Ensure managers apply telework policies consistently throughout reopening By Anjali Patel, Esq., cyberFEDS® Legal Editor Washington Bureau IN FOCUS: As employees begin to return to their workplaces, agencies must ensure their telework and reasonable accommodation policies are applied consistently, Joanna Friedman, a partner at the Federal Practice Group, told cyberFEDS®. While many employees are ready […]

Time spent undergoing health screenings could be compensable under the FLSA By Anjali Patel, Esq., cyberFEDS® Legal Editor Washington Bureau IN FOCUS: With entryway health screenings becoming the norm due to the pandemic, questions are likely to arise about whether agencies must pay Fair Labor Standards Act nonexempt employees for time spent going through health […]

4 keys to managing probationary employees during a pandemic By Anjali Patel, Esq., cyberFEDS® Legal Editor Washington Bureau BEST PRACTICE: Even with the challenges of COVID-19, agencies should not waste the opportunity to fully utilize the probationary period to ensure employees can successfully perform the essential functions of the position, employment law expert Robert Erbe […]

Wonder How You’re Going to Go Back to Work? Watch the Postal Service Having helped many of us stay safe at home during the pandemic, USPS is establishing the protocols we may need to return to work and school. JUNE 4, 2020 03:59 PM ET “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night […]

Inspectors general on shaky ground after fast dismissals By Tom Temin | @tteminWFED May 28, 2020 12:39 pm 7 min read        Best listening experience is on Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Subscribe to Federal Drive’s daily audio interviews on Apple Podcasts or PodcastOne. Rapid-fire changes in the ranks of big agency inspectors general by the Trump White House have […]

Whistleblower Argues Investigation Was Prohibited Retaliation May 18, 2020 In a recent decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit held that a retaliatory investigation, in and of itself, is not a qualifying adverse personnel action under the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA). (Sistek v. Department of Veterans Affairs (CAFC No. 2019-1168)) The petitioner, Leonard […]

A woman wearing a protective face mask walks past an American flag in front of a closed business in Florida on Monday. LYNNE SLADKY/AP If you want to listen to the podcast click here. The COVID-19 crisis is into its fourth month and more state and local governments are lifting restrictions meant to safeguard public […]

As some in the Trump administration push toward “reopening the government,” a federal employment lawyer said worried workers might find solace in existing leave policies and the whistleblower protection statute. MAY 4, 2020 05:16 PM ET Although it remains unclear when or if the United States will effectively “flatten the curve” of the coronavirus outbreak, […]

What Federal Employees Should Know About EEOC’s Rehabilitation Act Guidance and the Coronavirus May 4, 2020 The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued guidance applicable during the COVID-19 pandemic related to what federal agencies can and cannot do related to medical inquiries and examinations that during normal times may violate the Rehabilitation Act (which, […]

Unsanitized Bathrooms and Working While Sick: Postal Workers Flood OSHA With Coronavirus Complaints As more than 1,200 USPS workers test positive for COVID-19, employees file allegations about unsafe conditions. APRIL 21, 2020 Dozens of U.S. Postal Service employees have filed complaints with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration due to conditions they allege are unsafe […]