The Federal HR Project Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Federal HR Project Podcast Episode 006 – Recent OPM and White House Communications Breakdown Oct 17, 2019

In this episode we break down the following communications that will impact the federal civil service:

OPM Proposed Rule Change to 5 CFR Parts 315, 432, 752, of September 17, 2019: https://fedhrproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/5-CFR-Parts-315-432-and-752-Proposed-Rule.pdf

OPM Memorandum: Maximization of Employee Performance Management and Engagement by Streamlining Agency Performance and Dismissal Policies and Procedures of September 25, 2019: https://www.chcoc.gov/content/maximization-employee-performance-management-and-engagement-streamlining-agency-performance

[OPM] Updated Guidance on Implementation of Executive Orders 13836, 13837, and 13839 of October 4, 2019: https://www.chcoc.gov/content/updated-guidance-implementation-executive-orders-13836-13837-and-13839

The following OPM guidance, originally issued on July 5, 2018 pursuant to the signing of the EO’s is now effective:

Guidance for Implementation of Executive Order 13836 – Developing Efficient, Effective, and Cost-Reducing Approaches to Federal Sector Collective Bargaining (https://www.chcoc.gov/content/guidance-implementation-executive-order-13836-developing-efficient-effective-and-cost)
Guidance for Implementation of Executive Order 13837 – Ensuring Transparency, Accountability, and Efficiency in Taxpayer-Funded Union Time Use (https://www.chcoc.gov/content/guidance-implementation-executive-order-13837-–-ensuring-transparency-accountability-and)
Guidance for Implementation of Executive Order 13839 – Promoting Accountability and Streamlining Removal Procedures Consistent with Merit System Principles (https://www.chcoc.gov/content/guidance-implementation-executive-order-13839-promoting-accountability-and-streamlining)

OPM Guidance on Progressive Discipline and Table of Penalties of October 10, 2019: https://www.chcoc.gov/content/guidance-progressive-discipline-and-tables-penalties

Additional OPM Guidance on Progressive Discipline and Table of Penalties Packet: https://fedhrproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/OPM-Guidance-on-the-Use-of-Progressive-Discipline-and-Tables-of-Penalties.pdf

Presidential Memorandum on Executive Orders 13836, 13837, and 13839 of October 11, 2019: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-memorandum-executive-orders-13836-13837-13839/

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Federal HR Project Podcast Episode 005 – President Trump’s civil service EO’s are now in full effect…What does this mean for Agencies? Oct 03, 2019

The U.S. Court of Appeals stay on the lifting of the injunction of the enjoined provisions of President Trump’s civil service executive orders is now expired and the EO’s are in full effect.

In this episode, we cover the judicial proceedings timeline, re-identify the enjoined provisions, and what agency’s can expect to do going forward to come into alignment with the provisions of the executive orders.

If you like this podcast, you can subscribe via iTunes, Google Play Music, and Spotify. Don’t forget to rate the show and leave a review (it helps other listeners find the show).

You can find OPM’s proposed changes to 5 CFR parts 315, 432, and 752 here.

Federal HR Project Podcast Episode 004 – President Trump Announces Intent to Nominate a Third Member to the MSPB May 02, 2019

Today’s episode will be a quick news announcement, which should be of special interest to Federal sector Labor and Employee Relations practitioners. On Monday, April 29, 2019, President Trump announced his intent to nominate B. Chad Bungard to a seven-year term on the Merit Systems Protection Board.

Mr. Bungard is currently serving as the Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Analytics, Review, and Oversight (OARO) at the Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the good folks over at the Federal Employment Law Training Group (FELTG), if confirmed, Mr. Bungard will serve as the Board’s Vice-Chairman until his term expires on March 1, 2025.

In reviewing the White House announcement, I found interesting that Mr. Bungard has previously served as the MSPB’s General Counsel. So it seems Mr. Bungard is coming to the table with some Board experience already under his belt.

You can view FELTG’s news announcement here: https://feltg.com/we-might-get-an-mspb-after-all/

For more information on Mr. Bungard’s background, check out the White House’s announcement here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/president-donald-j-trump-announces-intent-nominate-appoint-personnel-key-administration-posts-24/

If you like this podcast, you can subscribe via iTunes, Google Play Music, and Spotify. Don’t forget to rate the show and leave a review (it helps other listeners find the show).

Thanks for listening!

