FLRA’s “Comprehensive Arbitration Training”
The Federal Labor Relations Authority conducted training on Federal sector arbitration last month. If you missed it and want copies of the slides and handouts, the Author provides them and a comment.
Federal Workforce News
Stay updated with breaking news and major events affecting federal employees, including government shutdowns, office closures, emergency announcements, legislative developments, and nationwide issues impacting federal agencies and the federal workforce.
You Represent a Multibillion-Dollar, World-Famous Entity
Your agency is a multibillion-dollar organization we all know by name. Any employee who takes a phone call or greets a walk-in is acting as the agency’s sole representative for that person. Has your agency trained you to think of your role in those terms?
Political Correctness and the Federal Workforce
Has America become too politically correct or do we still have further to go? About 2500 readers expressed their view on a topic that generated one of the most uniform responses we have had in our survey results–even though the answers were not always the politically correct response.
This Holiday Season, Spend Time, Not Money
Anxiety over what we will buy for the people on our list, and whether they will like it is common during the holiday season. It is a lot easier to buy a bunch of stuff and hand it out. What’s hard is making the effort to really connect with other people.
The “I Used to Live in Italy” Defense Doesn’t Hold Up
A federal employee said he had lived in Italy for 10 years and the culture was more “touchy/feely” after he was in trouble for unwanted physical contact with women. He rejected a “last chance agreement” with his agency as “too onerous.” He is now a former federal employee after a recent court decision.
TSP Stock Funds Continue Strong Performance As More Investors Participate in Lifecycle Funds
The SandP 500 index (the index on which the C fund is based) went up about 13 percent in September and October, the best performance in these months since 1998. Here is a summary of the TSP funds for October and the year-to-date.
1.6% Pay Raise for 2012?
Despite the election year rhetoric, it is still possible to come up with an estimate of your future pay increase based on past actions by Congress and the President.
Readers Favor Extra Holiday on Day After Thanksgiving
Most employees in SSA are getting to stay home on the day after Thanksgiving. Should all federal employees get this extra paid holiday this year? Here is a compilation of the responses from our readers and a sampling of their views on the subject.
Being Politically Correct in America: Have We Gone Too Far or Not Far Enough?
Does America try too hard to be politically correct?
Merit Systems Protection Board Balances National Security Exceptions Against Employee Rights
Breaking with prior tradition the Board held Oral Arguments for the first time in nearly three decades to determine the potentially far reaching implications of an appeal from two Defense Department employees, both of whom were disciplined for national security reasons.
