Last week, the Office of Personnel Management proposed new regulations to implement portions of President Trump’s May 2018 Executive Order on federal employee firing and discipline.

As summer time-off requests come to an end, it’s time to start thinking about your religious observances and any time off you may need in the coming months.

Bad things happen to good, conscientious, hardworking federal managers.  This week, we highlight the specific exposures of IRS managers in the hope that you will be able to identify your own vulnerabilities.

As we quickly approach the one-year anniversary of the Executive Order Promoting Accountability & Streamlining Removal Procedures Consistent with Merit System Principles, we at FEDS Protection believe that while the Executive Order may not have had the impact on the overall federal workforce many anticipated, the spillover effects on the lives of federal managers has left them vulnerable to unprecedented rates of discrimination, retaliation, and whistleblower reprisal allegations.

Allegations can spring upon you at any point as a federal employee. If you were informed of an allegation being made against you tomorrow, would you be prepared?

Did you know that if you are directly accused of wrongdoing, particularly in an OIG or internal management investigation into allegations of wrongdoing, that you will not be assigned an agency attorney?

As the President of FEDS, I didn’t know whether to celebrate the agreement to fund agencies through mid­February or to commiserate over the uncertainty that lies ahead.

In the wake of the recent government shutdown and subsequent strains on the federal community, we have had many FEDS members contact us with concerns about how to handle current or upcoming furloughs.

If you have your liability insurance through FEDS Protection, you have automatically been entered into a raffle to win one of two 9.7 inch 128 GB Apple iPads.

We get several calls a week from federal agency managers who need legal advice or representation but don’t have FEDS Protection in place.

The recent Supreme Court nomination process has demonstrated to the public at large that any Federal employee can be brought forward to testify in a Senate Hearing.

Whistleblower reprisal cases have increased six-fold in the last few years. Although some whistleblower reprisal cases are unsubstantiated, it can be easy to make targets of federal officials.  More and more managers, supervisors and law enforcement officials are accused of and investigated for some allegation at some point in their careers.

The California wildfires are wreaking havoc among Californians’ houses, businesses, and schools.  California’s largest wildfire in state history is all consuming with tough decisions being made each minute to contain the fire and deter further destruction.

Summer days can lead to a distracted work force, but productivity doesn’t have to suffer.

The White House issued several executive orders on May 25, 2018 affecting the management of the federal workforce.

Are you familiar with every civil service law, rule or regulation?

Managers often think of liabilities in terms of being the selecting official for an applicant or being brought in for a congressional hearing, but seem to overlook the many other exposures they are prone to in their position each day with their employees.