Workforce

OPM Wants to See More Telework, Remote Work and ‘Maxiflex’ Schedules Post-COVID

Guidance published late last week promotes telework and other flexibilities as retention and recruitment tools.

Management

OPM Reclaims Human Capital Council Duties Following Failed GSA Merger

The Trump administration had moved the Chief Human Capital Officers Council’s staff from OPM to GSA shortly before Congress blocked the controversial plan to merge the agencies.

Oversight

OPM Has Improved on Several Key Management Issues, Watchdog Finds

GAO lauded OPM’s efforts to reform performance management processes and provide better data to agencies, although 14 recommendations remain unresolved.

Management

OPM Asks Watchdog to Review Assessment Process for Prestigious Fellowship Amid Diversity Concerns

The agency acknowledged an “unacceptable decline” in finalists in certain demographic groups and is taking steps to improve inclusivity within the program.  

Workforce

Biden Signs Sweeping Order to Improve Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility Across Federal Workforce

All agencies will be required to submit a plan to improve their diversity initiatives, while OPM will be tasked with ensuring its various benefits programs are responsive to LGBTQ+ employees’ needs.

Management

Transforming HR for the ‘New Normal’

Kiran Ahuja, the newly confirmed director of the Office of Personnel Management, faces a monumental task.

Management

Senate Confirms Ahuja as OPM Director in Close Vote

With Vice President Kamala Harris breaking a tie, lawmakers installed the first permanent director for the federal government’s HR agency in more than a year.

Pay & Benefits

Most Federal Employees Will Receive Friday Off for Juneteenth

President Biden signed a bill Thursday afternoon making the anniversary of the end of slavery a federal holiday, and OPM confirmed that federal workers will have Friday off.

Pay & Benefits

Juneteenth Will Be a New Holiday for Feds, Although It’s Unclear When

The holiday would typically be observed Friday, but a lack of lead time to implement a newly passed bill could delay when federal workers see a new day off.

Management

OPM Finalizes Rule Easing Rehiring of Ex-Feds

Under new rules, federal agencies will be able to rehire former federal workers at a higher pay grade than when they left government.

Management

OPM Urges Agencies to Support Feds’ Mental Health

The government’s HR agency this week will host a panel discussion of mental health issues for officials and share tips for managers to support work-life balance initiatives.

Oversight

OPM Failed to Notify Employees of Coworker COVID Infections, Require Mask-Wearing, IG Says

The watchdog said many of the problems related to the agency’s coronavirus response have been solved by a new workforce safety plan finalized earlier this year.

Management

OPM Extends Deadline for Agencies to Implement Competency-Based Hiring

Citing “concern” from agencies, the federal government’s HR shop is giving officials until the end of 2021 to implement a Trump-era executive order overhauling federal hiring.

Management

Biden’s OPM Nominee Advances from Committee

All Republican senators voted against Kiran Ahuja over her past support of diversity and inclusion programs and abortion rights.

Management

The Agencies that Saw the Biggest Gains in Employee Satisfaction in 2020, and the Few that Saw Losses

Only six agencies with at least 100 employees saw decreases in their job satisfaction score on the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.

Management

Feds’ Engagement and Job Satisfaction Rises Despite—or Because of—Pandemic

Officials who administered the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey warned against making sweeping conclusions about the 2020 results, due to changes in the survey's timing and some of its content.

Pay & Benefits

OPM Waives Premium Pay Cap for Border Detailees

The federal government’s HR agency declared that the influx of children at the southern border is an emergency for the purposes of waiving restrictions on how much premium pay federal employees can earn.