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Federal Manager's Toolbox

Reviewing a Labor Agreement: Ten Tips on What to Throw Out, Fix or Include if It's Missing
As a management advisor, the author reviews expiring labor agreements to help an agency prepare for a renegotiation. This article is the first of two providing tips on what to look for in an expired or expiring agreement. You should also find it useful if you are bargaining an initial contract.

Posted: July 23, 2008 | Full Story | Discuss this Article

What I Have Learned About Supervision - Mostly The Hard Way
What are the most valuable supervisory qualities for a federal supervisor? Here is one list of qualities--most of them learned through the school of hard knocks.

Posted: July 20, 2008 | Full Story | Discuss this Article

Cabaniss Quits FLRA: Remaining Member Gets Big Bucks to Do Little or Nothing
Dale Cabaniss, Chairman of the FLRA, has resigned. This leaves one person on the 3-member Authority which cannot issue decisions without a second member.

Posted: July 15, 2008 | Full Story | Discuss this Article

Can I Join This Union?
The author was researching an issue using Google and came upon a union website that had the best advice for representatives he'd ever seen. Judge for yourself.

Posted: July 8, 2008 | Full Story | Discuss this Article

Why Do Employees File Discrimination Complaints and Grievances? Advice to Managers and Supervisors
Why do employees file discrimination complaints? Here are some of the most common reasons and suggestions for supervisors that can cut down on the number of complaints.

Posted: July 8, 2008 | Full Story | Discuss this Article

Bargaining Impact and Implementation: Get the Agreement Right
The author has written extensively on FedSmith about the "ins and outs" of bargaining on the impact and implementation(IandI) of agency management decisions. IandI bargaining occurs with great frequency in the Federal sector and generally results in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the agency and the union. This article covers critical points the agency should consider in putting together an MOU.

Posted: June 25, 2008 | Full Story | Discuss this Article

The Masters of Contention
The author responds to an article published last week in FedSmith calling for an end to the FLRA and calling for some drastic changes in Federal labor relations. This author reaches a different conclusion than that of the original article.

Posted: June 18, 2008 | Full Story | Discuss this Article

Getting a Handle on Leave: 15 Things Every Federal Manager Can Do to Improve Managing Leave and Attendance Issues
Over 75% of disciplinary and adverse action cases in the Federal service involve attendance related issues. If a supervisor or manager is going to deal with an employee problem, it is almost always going to have an attendance component. This article discusses what you can do to prepare yourself to resolve these problems.

Posted: June 12, 2008 | Full Story | Discuss this Article

About Bob Gilson

Need federal labor and employee relations training or tech assistance? Contact Bob Gilson using this online form or call 757-437-7840 (available through multiple GSA schedules) for more information.

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