Any federal employee who may have wondered if career civil service employees are involved in politics need only consider the current budget war on spending for fiscal year 2008 (for the fiscal year that started October 1st). Will there be a government shutdown? Will “nonessential” federal employees be sent home? Will the dispute impact your 2008 pay raise?
Many federal retirees continue to work after leaving federal service. Here is a report on the jobs outlook in the defense industry located in the Southwestern United States–a popular destination for retirees.
An employee of DHS was fired by the agency for unauthorized absences on numerous occasions. The former fed went to federal court after having an arbitrator rule against her. In court, she argued the agency had improperly considered previous disciplinary actions in its decision.
In addition to the typical defense that he was fired because he was a “whistleblower”, this Air Force employee argued that his “employment contract” with the government did not outline the standard of review for indefinite suspensions. Fortunately for agencies, the court held that an agency is not required prior to hiring a new employee “to provide…all the case law that may become relevant….”
A firefighter at a Naval Air Station had 26 years of federal service. He had a big problem with duty assignments and complained at length in a “loud and abrasive” manner. He got fired and then contended the removal was based on retaliation for being a whistleblower. It didn’t work and a court upholds the removal.
For a harassment claim to succeed, among other things the plaintiff has to show that her employer knew (or should have known) about the harassment and did nothing to stop it. In this case, the atmosphere in the federal group sounded like a script from a popular sitcom. But the employee waited several months to complain. The end result was a summary judgment decision for the agency.
Organizations prepared to deal with violence are the exception rather than the rule. There were 564 workplace homicides in 2005, and homicide is the leading cause of death for women at work and the second leading cause of fatal occupational injury for men.
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.”
