Most human resource problems experienced by supervisors relate to attendance. Discipline is taken for misconduct involving attendance than all other causes put together. Federal employee attitudes about leave are changing for several reasons, including the fact that many FERS employees see sick leave as being analogous to “personal days.” Here are steps a supervisor can take to get a handle on leave problems.
Last week’s article on the I fund generated questions and comments from readers. “Isn’t the I Fund a Risky Investment for a Conservative Investor?” was a common question. Here is more information about the I fund and the difference between the I fund and high risk/high reward “emerging markets”.
An employee of the Merit Systems Protection Board applied for a job at another agency. He was entitled to veterans’ preference but he was not selected for the job. A federal court upholds the agency’s handling of the personnel action as an agency is not limited “to the competitive examination process in making its final selection.”
Which candidate would readers prefer to see as the Republican nominee for President? The last time we surveyed readers was in February and Rudy Giuliani came in first. This time, a newcomer to the race finished first. There is also a much stronger showing for a candidate who has done well in the recent debates.
TSP participants are sitting back and watching their returns grow each month. Here is a summary of the biggest winners.
An Army EEO manager was erroneously issued a travel check and told not to cash it. But she cashed it and told the agency she had not received it. The official was fired and argued on appeal that it was her first offense so she should be able to keep her federal job. The court didn’t buy the argument.
Sometimes agency policy decisions can create a strong emotional reaction from the public.
All of the baby boomers will be long retired before we have a solution to this crisis that is supposedly going to be brought about by their retirement. Perhaps agencies should be looking seriously at a career development program that can be implemented at a local level and that does not require an Act of Congress.
A fired Postal Service worker claimed discrimination based on her military service. But, as the Administrative Judge pointed out, she had not been in the military. The fired fed did not see that as a problem limiting her appeal rights but a court took a different approach.
The Dept. of Veterans Affairs has a new policy that bans employees and volunteers from being involved in a flag folding ceremony with religious overtones. The new policy has overturned a long-standing tradition, infuriated veterans, and reduced the role of religion in burial ceremonies at national cemeteries. The new policy memo is not available and was “not meant for public distribution.”
