People
OPM tells agencies to restart union talks to uproot Trump-era orders
The Office of Personnel Management is looking to remove vestiges of workforce executive orders from the Trump administration from federal agency contracts with employee unions, including restrictions on official time and union use of agency facilities.
People
Human capital woes make high-risk operations worse, GAO says
Strategic human capital management has fallen by the wayside, and that is taking a toll on government operations.
Acquisition
Presidential Rank Awards are back
The Biden administration is bringing back the Presidential Rank Awards for 2021 after a one-year hiatus.
People
Biden team pledges help for 'damaged' federal workforce
Pam Coleman, the director for performance management at the Office of Management and Budget, said that, "each week we seem to uncover more damage" done to the federal workforce under the Trump administration.
People
OPM cautions feds on marijuana use
Past marijuana use is not disqualifying for applicants to federal jobs, but ongoing use in jurisdictions where pot has been legalized or decriminalized is still off limits, OPM states.
People
Shaping post-Trump workforce policy
Democrats in Congress are considering legislation on multiple workforce fronts, including the issue of limiting the president's authority to remake the civil service via executive order.
People
Kiran Ahuja tapped to lead OPM
The former Office of Personnel Management chief of staff is slated to return to lead the federal government's human resources agency.
People
AFGE looks to maximize two years of Democratic control on Capitol Hill
Although workplace safety is top of mind, the American Federation of Government Employees wants Congress to pursue action beyond the reversal of Trump workforce policies.
People
FLRA defends Trump-era rule on revoking union fees
The Federal Labor Relations Authority is defending a 2020 rule in a union lawsuit – a rule opposed by the official now temporarily in charge of the agency.
People
Biden names senior OPM officials
The appointments come on the heels of executive orders in Biden's first days in office that started the rollback of much of the Trump administration's workforce policy.
People
OPM says federal employee job satisfaction is up
Full results of the delayed Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey won't be out until the spring, according to the Office of Personnel Management, but a preliminary look at topline results suggests federal employee job satisfaction is improving.
People
Bipartisan House bill would block Schedule F conversions
The bill is the latest of several legislative attempts to block an executive order that could remake parts of the civil service into at-will employees.
People
Did Trump shrink the government? Not according to the Plum Book
Despite promises to "drain the swamp," the Trump administration did little to reduce the number of political appointments, according to data in the latest iteration of the Plum Book.
Cybersecurity
FITARA grades mostly stable
Most agencies maintained their grades on the latest FITARA scorecard, but the new telecom category produced some failing marks.
People
OPM rule would elevate performance in layoff decisions
The current rules for reductions in force have performance last on the list of factors to consider in the determining which employees to keep, with the type of job coming first and followed by veterans preference and service length after.
People
OPM succession shuffle sparks Schedule F concerns
Experts worry that an executive order with the potential to politicize the civil service could do lasting damage, even if rescinded by the incoming Biden administration.
Digital Government
House Dems look to funding bill to block Schedule F
A group of House Democrats including Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) are pushing for appropriators to block the implementation of the Schedule F federal employee reclassification in a must-pass funding bill needed to avoid a government shutdown.
People
OMB seeks to reclassify workforce under Schedule F
The agency is gearing up to make 88% of its positions subject to at-will employment.
People
NTEU looks for a 'fresh start' for federal employees under Biden
The union's blueprint for immediate action joins with NAPA's working group on the federal workforce in calling for the next director of OPM to abandon a regulation-heavy approach.
People