News Briefs

THE DAILY FED

News Briefs

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.

THE FEDERAL DIARY--"Thousands of federal workers now have a decade of 401(k) investment experience--and many are counting on stocks rather than Treasury securities to pay for their retirements" (The Washington Post, Sunday)...Today's column responds to questions from readers about special salary rates (The Washington Post).

GRUMBLING--"Complaining about your job with colleagues is a well-established ritual, presumable unassailable. But be careful; it's not. A little-noticed Federal appeals court ruling has shown that employees can be dismissed for muttering to one another within earshot of customers" (The New York Times, Sunday).

SOCIAL SECURITY--"Since its inception in 1935, Social Security has been a phenomenal success. Leave it alone" (The Washington Post, Sunday).

WORKPLACE--"Bounties are offered, help-wanted advertisements are posted on billboards and headhunters lurk on the Internet. Qualified computer workers are hunted down wherever they might be. With the fast pace of growth in high-tech fields, many companies are struggling to find technical talent to fill their needs" (The Washington Post, Sunday)..."Buyouts and incentive packages may prompt people to leave the work force early, but many of these retirees soon decide they'd rather be back on the job," says an employment counseling firm (Odd Jobs, The Washington Post, Sunday).

VETERANS--"Clinton affirmative-action stand fails to give veterans their due" (Sgt. Shaft, Washington Times).

FMLA--Under final regulations recently issued by OPM, "Gay federal employees cannot take advantage of the Family and Medical Leave act (FMLA) to care for their same-sex partners. Under the previous regulations, they couldn't take advantage of FMLA to care for their partners either--unless a state approved legal recognition of same-sex marriages" (The Washington Blade, January 10).

OF INTEREST--How forgetful are you? Don't worry just yet. "Sporadic memory losses occur in all ages. Not every little fumble in memory is an indication of something ominous" (The Wall Street Journal, Health Journal).