Management
OPM updates list of skills needed for federal HR jobs
Officials hope that the changes will better equip agencies to tackle skills gaps and help finally address the more than two-decade-long struggle to remove human capital management from the government’s High Risk List.
Oversight
Biden to replace embattled acting Commerce IG
Jill Baisinger, current chief of staff in the Interior Department’s Office of the Inspector General, will take over for Roderick Anderson at the end of May.
Pay & Benefits
Most TSP funds took a tumble in April
After two months of sustained gains, only one portfolio in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program finished last month in the black.
Workforce
OMB leader defends administration’s approach to telework
House Republicans continued to demand better data from the Biden administration regarding the prevalence and effectiveness of telework at federal agencies.
Management
OPM launches a new one-stop shop for agency HR needs
Federal agencies can now directly compare shared service providers, as well as more easily find assistance on human capital challenges, thanks to a new online marketplace.
Pay & Benefits
OPM reminds agencies of pay provisions in 2024 NDAA
The most recent iteration of the annual defense policy bill extends a number of temporary pay and benefits provisions for both civilian and military service members and allows veteran feds to credit active duty service toward paid parental leave requirements.
Management
OPM guidance details when agencies can ask about applicants' criminal history
Though the federal government had already implemented a form of “ban the box” administratively, the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act necessitated an update of the policy.
Pay & Benefits
Congressional Dems urge OPM to fully cover IVF in feds’ insurance program
More than 175 Democratic lawmakers said the federal government must do more to protect access to health services like in-vitro fertilization in light of a recent Alabama court ruling that effectively banned the procedure alongside abortion services.
Workforce
State, Defense departments announce deal to expand military spouse access to remote work jobs
The move to allow federal employees to telework while overseas with their service member spouses is part of a larger effort to boost recruitment of military spouses.
Pay & Benefits
OPM has new tools to fight improper health insurance enrollments
Watchdog agencies and Congress have previously chided the federal government’s HR agency for the lack of internal controls ensuring that family members of federal workers and retirees remain eligible for the federal workforce’s health insurance program.
Workforce
Pekoske touts impact of pay increases at TSA budget hearing
Workforce attrition has halved since the implementation of a new pay system that mirrors the General Schedule, while employee morale has reached its highest ever, according to the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.
Management
Biden’s FLRA nominees move closer to Senate confirmation
Senators appeared poised Wednesday to advance the nominations of aspiring leaders in labor-relations.
Management
OPM Director will leave the Biden administration
Kiran Ahuja oversaw efforts to transform the federal government’s HR agency into a government-wide leader on human capital policy, issuing new policies governing interns, telework and civil service protections.
Workforce
Biden rescinds COVID-era executive orders, folding safer federal workforce task force
The Office of Personnel Management issued new guidance last week rescinding some forms of COVID-19-related administrative leave, but preserving four hours of paid leave for federal employees to get vaccine booster shots.
Management
Skills-based hiring for contractors advances in the House
The Allowing Contractors to Choose Employees for Select Skills Act would remove degree requirements from federal contract work in some instances.
Workforce
OPM finalizes reforms to federal internship programs
Biden administration officials hope improvements to the federal government’s Pathways Program will make it more appealing for potential applicants and easier to use as an agency recruitment tool.
Updated
Pay & Benefits
House panel advances bills to improve FEHBP oversight and fix CBP retirement snafu
A 2022 Government Accountability Office report estimated that ineligible family members covered through the federal government’s employer-sponsored health care program could cost the government between $250 million and $3 billion per year.
Pay & Benefits
OPM continued to make strides on retirement process in March
The backlog of pending retirement claims fell below 17,000 last month, a feat that did not occur until June in 2023.
Workforce
Senators take another crack at improving federal telework data
The latest bipartisan bill aimed at better measuring the workplace flexibility’s effectiveness would require agencies to publish their telework policies, as well as implement already planned improvements to data collection on its usage.
Workforce