People

Austin mandates COVID vaccine for military

The defense secretary has ordered military departments to immediately begin mandatory vaccination programs with FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines.

People

Pentagon pushes ahead with COVID vaccine mandate

The Defense Department will mandate Pfizer-produced COVID-19 vaccines following the Food and Drug Administration's approval, and other agencies are expected to follow.

People

Workforce panel explains new COVID testing requirements

Agencies can't assign employees to remote or telework based solely on their vaccination status, the guidance says.

People

HHS mandates COVID vaccine for its public-facing clinicians

Nearly 25,000 HHS employees will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 amid a surge in national infections, Secretary Xavier Becerra announced on Thursday.

People

DOD moves to mandate COVID-19 vaccines by September

The Defense Department plans to require COVID-19 vaccines for civilian, military and contractor personnel as early as September.

Acquisition

New guidance on vaccines and COVID testing for feds and contractors

The White House-led Safer Federal Workforce Taskforce issued additional question and answer style guidance on Friday addressing how exactly the recently-released vaccination and testing requirements will be carried out.

People

Feds who lie about vaccination status or avoid testing could face discipline

The Biden-Harris administration is looking into what feds could be subject to more stringent vaccination requirements in addition to the mandate for VA clinical staff, said Jeff Zients, COVID-19 response coordinator.

People

Kiran Ahuja's to-do list at OPM

Kiran Ahuja, the recently installed director of the Office of Personnel Management, has a host of long-standing agency issues to deal with, along with helping implement governmentwide workforce policy to combat the spread of COVID-19.

Acquisition

DOD could face $4 billion in pandemic reimbursement payments for contractors

According to a GAO report, the Defense Department may have $4 billion in eligible reimbursements for contractors under the CARES Act.

People

Biden tells civilian feds to get vaccinated or take regular COVID tests

As expected, the Biden-Harris administration rolled out new COVID-19 guidelines for the federal workforce as part of an overall strategy to increase the U.S. vaccination rate.

People

A vaccine requirement for feds could get complicated

Unions and other employee groups are taking a look at what a vaccination requirement might mean for their members.

People

New OPM guidance addresses locality pay and travel costs for remote workers

A new document addresses a range of considerations for post-pandemic workforce planning in the context of current regulations.

People

VA mandates vaccines for clinical staff

Agency chief Denis McDonough cited the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 as part of the reason behind the new vaccination policy.

People

OPM takes back control of CHCO Council

The move reestablishes Office of Personnel Management's central role in leading governmentwide human resources policy.

People

Could increasing telework make government employment more accessible?

The pandemic pushed over half of the federal workforce into telework. Disability rights advocates say maintaining more access to telework could make the federal workspace more accessible.

Modernization

Cloud after COVID

More than a year of pandemic operations has altered government’s view of cloud-centric modernization

Cybersecurity

Federal job satisfaction continues to lag behind private sector

The annual 'Best Places to Work' report indicates that almost 60% of the federal workforce teleworked full-time during the peak lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

People

Task force clears the way for vaccinated feds to travel

There are no more governmentwide limits on official travel for vaccinated federal employees.

People

New White House guidance for feds returning to the office and the future 'hybrid' federal workforce

A new OMB memo provides instructions on how to bring feds back to government offices on a large scale and asks agencies to consider long-term planning for a drastically different workplace.

People

White House seeks reopening plans from agencies

Guidance sent to agencies on Tuesday makes clear that agencies can't start phasing feds back into the workplace until they've satisfied collective bargaining requirements.