Author Archives: GovExec

OPM to Agencies: You Decide Whether Or Not a Conference is Legit

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From time to time GovEvents will come across information we feel our members and audience would benefit from. Here's something we wanted to share:

Originally posted on www.govexec.com

The Office of Personnel Management has stopped its long-time practice of reviewing individual agency conferences to decide whether they qualify as employee training under the regulations.

OPM Director Katherine Archuleta said in a May 1 memorandum to the government's chief human capital officers that OPM would discontinue issuing such guidance and wanted "to make clear that agencies are responsible for their employees' training and development as provided by the statute and regulations, 5 U.S.C. chapter 41 and 5 CFR Part 410." Continue reading →

Phased Retirement is Finally Here

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From time to time GovEvents will come across information we feel our members and audience would benefit from. Here's something we wanted to share:

Originally posted on GovExec.com

After more than two years in federal regulation limbo, the law allowing federal employees to partially retire while continuing to work part-time for the government is finally being implemented.

Eligible federal employees can submit their applications for phased retirement beginning Nov. 6. The Office of Personnel Management on Thursday filed the 129-page final rule on the new program for publication in the Federal Register on Friday. The so-called phased retirement provision, included in the 2012 transportation reauthorization act, allows eligible feds to work 20 hours per week, receiving half their pay as well as half their retirement annuity. Those employees who enter phased retirement must devote at least 20 percent of their work time, or about 8 hours a pay period, to mentoring other employees, ideally for those who take over for them when they fully retire.

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OPM Encourages D.C.-Area Feds to Telework During Africa Summit Next Week

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From time to time GovEvents will come across information we feel our members and audience would benefit from. Here's something we wanted to share:
Originally posted on GovExec.com

The Office of Personnel Management has asked federal agencies to consider allowing employees in Washington, D.C., to telework early next week during President Obama's summit with African leaders, which is expected to cause major traffic headaches in the city.

OPM "strongly recommends" that agencies consider telework on Aug. 4-6, "to keep the government operating normally while helping to minimize traffic congestion" during the event. Traffic is expected to be particularly bad on Aug. 5 and Aug. 6 due to road closures, the agency said in a memo to chief human capital officers.

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Improving Training at Your Agency Just Got A Lot Easier

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Originally posted on GovExec.com by Eric Katz

Two federal agencies announced on Monday a joint effort to boost training and other human capital services for agencies across government, saying the move would save money and improve human resources support.

The Office of Personnel Management has partnered with the General Services Administration to create a contract vehicle that will ease the process for agencies to hire private companies for HR consulting. While OPM and GSA are still finalizing the details of the arrangement, a memorandum of understanding signed Monday spelled out a system that eases agencies away from the acquisition process for their human capital needs.

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Federal Government Seeks Public Solution to Spending Less on Travel

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Originally posted on Government Executive by Eric Katz.

The federal government is offering $90,000 to people who can help reduce its travel costs.

Uncle Sam spends about $9 billion annually on travel, and the General Services Administration is turning to its own crowdsourcing website for help reducing that tab. GSA's Office of Governmentwide Policy opened its Travel Data Challenge on Challenge.gov last week, asking the public to create a "digital interactive tool" that highlights the shortcomings and inefficiencies of current government travel policy.

GSA is "looking to bring a quantitative approach to the data the federal government collects in order to help agencies make smarter business decisions, and to allow them to drive greater saving and efficiencies," according to the posting. The grand prize winner will receive $35,000, the runner up $30,000 and the honorable mention recipient $25,000.

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