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Total Comments: 6
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The Box and The Road

Healthiest Workforce

LER Manager
VA
Tue Dec 4, 2007 10:55 AM

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Although you would not know that according to sick leave usage. Simply put, if you fail to address sick leave abuse, you as a supervisor are slapping the faces of those that do use it correctly.

My only issue with the sick leave rules is....yes Bob you guessed it: CSRS vs FERS. I believe that if sick leave could be credited toward retirement much like CSRS, then there MAY be less abuse.

I once had a senior management official tell me that as a FERS employee we got screwed, so save enough sick leave to take care of yourself or you family members, the slowly burn off the rest throughout your career!

Good article Bob..Thanks

Annual Leave Restrictions

Forester and Union President
US Forest Service
Tue Dec 4, 2007 11:42 AM

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I agree with you concerning setting the procedures for requesting AL and last minute requests, tardiness, and legitimate reasons for refusing to grant AL etc.. In the case of tardiness since AL is to be approved in advance the supervisor has the option of putting them in AWOL or LWOP.
I totally disagree with your statement that "who consistently have very low leave balances for no good reason." There are no rules, regulations, or laws that state that an employee has to maintain a minimum balance of AL. The MSPB has never ruled on need to maintain a minimum balance. This is an employees choice not a supervisor. This differs for every employee. For a supervisor to refuse AL because of a low leave balance is harassment on the part of the supervisor.
In regard to the use of AL, in Benally v Interior 71 MSPR 537. states "Nor has any board or Federal circuit case authorized an agency to deny or to rescind annual leave based purely on the purpose for which it is requested."

Alt Title: How to be a modern day Scrooge and get

Gen Engr
DoD
Tue Dec 4, 2007 4:04 PM

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It concerns me deeply that you were in the Gov't as long as you were and that you can't stand it if you don't proliferate your manipulative controls. While I respect your knowledge and understanding of how to use the laws, rules, and regulations to bind, gag, and control civil servants, I, again, challenge you to write as article about how to get productivity out of the Federal Work Force without having to resort to the opressive techniques you are writing so much about. Surely there is some understanding from all your years of experience that can be tapped to explain how to use these rules and regulations to get things to work well without resorting to such a pessimistic perspective of humanity. I get so depressed and anxious about my job when I read about how you (by all appearances, gleefully) talk about using the rules and regulations to punish people. WIf ytou can't see a brighter side to life, please stop writing about how to be Scrooge in this modern day and age.

Re: Alt Title: How to be a modern day Scrooge and get

Employee
DoN
Wed Dec 5, 2007 9:39 AM
People need boundaries. The conscientious worker doesn't have to worry about looking over their shoulder. It's those that seem to have problems with following rules and regulations that need consequences for their negative actions. If you had your own business and your workers failed to show up for work, what would you do?

Re: Alt Title: How to be a modern day Scrooge and get

LER Manager
VA
Wed Dec 5, 2007 11:20 AM
Hey Gen Eng in DoD,

There is a reason there are rules and regulations concerning things like leave. You of all people, being in DoD should understand this. What do you suggest? Allow the employee who, every time he/she earns 4 hours of sick leave, they burn it off. Then when they get sick they are asking for advanced or donated leave. No controls?

Use of Leave

Examiner
IRS
Tue Dec 11, 2007 9:06 AM

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The article makes sense if the manager is competent. This means that the manager must listen to the employee's reasons for the use of leave and not look at the leave balance when making decisions.
A problem is that there are too many managers who look at the leave balance and put a leave restriction on without listening to the employee. Another problem is that higher level management, who may be less competent will look at leave balances and put pressure on a manager to issue a leave restriction. The manager will do it not to look bad.
Someone else brought up a stupidity in FERS. The FERS employee loses sick leave when the person retires from the government. Shades of Reagan and his cronies. Sick leave must have value on retirement so help reduce sick leave abuse. This would be positive motivation and would be better than the negative motivation of abuse letters.

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