News Briefs

THE DAILY FED

News Briefs

SECTIONS TO CHOOSE FROM:

20th Annual May Training Program

The 20th annual May Training Program will be held at the Arlington [Texas] Convention Center from 8:00am to 4:00pm on Tuesday, May 13th and Wednesday, May 14, 1997. The two-day training program consists of 13 professional speakers who will present 20 different workshops on a wide variety of topics such as motivation, organizational improvement, successful writing, sexual harrassment, communication strategies, career advancement, and many more. Some workshop titles include:

• How to Manage Projects, Priorities, and Deadlines;
  
• Communicate With Clarity, Confidence, andCreditability;
  
• Technology Never Stands Still.. Neither Should Your Career;
  
• Leapfrogging Roadblocks to Organizational Harmony;
  

Conference costs are $45 per day. Complete conference details are available at http://r6ser1.r06.epa.gov:8000/dfwfeb/calfwp.htm. The registration deadline is April 11,1997. For questions, please call Cheryl Moore, FWPC President, at 817-847-3898.

Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) Seminar

This two-day seminar scheduled for May 1 and 2 at OPM [in Washington, DC], is designed to help Employee Assistance Program counselors and other mental health professionals in developing and managing a CISD team. The seminar prepares participants to provide a variety of crisis services for distressed employees after a traumatic event occurs at work. For more information call Sheila Rozier at (202) 606-1269.

Third Annual Performance Management Conference

May 13-14, 1997, in McLean, VA, at the McLean Hilton Hotel. This conference is designed to provide practical, cutting-edge information on a wide variety of topics related to performance appraisals and awards. To receive a brochure, call (202) 606-2720, or fax a request to (202) 606-2395. For additional conference information, call Digna Carballosa at (202) 606-1778 or E-Mail dmcarbal@opm.gov.

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--Most federal agencies are downsizing and have the authority to offer early-out retirement. Yet hardly anyone is choosing that option and agencies aren't sure why (The Washington Post).

VA--"Seven of the nine senior Veterans Affairs Department executives accused of sexually harassing their employees in the past four years were allowed to retire, and one was given a $25,000 buyout (The Washington Post, A23).

REORGANIZATION--Plans to reorganize USIA, the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, the Agency for International Development and the State Department doesn't aim to cut jobs or budgets (The Washington Post, A23).

OTHER VIEWS--FEHBP is mentioned in a article about allowing military retirees to join the program (Navy Times, Springfield, March 17; Fairfax Journal, Fairfax, VA, March 9)...OPM mentioned in article about "buyback" of military time for retirement (Flagship, Norfolk, VA, March 13)...OPM mentioned in article about hiring at Tobyhanna Army Depot (Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA, March 18)...FEHBP mentioned in article about Medicare (Retirement Life Magazine, Washington, DC, April).