Federal HR Project Podcast Episode 003 – Federal HR News Roundup – Friday, March 29, 2019 Mar 29, 2019

Today’s episode is a round up of news items impacting the Federal HR community.

First up on the podcast is the 2019 pay increase for federal employees. President Trump issued an executive order on March 28, 2019 implementing the new increase, and OPM also published their updated pay tables on that same date. You can see yesterday’s post for links to the President’s EO and OPM’s updated pay tables here: https://fedhrproject.com/2019/03/28/breaking-eo-issued-new-pay-tables-published-for-2019-pay-increase/.

The next topic of interest is for LER practitioners. The White House has announced President Trump’s plans to nominate several individuals to the FSIP and General Counsel position at the FLRA.

Jonathan Riches and F. Vincent Vernuccio were nominated to five-year terms at the FSIP. You can see the nomination announcement at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/president-donald-j-trump-announces-intent-appoint-individuals-key-administration-posts-5/.

Catherine Bird’s nomination as General Counsel at the FLRA was also announced this week. You can find her nomination announcement here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/president-donald-j-trump-announces-intent-nominate-appoint-personnel-key-administration-posts-23/. Ms. Bird is currently the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Just a friendly reminder: amicus briefs in the case of: U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Michael E. DeBakey Medical Center, Houston, Texas, and American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), Local 1633, Case No. 0-AR-5354, are due by Monday, April 1, 2019. Check out my post on the case for more information: https://fedhrproject.com/2019/03/04/flra-may-be-looking-to-reconsider-factors-for-awarding-attorneys-fees/.

Finishing up the news roundup was the joint budget justification document issued by OPM and GSA, outlining the legislative proposals OPM expects to deliver in 2020. The legislative proposals affecting the overall Federal HR community fall into three categories:

Civil Service Modernization Proposals;
Healthcare and Insurance Proposals, and;
Retirement Proposals.

While I do outline some of the proposals which are of interest to staffing and classification specialists, I don’t provide any insights on those proposals. However, I would love to get some feedback from the staffing/classification community. Please leave us a comment on this post with your thoughts. Also mentioned are the retirement proposals, but I refer you to Jeff Neal, author of the ChiefHRO.com blog, and his post on the proposed changes to retirement benefits. Jeff does a deep dive on the proposals and their viability in Congress. You can check out Jeff’s article at: https://chiefhro.com/2019/03/21/is-it-time-to-change-federal-retirement-benefits/.

You can find a copy of the budget justification document at: https://fedhrproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/gsaopmbudget.pdf . The proposals relevant to the Federal HR community can be found on pages 19-27 of the document.

If you like this podcast, you can subscribe via iTunes, Google Play Music, and Spotify. Don’t forget to rate the show and leave a review (it helps other listeners find the show).

Federal HR Project Podcast Episode 002 – We Do Care About The “Crazies” in Our Workplaces Feb 26, 2019

Two events led me to reflect on today’s episode topic – are we as practitioners prepared to effectively cope with the stress that comes from dealing with employee mental health issues in the workplace?

The two events which led me to think about the topic were the Aurora, Illinois shooting at the Henry Pratt Company, in which five employees lost their lives, and a blog post by Katrina Kibben published on her blog: “No One Cares About Crazy People (At Work).” Link: https://katrinakibben.com/2019/02/19/no-one-cares-about-crazy-people-at-work/.

In the episode, I detail my own experiences seeing the impact current workplace violence trends had a managers at a federal agency who suspected their employee had mental health issues and would not bring themselves to take a personnel action for fear the employee would harm them.

In the discussion I ask, are HR professionals or supervisors/managers effectively prepared to have to deal with the reality of employees who suffer from mental health issues, or perhaps worse, are they prepared to have to deal with actual workplace violence situations. Perhaps it’s not just the “crazies” at work who need treatment and/or training to deal with their medical/mental health conditions; maybe we all need a little help in that area.

Please share your stories, anecdotes, and feedback with me at: etamayo@fedhrproject.com.

Federal HR Project Podcast Episode 001 – Day 32 of a Partial Government Shutdown Jan 22, 2019

The Federal government is now in Day 32 of a partial shutdown. In this episode, I touch on the financial impact the shutdown is having on federal workers. I also talk about the longer term impacts that we can expect because of the current shutdown, and the partisan political gridlock in D.C. Finally, I speak to federal employees, and remind them that this shutdown should be a wake-up call for all us, and how to prepare for future shutdown standoffs with a divided government.

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