Anyone who has welcomed a new child or has taken care of a relative with health problems knows that sometimes work has to take a backseat to family. Congress also recognized this and passed the Family and Medical Leave Act, also known as the FMLA, more than two decades ago.
An employee’s rights under the FMLA
What can be done to confront workplace bullying?
The concept of bullying is something that nearly every person can identify with. Most of the time it brings to mind experiences of childhood when we got picked on regularly by another kid in school or the neighborhood.
You wouldn't think MSPB would have to taste its own medicine, but
Federal agencies are supposed to take seriously the job of protecting workers who strive to make things better by blowing the whistle on suspected wrongdoing. If a government employee in Texas or anywhere else takes the time and effort to reveal some shortcoming in the system, his or her managers are not supposed to retaliate against them by some sort of negative job action.
Federal workers: Mixing politics and Twitter could mean trouble
Ever since the Hatch Act of 1939, federal workers have had curbs on the things they can do and say regarding their personal political opinions. In general terms, the law limits the role of nonelected government employees in political campaigns.
Federal contract workers get sick leave by presidential order
President Barak Obama continues to alter the labor landscape bit by bit by virtue of executive order. His latest move came earlier this month. He signed an order declaring that starting on Jan. 1, 2017, federal contractors must offer employees paid sick leave as part of their employment benefits.
Handling of hack issues at OPM has honchos facing off
Getting beyond the recent information hacks of the Office of Personnel Management is proving to be as big a challenge as one might expect when dealing with the federal bureaucracy. What makes this particular situation more disturbing, though, is that the friction is being generated from within OPM itself.
What federal employees who face retaliation can do
How common is retaliation in the federal workplace? Quite, according to data that was recently-released by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Analysts conclude that federal agencies need to do more to manage employees
Employees need training and advancement opportunities in order to be productive and satisfied with their jobs, but a recent survey of federal employees suggests that federal agencies are failing to manage employees in such a way as to promote career development and effectively utilize their talents.
Fed employees: Beware fed-state law conflict on marijuana
As many readers are likely aware, the state of Texas recently joined the ranks of several other states allowing the use of medical marijuana. The law is limited in its application but, as was widely reported back in May, the governor did sign the bill. It only is available for Texans with a certain type of epilepsy, and the marijuana product that is prescribed has to be very low in the psychoactive chemical usually found in cannabis.
Updated numbers on OPM data breach reinforces need for diligence
If you thought the data breach at the Office of Personnel Management was bad before, you haven't seen anything yet. When we posted about that debacle back in June, our main intention was to try to highlight that federal employees in Texas and elsewhere owe it to themselves to keep a close eye on their financial accounts.
