If you see something, say something. This has become an important safety mantra of the times in which we find ourselves. Blowing the whistle when something is wrong is the right thing to do. Federal whistleblower protections Federal laws protect federal employees who...
If you’re like most people, you know that workplace discrimination is wrong. It’s illegal, and if you’ve experienced discrimination, you might want to take action. However, few people understand what they need to prove to win their cases. The result is that too few...
There’s a lot to unpack from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) most recent reports on sexual harassment. At first glance, it may look like women are giving up on workplace justice. Most likely, the full story is more complicated. According to the...
As a federal employee you have the right to challenge any disciplinary actions your agency takes against you. Frequently, agencies can provide enough evidence to support their decisions. Other times, employees successfully point out the flaws in an agency’s argument....
It’s a nearly universal rule that the better you do on your performance review, the better you’ll do in your career. Throughout the federal government, and in countless private sector businesses, performance reviews drive raises, annual bonuses and your chances for...
There are roughly 1.6 million tenured federal employees with at least two years of experience. In fiscal year 2021, agencies fired 4,040 of these employees. That amounts to roughly one-quarter of one percent of the federal government’s tenured employees. These numbers...
As a federal employee, you have the right to respond to any adverse action an agency plans to take against you. There are several steps in the process at which you can respond. Ultimately, however, you want to show that you do not deserve to face discipline or that...
Federal laws protect federal employees from unwarranted dismissals, suspensions, demotions and other adverse workplace actions. These protections exist largely to ensure that federal agencies make decisions according to merit, rather than political whims. However, you...
Federal employees live between two worlds. On the one hand, you go to work every day to participate in non-partisan activities on behalf of the American public. On the other hand, you’re a part of the government. You’re more likely than your private sector peers to...
As a number of lawmakers have launched new attacks against the federal government’s civil service, some new services have turned their attention to the Pendleton Act. So, what is it? The Pendleton Act, also known as the Civil Service Act, became law in 1883. It ended...
