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.

WORKING HOURS--"If and when the federal government has to send employees home quickly in the face of a snowstorm, hurricane, or other emergency situation, everyone will leave three hours before normal quitting time instead of following a schedule based on where they live, the Office of Personnel Management announced on January 27" (Government Employee Relations Report, Feb. 3).

THE FEDERAL DIARY--Thursday's scheduled House hearings on the civil service portion of the president's budget also could provide a sneak preview of Republican efforts to change health and retirement programs (The Washington Post).

FEDERAL NEWS--"A regulation that helps determine who stays and who goes during a federal RIF should be declared invalid because it gives additional points to employees based on their performance in positions unrelated to the ones for which they are competing during the RIF," NTEU said...."A bill to prevent another federal government shutdown in the event of stalled budget negotiations on Capitol Hill was introduced Jan. 29 by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz)"(Government Employee Relations Report, Feb. 3).

AROUND GOVERNMENT--The GSA is facing a $680 million shortfall because it underestimated the effects of a major rent reduction and smaller demand for office space due to the federal government's downsizing (The Washington Post).

OTHER VIEWS--FEHB model for Medicare (Republic, Columbus, IN, Jan. 20)...FEHP is mentioned in reader response to a Reader's Digest article about health insurance (Prince George's Journal, Lanham, MD, Jan. 16)...Changes made to application procedures for disability retirement (Detroit News and Free Press, Detroit, MI, Jan. 19)...FEHB is mentioned in article about HMO enrollment (Business Journal, Charlotte, NC, Jan. 6).

OF INTEREST--If you start thinking of your job in terms of "profits," you'll be able not only to deal with change, but be motivated to initiate change in your job and with yourself (The Federal Times, Work Hits Home, Feb. 17)...Your brainpower may be vastly underused on the job (The Wall Street Journal, Work Week).