Stay informed on employee relations issues affecting federal employees, including workplace conduct rules, performance management, disciplinary actions, adverse actions, and HR policies that shape day‑to‑day federal employment. Explore updates on OPM guidance, MSPB decisions, labor‑management disputes, probationary employee rules, and best practices for handling workplace conflicts. Find clear explanations and timely analysis to help federal employees and supervisors understand the policies, rights, and procedures that govern employee relations across federal agencies.
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.
The author has written extensively on FedSmith about the “ins and outs” of bargaining on the impact and implementation(I and I) of agency management decisions. I and I 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.
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.
In this final article in a three part series, the author explores the thought processes and considerations an Agency Deciding Official must use to render a decision and have it sustained on appeal. This framework is drawn from the law as evolved by the Merit Systems Protection Board since it came into existence in 1979.
This article deals with the preparation for and conduct of an adverse action reply meeting.
Deciding whether to take an adverse action is one of the more difficult tasks a Federal manager may perform.
Organizing and structuring discipline and adverse action cases effectively is valuable for many reasons. First and foremost, good organization will help develop the basis for an action and whether or not the Agency should go forward. This article is about the nuts and bolts of putting a case together.
Are You a manager that deals with organized employees? Take this quiz and test your knowledge of labor relations.
The culture of government has changed in the past 20 years and these changes have impacted how Uncle Sam selects its higher graded employees. Federal employees in GS grades 12 – 15 used to be selected from within the existing workforce. But, just as the Edsel, the hula hoop. and the “company man” have faded from American life, so has the practice of always using internal promotions to fill higher graded positions.
In the wake of recent privacy-violating probing of presidential candidates’ passport files and earlier losses by agencies of computers or hard drives containing sensitive employee data, it appears the risk of nosy feds, political paparazzi, curious contractors and others getting personal personnel info may be at an all time high. What’s going on?
