The latest Employee Viewpoint Survey by OPM – the largest ever conducted – showed employee satisfaction falling across agencies in a number of areas. For example: Satisfaction with pay fell 3.7 percentage points to 58.8 percent of responses, down from 62.5 percent in the 2011 survey. Since 2010, satisfaction with pay has declined seven percentage points from 65.8 percent. The only area where employees were happier was in telework, which seems to be a winner when it is implemented fairly and widely at agencies. Now the problems with morale are probably not that hard to determine, with a continuing pay…
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Its getting colder in the D.C. area, which can mean only one thing – an update from the Office of Personnel Management on their early dismissal and closure policies. Instead of the phrase “Federal Offices are Closed to the Public” on the OPM website and in emails sent to feds, employees will instead see “Federal Offices are Closed — Emergency and Telework-Ready Employees Must Follow Their Agency’s Policies.” OPM director John Berry said the new wording should encourage employees to consult with their agencies about telework policies and to plan ahead for inclement weather. OPM is also implementing a new…
Hurricane/storm Sandy caused billions of dollars of damage and has been responsible for 50 deaths across the United States. How were all of you affected by the storm? We want to hear your stories about power outages, whether you teleworked and how prepared you or your workplace was in advance of the storm. Feel free to comment on this post of email me at amedici@federaltimes.com.
The Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund just responded to some questions I had about the state of their disaster relief finances, and the outlook is not good. “At this point, our natural disaster budget is completely blown,” said Robyn Kehoe, FEEA’s director of field operations said in an e-mail. Later this week, FEEA will have $35,000 on hand to start distributing, thanks to an end-of-year donation from Blue Cross Blue Shield it expects to receive this week. But $35,000 doesn’t go very far — it’s only enough to pay for $500 grants for 70 feds. FEEA will need additional donations to keep…
Federal and postal employees who are hit hardest by Hurricane Sandy will be able to get disaster grants of up to $500, the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund announced this morning. FEEA said employees who need help can download a disaster relief application here, since phone lines will likely be jammed or down. Feds who have suffered the most serious damage or hardships will get priority, FEEA said. FEEA is a nonprofit organization funded in part by Combined Federal Campaign donations. But the group said its funds have been depleted significantly since it provided more than $80,000 in grants…
The U.S. Postal Service has lost round one of a court fight over information sought by a California watchdog agency in connection with a case of alleged electoral dirty tricks. In a ruling this month, Senior U.S. District Judge Garland Burrell said the mail carrier must tell the California Fair Political Practices Commission how many pieces of mail a former Los Angeles-area school board member sent out under his bulk mailing permit in late October 2008 as he faced a recall election. The Postal Service failed to show that the information was exempt from disclosure under the federal Freedom of…
Hello everyone. We all know the federal government is undergoing some pretty big changes. Lots of retirements, new technology and the slow march of telework are reshaping the office in new ways (for better or worse). But when it comes to office dress codes are there any changes? Should there be? We would like to hear from our readers about what your experiences are when it comes to what people wear at work. Feel free to post comments below or you can send emails to amedici@federaltimes.com
President Obama said the automatic budget cuts- known as sequestration – slated to go into effect Jan. 2 will not happen. Speaking at a presidential debate last night with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, Obama said it was not a policy he proposed. “It is something that Congress has proposed. It will not happen,” Obama said. The cuts are required by last year’s Budget Control Act unless Congress and the Obama administration agree on a path to reducing budget deficits by $1.2 trillion through 2021. Romney said that sequestration was “unacceptable.” “That, in my view, is making – is making…
The IRS recently created a policy that would increase the amount of telework at the agency while reducing its real estate requirement. The idea would be that two employees would work 2 or 3 days at home every week, and would share a workstation at the office. The two employees would not both be there at the same time, according to the policy. But the IRS hopes this concept will save them on real estate costs going forward. How do you IRS employees feel about this? Would you give up your desk half the time for more telework? Feel free…
Federal workers are being squeezed by a variety of factors. Pay, reputation and benefits are all being targeted in one way or another. But as agencies work to reduce their real estate footprint and save money on rent, employees are increasingly expected to engage in “hoteling” programs or to share a workstation. The Federal Times wants to hear from all of you about whether you like these programs or if you feel that it is too much. Is your agency offering increased telework in exchange? Feel free to comment below or send an email to amedici@federaltimes.com to complain or to…