Workforce
White House calls on agencies to 'aggressively' reduce telework this fall
Chief of Staff Jeff Zients instructed agencies to focus on executing plans to increase in-person work in September and October.
Oversight
Labor Dept. office rolls back portions of Trump-era policy on handling discrimination claims against contractors
Regulations implemented Friday said that a 2020 rule change aimed at making investigations into allegations of discrimination more efficient in practice did the opposite.
Workforce
Cannabis users could become feds under bipartisan House bill
The legislation also would allow federal job applicants who were previously denied positions or security clearances over marijuana usage dating back to 2008 to have those decisions reviewed under the newly proposed policy.
Pay & Benefits
Most TSP funds continued their upward trend in July
Only one of the portfolios in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program ended last month in the red.
Workforce
TSA employees are finally earning similar wages to most other federal workers
Officials on Thursday celebrated the arrival of an up-to-30% pay raise for Transportation Security Administration employees this week, but warned that House spending plans could derail recent progress.
Management
Biden taps former Maryland governor for Social Security commissioner
Martin O’Malley served two terms as governor before a failed presidential campaign in 2016.
Pay & Benefits
Dental and vision benefits are now open to many part-time, temporary and seasonal federal employees
A rule finalized Tuesday makes nearly 200,000 additional federal employees, including postal workers, eligible to enroll in the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program.
Workforce
IRS announces the end of most surprise taxpayer visits
The change, effective immediately, comes due to concern for the safety of IRS employees and to make it easier for taxpayers to identify potential scammers.
Workforce
Agencies would have more flexibility in the hiring process, under new OPM rules
Regulations implementing a provision of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act would give hiring managers more information—and options—as they evaluate job applicants.
Pay & Benefits
A Senate panel has advanced legislation to avert wildland firefighter ‘pay cliff’
Meanwhile, the Office of Personnel Management has released a draft set of qualifications for its upcoming new job series for wildland fire management.
Workforce
New union contract offers hope for better labor relations at the Social Security Administration
The American Federation of Government Employees and Social Security management will meet on a bimonthly basis to collaborate on issues like improving training, designing a child care subsidy and more.
Management
Small businesses’ share of federal contracting dollars reaches ‘all time high,’ SBA says
Federal agencies paid small businesses $162.9 billion for contracting work—the most ever recorded—in fiscal 2022, although the proportion of federal contract dollars going to small businesses declined to 26.5%.
Workforce
Proposed funding cuts could prevent IRS, Justice and other agencies from meeting their missions, employee groups say
Controversial plans to deeply slash spending at OPM, IRS and the Justice Department have drawn the ire of the federal employees who work at or rely on those agencies. They say the cuts would harm mission delivery.
Workforce
Sen. Kaine revives effort to ban Schedule F through the defense policy bill
This marks the second straight year that the Virginia Democrat has sought to attach a measure requiring congressional approval for new federal job classifications to the National Defense Authorization Act.
Pay & Benefits
Bipartisan wildland firefighter ‘pay cliff’ fix introduced in Senate
Without congressional action by September, the federal government’s wildland firefighters will see their paychecks shrink as temporary pay increases expire.
Oversight
‘Wrongdoing’ likely in USDA maintenance of the nation’s largest agricultural research facility, OSC says
Union leaders said a recent winter flood of a building at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center is just a symptom of systematic mismanagement of the facility.
Workforce
House supports a 5.2% pay raise in its draft Defense policy bill, but slashes diversity initiatives
Committee leaders hope to end the National Defense Authorization Act's reputation as a Christmas tree for non-national security amendments.
Pay & Benefits
OPM’s retirement backlog just hit its lowest level since 2017
The federal government’s HR agency’s efforts to modernize the retirement process have been buoyed by increased investment and renewed focus on customer service.
Management
FLRA will test out paperless document delivery
The agency that oversees labor-management relations in the federal government says sending documents by mail sometimes hamstrings parties’ ability to respond to filings.
Pay & Benefits