Digital Government
Pentagon Mandates Homemade Masks for Some Workers
N95 respirators and surgical masks will be reserved for health care workers and patients, the Defense Department said in a series of memos this week.
Digital Government
House Lawmakers Accuse GSA of Breaching Ban on Implementing OPM Merger
Oversight panel leaders say newly uncovered emails confirm that the General Services Administration’s pending revocation of the Office of Personnel Management’s building operation authority is part of the plan to abolish the HR agency.
Digital Government
House Democrats Reintroduce Bill to Protect Telework at Federal Agencies Amid Coronavirus Fears
The measure would prohibit agencies from making across-the-board cuts to telework programs, and require annual goals for participation in such programs.
Digital Government
OPM Issues Additional Coronavirus Guidance, Encouraging Telework, Reduced Travel
The federal government’s HR agency orders all agencies to include telework in contingency plans, and encourages them to reduce “non-essential” travel.
Digital Government
Unions Report No Sign of Telework Flexibilities Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
Although both OPM and the CDC have strongly encouraged allowing employees to work remotely to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, several agencies have yet to respond to those recommendations.
Modernization
Social Security Announces More Telework Cuts
The move comes after Congress directed the agency to reinstate telework in other offices within SSA.
Digital Government
Merit Board Offers Advice to Fix Reskilling Program That Hasn't Translated to Any New Job Placements
A pilot program to train some non-IT workers with technology skills has not resulted in anyone switching jobs, largely because participants would have needed to take a pay cut.
Digital Government
Trump Administration to Expand Hiring Pilot Programs in 2020
Pilot program with simpler resumes and more input from subject matter experts in assessing candidates will reach at least five additional agencies this year.
Digital Government
Trump Finalizes Pay Raise for Feds in 2020
The new pay tables are out: Federal employees will see a 2.6% increase in basic pay next year, with an average 0.5% increase in locality pay.
Digital Government
OPM Proposes Making It Easier to Rehire Former Feds
Under a new plan from the Office of Personnel Management, federal agencies would be able to rehire former federal workers at a higher pay grade than their previous job, provided they were high performers.
Digital Government
Congress Moves to Block OPM-GSA Merger
A provision in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act would first require an independent study of the challenges facing the Office of Personnel Management.
Modernization
Democratic Senators Urge Social Security to Restore Telework
Lawmakers ask the agency to reconsider its decision to end a 6-year-old pilot program, citing concerns about the burden it places on employees and productivity.
Digital Government
Lawsuit Against Working During Shutdowns Presents a Potential Catch-22
A federal judge ruled it would be too disruptive to stop agencies from forcing employees to work without pay during a lapse in appropriations, but the Trump administration on Wednesday argued the case is now moot because government is open.
Digital Government
Watchdog: Proposed OPM-GSA Merger Continues to 'Evolve' Despite Lack of Legislation
Officials have continued to examine moving portions of OPM to GSA piecemeal, and still lack documentation for the legal authority and cost benefit analyses, the inspector general said.
Digital Government
Impasses Panel Gives Rare Win to Union on Telework
Just days after the Social Security Administration announced the impending end of a long-running telework pilot program for operations staff, the panel protected employees in the Office of Hearing Operations from a similar fate.
Digital Government
The Agencies that Saw the Biggest Gains—and Losses—in Employee Happiness in 2019
Smaller agencies saw the widest swings in employee morale this year, as measured by the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.
Digital Government
Social Security Ends Telework Program for 12,000 Employees
Workers in all of the Social Security Administration’s operations components have less than two weeks to find alternate arrangements.
Digital Government
Efforts to Reform Federal Hiring Already Showing Results
Administration officials said that performing pass-fail interviews earlier in the hiring process led to a faster turnaround, better candidates and more hires from public job announcements.
Digital Government
How to Recruit the Next Generation of Feds: Better Pay, Benefits
Young people are increasingly looking for work-life balance measures like paid family leave and telework, stakeholders and experts said Wednesday.
Digital Government
Senate Appropriators Join House in Blocking OPM-GSA Merger
Senators go with Trump's latest proposal for a 2.6% civilian pay raise for 2020 but no locality increase, while the House has approved an average 3.1% raise.
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