Management
As White House Steps Up Schedule F Implementation, ‘Lawmakers Don’t Get It’
Recent moves by OPM are stoking fear that the Trump administration is accelerating plans to politicize federal jobs as the window closes on Congress’ ability to block the move.
Pay & Benefits
Time Is Running Out for Feds to Change Health Insurance Elections for 2021
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Pay & Benefits
Thanksgiving Meals for Military Families, and More
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Management
Proposed Executive Order for Biden Would 'Reinvigorate' Federal Workforce, Make OPM a Cabinet-Level Agency
The National Academy of Public Administration has drafted a directive that would reverse Trump's workforce edicts and elevate the federal government's personnel agency.
Management
OPM Quietly Abandons Proposed Merger with GSA
The Trump administration’s merger plan was criticized by lawmakers in both parties and was eventually blocked by Congress.
Management
The Speed of Workforce Change Is Undermining the Civil Service
Personnel practices rooted in blue collar work from the last century continue to hold government back.
Management
Agencies to Have Wide Latitude In Deciding Which Jobs to Strip of Civil Service Protections
OPM issued initial instructions Friday for implementing a Trump executive order that allows federal policy-making positions to be converted from career jobs to at-will appointments.
Management
OPM Finalizes Rule on Trump Executive Order to Ease Firing and Discipline of Feds
Regulations set to go into effect next month will implement several key provisions of President Trump’s executive order.
Pay & Benefits
Employee Groups Decry Hikes in What Typical Feds Will Pay in Heath Care Premiums, and More
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Pay & Benefits
Feds Will Pay 4.9% More Toward Health Care Premiums Next Year
The Office of Personnel Management said Wednesday that it has revamped its online plan comparison tool and encouraged greater transparency from insurance carriers to tamp down on surprise billing.
Pay & Benefits
OPM Seeks to Limit Back Pay Awards for Employees, Unions
Officials at the Office of Personnel Management want to upend a nearly 40-year-old set of regulations, restricting which actions are subject to grievances under the Back Pay Act, and banning unions from being awarded attorney's fees when their members win their cases.
Pay & Benefits
Voting Flexibilities for Feds, and a TSA Leave Bill
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Management
OPM Updates Job Qualifications Following Hiring Executive Order
The Office of Personnel Management is asking agencies for feedback on a draft list of the qualifications required for federal jobs as part of the implementation of a recent executive order emphasizing applicants’ skills and experience, rather simply education.
Management
We Must Address the Crisis in the Merit System
The historic system for hiring and promoting federal employees is failing the nation, and the consequences are profound.
Management
OPM Moves to Formally Shift Administrative Law Judges Out of Competitive Service
Proposed regulations implementing a 2018 executive order confirm that existing judges at federal agencies will not be subject to the change unless they transfer to another agency or leave and return to federal service, but they will no longer be eligible for a number of financial incentive programs.
Oversight
OPM Isn’t Doing Enough to Prevent Political Meddling in Reassignments of Senior Executives, Watchdog Finds
GAO reports that several agencies have made efforts to ensure that they comply with rules designed to prevent capricious reassignment of senior executives by political appointees, but gaps remain and OPM is unwilling to conduct oversight.
Management
TSP Board Nominees Advance From Committee, But Vote on OPM Nominee Postponed
Senators in both parties last week expressed concerns about OPM director nominee John Gibbs’ fitness for the position in light of Twitter posts that were Islamophobic, anti-LGBT and endorsing debunked satanic conspiracy theories.
Pay & Benefits
Union Asks OPM to Loosen Restrictions on Paid Parental Leave
Some requirements of the new benefit program are overly burdensome, particularly if a baby is born prematurely.
Management
After Multiple Delays, OPM to Begin Fielding Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey
The agency will ask all federal employees to respond to the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey across two six-week waves, meaning most results will not be available to agencies or for public viewing until 2021.
Management