OMB Announces 3.2 Million Federal Employees Complied with Vaccine Mandate
White House Assistant Press Secretary Kevin Munoz has since reported the “vast majority” of federal employees are fully vaccinated, though the 92 percent count includes those who have only so far received half of their two-dose regiment.
OPM Recaps Annual Leave Procedures, COVID-19 Special Rules
Federal employees may have some extra annual leave set to expire, according to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recent memorandum.
CHCO Council Releases DEIA Advancement Plan for the Federal Workforce
On November 23, 2021, the Chief Human Capital Officers (CHCO) Council published a report on the government-wide advancement of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) in the federal workforce. This report outlines a series of strategies designed to improve DEIA in the federal government, aligning closely with ongoing efforts to restructure the federal workforce.
OPM Outlines the Future of Remote, Telework for Federal Agencies
In a report released on November 12, 2021, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) urged agencies to ensure telework is a permanent component of workforce policies, aligning with telework expansion support from the Biden Administration.
USDA's Bot Program Avoids $5.3 Million in Annual Costs, Boosts Employee Retention
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced its Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has saved $5.3 million in cost avoidance by saving more than 150,000 hours each year. RPA is a bot development that automates repetitive human work using existing user interfaces allowing employees to focus on more critical tasks.
Treasury's Internal and National Steps in Advancing Racial Equity
The Department of the Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has appointed Janis Bowdler to serve as Treasury’s first Racial Equity to advance racial equity efforts. In her new position, Bowdler will tackle racial inequality issues in banking and financial services. The announcement came the same day as Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo published “A Coordinated Strategy to Advance Racial Equity at Treasury.”
Groups Urge White House to Extend Vaccine Mandate Deadline for Federal Employees
Several federal workforce organizations have recently advocated for extending the federal employee vaccine mandate deadline align with the federal contractor deadline. The federal contractor deadline was recently extended in January 2022.
In other vaccine mandated related news, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) announced at least one agency has entered a Memorandum of Understanding with the management regarding vaccine mandate implementation.
OPM Proposes Limited Hiring Policy to Streamline Hiring of Recent Graduates
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recently published an interim rule meant to assist agencies in recruiting and hiring recent college graduates. The new policy continues an ongoing initiative within the federal government to attract and retain young talent.
GAO Reports a Rise in Agency Decisions Informed by Performance Data
Throughout 2020, managers from 24 federal agencies were asked how frequently they used performance information to make decisions.
CISA Releases Directive for Federal Agencies, DHS to Lead Known Cyber Vulnerabilities Purge Effort
On November 3, 2021, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a binding operational directive with a new strategy guiding civilian federal agencies' management of known exploited vulnerabilities. The catalog of vulnerabilities provides remediation deadlines as early as November 17, 2021.
Union Levies Legal Challenge to COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate, Task Force Updates Guidance
On October 30, 2021, a federal employee union filed a lawsuit challenging President Biden's vaccine mandate for federal employees in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The case aims to invalidate the Executive Order and subsequent guidance from the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force (Task Force) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Federal Employee Vetting Doctrine Advances Security Clearance Reform
This latest iteration of the Trusted Workforce 2.0 initiative was the result of feedback from a proposal published in the Federal Register and subsequent public comments.
TSP Modernizing Effort to Expand Retirement Security, New Features
An early stage of the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) modernization effort has been announced by the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB) — coined the Converge Initiative.
As Federal Agencies Disclose Vaccine Enforcement Actions, the Disciplinary Process Begins
As the vaccine mandate deadline looms for federal employees, agencies are beginning to plan and initiate their enforcement plans. On October 18, 2021, the Department of Defense (DOD) announced in a memo “progressive enforcement actions” regarding vaccine mandates for civilian employees, contractors, and visitors.
Proposed Appropriations Bill Revitalizes Plan for New FBI Headquarters
On October 19, 2021, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-MD), chairman of the Senate Appropriations, released proposed legislation for the remaining nine Senate appropriations bills for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. The bill making appropriations for the Departments related to Commerce, Justice, and Science allocates $632 million for the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) new headquarters (HQ).
VP and OPM Dir. Announce Effort to Inform Feds of Union Eligibility, Collective Bargaining Status
Vice President Kamala Harris and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Kiran Ahuja announced the Biden Administration’s reinvigorated effort to have agencies regularly inform new federal employees of union eligibility.
OPM Proposes New FEDVIP Rule, Eligibility Extension and Enrollment Clarifications
In a proposed rule announced on October 19, 2021, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is advising an expansion of employee eligibility for the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP). The program’s extension would include select temporary and seasonal workers, among others.