News Briefs

THE DAILY FED

News Briefs

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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.

OPM--"The Office of Personnel Management yesterday proposed a legislative fix to help federal workers who were placed in the wrong retirement programs and subsequently learned that their pensions would be less than they expected" (The Washington Post and Office of Communications Press Release 9/9/97).

THE FEDERAL DIARY--MSPB says Hispanics made up about 10 percent of the total U.S. work force last year but held only 6 percent of federal civil service jobs. According to a recent MSPB study, "Hispanics are the only underrepresented minority group government-wide" (The Washington Post).

STAFFING--Job growth in the temporary staffing industry has contributed to the current low unemployment rates, according to Alexandria, Virginia-based national Association of Temporary and Staffing Services (WORKFORCE, 9/97).

BENEFITS--High-tech, government and retail industries lead the pack in providing health benefits to nontraditional partners, according to NYC-based KPMG Peat Martwick LLP (WORKFORCE 9/97).

LOVE VS. WORK--Many employers think that delving into their employees' marriages is prying, and to an extent that's true. But employees don't need their bosses to meddle in their marriages, they need them to be supportive and acknowledging of the fact that they have personal relationships that may need some work to stay alive (WORKFORCE 9/97).

OF INTEREST--Of all the personal and family experiences typically kept quiet in the workplace, grief over the loss of a loved one is among the hardest to discuss (The Wall Street Journal, Work & Family).

CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Access America Conferences

The National Performance Review (NPR), will launch a series of informational conferences aimed at providing government employees and private industry IT officials with techniques and strategies for implementing the goals of Access America, an NPR report outlining steps to increase access--via the Internet--to government services. The first conference will be held September 25 in Baltimore, Md. and then will travel to other cities across the country. Expert panels will discuss IT topics, including Internet/Intranet successes, the future of Distance Learning and collaboration, IT acquisition and procurement reform, and privacy and security.

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.