Despite Progress, Sharp Increase in Retirement Claims Expected in 2015
January 13, 2015
Soon-to-be retired federal employees can still expect long wait times for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to process their retirement claims. Despite making tremendous progress and improvements, the OPM is anticipating an influx of retirement claims this month which could create another claim logjam and lengthen the time it takes for retired federal workers […]
Kinks Still to be Worked Out for Federal Hiring and Recruiting Standards
January 6, 2015
U.S. government agencies are continuing to fall short of expectations set by the Obama Administration to improve hiring and recruiting practices. Only 45 percent of hiring managers in the federal workforce said they were “actively and personally” involved in the recruiting process for job vacancies, according to a recent Chief Human Capital Officers survey. That […]
Despite Challenges, USPS Gets a Big Thumps-Up From The Public
December 23, 2014
The United States Postal Service is entering the most challenging period of its history. But fortunately, it has immense public support. According to a recent Gallup poll, the USPS has the “most positive image” among 13 high-profile government agencies. Conducted in November, the poll found that young Americans, in particular, stand behind the agency and […]
White House Taps New Generation of Federal Workforce Leaders
December 18, 2014
In response to the exodus of senior managers and executives in the federal workforce, the White House issued several executive orders this month to help prepare and cultivate the next generation of leadership. Nearly a quarter of senior managers in the federal workforce are expected to retire by 2017. Reacting to that drain of leadership, […]
Is the TSP a Wise Investment
December 15, 2014
The federal government is always boasting about the benefits of the Thrift Savings Plan. But is it truly a worthwhile, long-term investment for federal workers? We’ll turn to federal workers to answer that question for us: nearly 50 percent of federal workers who retired or separated from employment in 2012 withdrew their entire TSP balance […]
TSP Experiences Accross-the-Board Increases
December 12, 2014
Federal workers are seeing positive gains in their Thrift Savings Plan investments. The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) posted across-the-board increases in all funds in November. According to Government Executive, that represents the second consecutive month of positive gains. November also marked the first time since June all TSP funds realized gains, Government Executive reported. Similar […]
Will COLA suffice come retirement?
December 8, 2014
Just because you are guaranteed a pension as a federal worker does not mean it will truly keep up with the cost of living when you retire. Retired federal workers will get a 1.7 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to their civil service annuities in 2015, the government recently announced. This slight rise in COLA will […]
CBO Report Targets Federal Worker Pay and Benefits
December 3, 2014
The pay and benefits of federal workers are being scrutinized yet again. This time the Congressional Budget Office determined cutting them would significantly reduce the government’s annual deficit. In November, the nonpartisan accounting arm of Congress released a report entitled, “Options for Reducing the Deficit: 2015 to 2024,” which offered 79 recommendations for lawmakers to […]
Senior Managers Could Face More Pressure
December 3, 2014
Executives and management in the federal workforce could see their performance reviews affected based on their employees’ engagement scores from the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS). This information was publicly revealed when the news site Federal News Radio obtained a draft of a memo to agency leaders from the Office of Management and Budget […]
Defense Department Per Diem Rates to Change
November 25, 2014
New long-term temporary duty (TDY) per diem rules for civilian Department of Defense workers went into effect earlier this month. But 13 federal employees’ unions oppose the changes, especially for civilian DOD workers. Defense Travel Management Office director Harvey Johnson explained in a release that the per diem rules, which will impact lodging, meals […]
