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
Biden puts his stamp on FLRA, Thrift Board
Biden's nominee to the general counsel at the FLRA could help clear a backlog of unfair labor practice charges from federal unions.
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.
People
HHS looks to reset labor relations
Some federal agencies are leveraging a Biden administration executive order to change the tone of labor-management relations but unions say a few departments aren't taking the order to heart.
People
Unions press SSA leaders for a new contract, workplace safety plan
Biden ousted top leaders at the Social Security Administration last month, but some union officials say more personnel change is needed further down the ladder.
People
White House says agencies will pay for COVID tests as needed for feds
Under a new COVID prevention regime, civilian federal employees will have to either attest to their vaccination status or get regular tests. The federal government will organize and pay for testing for feds.
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.
Cybersecurity
DHS recent hiring sprint shows promise, but lawmakers still see gaps in the federal cybersecurity workforce
The federal government continues to face challenges in recruiting a skilled cybersecurity workforce, amid heavy private sector demand and obstacles built into the hiring process, but there are some recent signs that longstanding efforts to improve the situation are starting to pay off.
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
Move of BLM headquarters to Colorado still under review
Deb Haaland, secretary of the Interior, told a Senate panel on Tuesday that a decision on whether to keep the Bureau of Land Management's headquarters in Grand Junction, Colorado needs to come "fairly soon."
Modernization
TMF could help solve records request backlog for veterans, lawmakers say
A bipartisan group of lawmakers from the House Oversight and Reform Committee wants the National Archives and Records Administration to apply for funding from the Technology Modernization Fund to modernize its IT systems and clear its backlog of 500,000 records requests from veterans.
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.
Digital Government
Biden's executive order on federal workforce equity: What happens next
Here's what is due, and when, from President Joe Biden’s executive order on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the federal workforce. Data collection is a key first step, say DEIA government officials.
People
Labor Department seeks funding for staffing surges
During testimony on the hill this week, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh also gave lawmakers insight into the department’s work to combat unemployment insurance fraud.
People
OPM grapples with questions about travel reimbursements for remote workers
Officials at the Office of Personnel Management are mulling the potential impacts of an increasingly dispersed federal workforce. One is the question of who foots the bill for remote workers occasionally required to come back to the office.
People
Biden ousts Social Security Administration Leadership
After a recent Supreme Court ruling suggested SSA's top leaders could be replaced before their terms expired, the White House moved late on July 9 to do just that.
People
House bill would add demographics to the Plum Book
Currently there is no single source for summary information about the demographics of political appointees.
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.
Digital Government
Labor watchdog calls out gaps in unemployment fraud reporting
The department says it will update current requirements so that data flagged as potentially fraudulent will be shared with the agency's Office of the Inspector General.
Almost There!
Help us tailor content specifically for you: