People

Feds’ employee experience and engagement continued to climb in 2024, FEVS data finds

Federal employees’ view of their agency leaders, supervisors and work experience sustained their rebound from 2022, according to OPM’s annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.

People

OPM moves to standardize General Schedule, blue collar locality pay areas

For years, federal employee unions have bemoaned that the pay systems’ differing maps of high-cost regions created pay inequity within agency workforces.

People

OPM’s retirement backlog continued to creep higher in July

The Office of Personnel Management processed nearly 500 fewer retirement requests than it received last month, causing its backlog to inch up for the second straight month.

People

Gen Z is underrepresented in the federal workforce. Here’s how some experts would fix that

People younger than 30 represent 7% of the full-time civil service despite being 20% of the overall U.S. labor force.

Modernization

OPM’s retirement backlog hit an 8-year low last month

Efforts to streamline the processing of departing federal workers’ retirement applications continue to pay dividends, as the inventory of pending claims hit the lowest point since 2016.

Policy

OPM issues its final rule for Schedule F protections

The federal HR agency finalized its rule offering protections for career civil servants meant to safeguard against the potential reemergence of the Trump-era Schedule F policy.

Policy

OPM: Federal salaries won't be tied to private sector pay histories

Agencies can’t use non-federal salaries to help set pay for new or returning federal employees, under a new rule from the Office of Personnel Management. 

Modernization

OPM reduces the retirement backlog by one-third in 2023

The federal government’s HR agency’s work on improving the retirement application process for federal workers led to the agency shattering yet another longstanding record last month.

Modernization

OPM retirement backlog hits six-year low for third time this year

The number of pending federal employee retirement claims fell under 16,000 for the second time since 2017 in November.

People

OPM: Federal workers’ morale, engagement rebounded in 2023

Preliminary data from the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey indicates that federal agencies have improved on employees’ engagement, job satisfaction, as well as issues of diversity and inclusion.

Digital Government

What does post-pandemic telework look like during a shutdown?

As agencies begin planning for funding to stop on Sept. 30, federal telework guidance will be tested in a post-COVID environment. 

People

Regulations aimed at derailing a Schedule F revival proposed by OPM

An effort to insulate the federal workforce from future efforts to strip them of their removal protections could accelerate an “existential” debate over the nonpartisan civil service system, experts said.

Policy

OPM deputy defends administration's telework approach, touts ‘consensus-building’ in workforce policymaking

Rob Shriver argues the White House's calls to increase in-person work are consistent with the HR agency’s prior policies.

People

OPM issues guidance on implementing Trump-era hiring policy

The U.S. Digital Service has also been embedding in agencies to help build internal competency-based hiring abilities in federal agencies.

People

OPM targets data and benefits education to improve equity in the federal workforce

The federal government HR agency’s report was one of more than 90 equity action plans released by the Biden administration this week.

People

OPM unveils new toolkit for agencies to hire cyber talent

A new resource hub from the Office of Personnel Management outlines what benefits agencies might be able to offer to fill cyber positions.

People

OPM issues guidance to ensure 67,000 feds make at least $15 per hour

Agencies have until the end of this month to exercise special pay rates to implement a $15 minimum wage, in accordance with a Biden administration executive order.

People

Report: 45% of all federal employees teleworked in fiscal 2020

The Office of Personnel Management’s latest annual telework report captures the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic.