP Investment Policies to Include “Climate-related financial risk”
President Biden has ordered an assessment of how the TSP “has taken environmental, social, and governance factors, including climate-related financial …More
Court Takes Broad View of USERRA Protections
A federal appeals court has taken a broader view of federal workplace protections for veterans than was advocated by one …More
OMB Loosens Federal Workplace Mask Requirements, Hints at More Changes to Come
Fully vaccinated federal employees no longer need to wear masks in federal buildings, OMB has said, while adding that that …More
