News Briefs

THE DAILY FED

News Briefs

SECTIONS TO CHOOSE FROM:

ASPA's 58th National Conference

The American Society for Public Administration is hosting its 58th National Conference in Philadelphia July 26-30. The theme this year is "Global Challenges, Local Responses." Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala will address the conference. Download the registration form and fax it to (202) 638-4952.

DTIC Annual Conference

The Defense Technical Information Center is presenting its Annual Users Meeting and Training Conference on Nov. 3-6, 1997 at the DoubleTree Hotel, National Airport, Arlington, Va. The conference theme is Information in the New Millenium. Contact Ms. Julia Foscue at 703-767-8236 or by e-mail at jfoscue@dtic.mil.

The following news summaries are from OPM AM, the daily newsletter of the Office of Personnel Management. OPM AM is available on OPM Mainstreet, the agency's electronic bulletin board, at 202-606-4800.

**TSP OPEN SEASON**The Thrift Savings Plan Open Season runs through July 31. During this time, you may begin contributing to the TSP, change the amount of your TSP contributions, or allocate TSP contributions to your account among the three investment funds. To get more information and download the forms you will need, click here.

THE FEDERAL TIMES--"After years of shrinking, freezing outside hiring and focusing on placement of people who lost federal jobs, agencies are renewing their acquaintance with recruiting and trying some new methods--from Internet advertising to more tightly focused job fairs"...The Census Bureau will have to look at 2.5 million applicants to land about 285,000 short-term, part-time and term employees for the decennial census. They expect to fill more than 4,000 enumerator and other short-term census jobs with welfare recipients...Nearly half the government's employees work in "excepted" service outside some laws and regulations covering civil service (The Federal Times, 7/29/97).

AUO--Misuse and abuse of "administratively uncontrollable overtime" pay causes some agencies to shell out too much in overtime pay. Responding to congressional concerns, OPM and agency inspectors general checked out how agencies use the overtime. The findings prompted OPM to issue new guidelines to agencies June 13 instructing them to increase reviews of the overtime (The Federal Times, 7/28/97).

THIS IS SERVICE?-Eroding customer service--blamed in the past on layoffs and cost-cutting efforts--has been getting even worse in a time of low unemployment. In many areas, companies either go short-staffed or hire less-qualified workers...Slipping customer service isn't the only downside to full employment. Many companies say a lack of qualified workers prevents them from accepting business, thereby slowing economic growth (USA TODAY).

THE FEDERAL DIARY--A reader questions why he would receive a job announcement from the Department of Agriculture when he did not request it. Agriculture officials say they never send mass mailings for job announcements to "resident" or "occupant" but cannot explain how they obtained this individual's address (The Washington Post).

OF INTEREST--Some companies are starting to take a long-term view of recruiting by pitching their jobs to junior high school students (USA TODAY)...Chronic procrastinators have characteristics in common (USA TODAY)...Employers begin reporting new hires to help nab "deadbeat dads" (The Wall Street Journal)...Some companies are hiring back departed employees. The advantage? They get a known quantity who knows their business and culture and requires little hand-holding (The Wall Street Journal, Managing Your Career).