Author Archive
Management
‘A rushed and complicated system.’ Federal employees say they’re in the dark over limited top ratings
A mandate to limit outstanding performance scores has managers playing a numbers game and risks pitting teammates against each other.
Tech
State Department orders ‘super intelligence’ wording across all official communications
An internal cable from the agency extends Trump’s terminology change to emails, speeches, websites and official titles, while preserving legal language and historical records.
Management
Enforcement ‘surge’ from DOJ, IRS uncovers $490M in suspected tax fraud
Justice and IRS officials said this won’t be the last tax fraud enforcement surge of its kind. But it's not yet clear how much money they'll claw back from suspected fraudsters.
Management
USPS ‘ready to deliver’ ballots in midterms without mail-in voting EO restrictions
The Postal Service's law enforcement agency is investigating suspicious letters sent to several state officials who oversee election operations.
Tech
OPM revamps online pay tables, spearheads AI adoption across federal workforce
The agency's CIO Adam Starr described the pay table refresh as part of a broader plan to “make every part of the federal experience tech-first."
Breaking News
Management
A judge just put USDA’s employee relocation plans on ice
The order blocks the department from moving about 2,600 employees or closing affected offices while a legal challenge to its reorganization proceeds.
Management
Disability accommodations at Labor get extra scrutiny with annual reviews
The department plans to review existing accommodations for disabilities and pregnancy-related conditions, with employees potentially asked to provide updated medical documentation.
Featured eBooks
Management
USDA reshapes its food assistance agency, but employee relocations remain on hold
The Food and Nutrition Service is moving ahead with its reorganization, but plans to relocate most of its employees remain on hold for now.
Workforce
HHS scraps disability accommodations over missing paperwork. Employees say they have receipts
A union leader for CDC headquarters employees said the Health and Human Services Department closing out these accommodation requests was “a deliberate choice to clear the backlog."
Workforce
Social Security ends flexible work schedules, teeing up clash with union
The agency’s top HR official says these changes are necessary to “deliver the service the public expects.” A union argues SSA violated its labor contract making this decision on its own.
Updated
Management
State Department appeals board, now with limited authority, gains new members
The Trump administration recently limited the board’s authority to challenge employee removals and other adverse personnel actions, asserting that the secretary of state has final say on these decisions.
Tech
Tax chief pushes 'AI-first IRS' to get more out of agency's workforce
The IRS made more than 4,000 hires this year, but its headcount remains mostly unchanged after cutting more than a quarter of its workforce last year.
Management
Judge extends temporary pause in USDA relocations as he considers indefinite freeze
A federal judge in San Francisco said it was "significant" that Congress included a provision in a fiscal 2026 spending package that blocked the Agriculture Department from reorganizing without approval from the House and Senate appropriations committees.
Updated
Workforce
‘Nobody knows anything.’ Displaced IRS staff move from one project to another with few details why
IRS employees who completed a stint in taxpayer services are moving onto their next assignment, and some IT executives coming back from an extended period of paid administrative leave
Featured eBooks
Management
Shutdown mass-layoff policy rescinded as part of settlement with unions
The Trump administration sent reduction in force notices to thousands of employees during the 43-day government shutdown last fall.
Management
VA’s contracting crackdown gave some staff hours to do hundreds of reviews
VA's watchdog office noted these reviews happened quickly under strict deadlines, but generally complied with requirements for terminating contracts.
Exclusive
Management
IRS and Social Security will see more employees quit without advanced leave, senators warn
Senate Democrats warn employees will “inevitably leave” both agencies following a suspension of advanced leave, adding to deep staffing cuts.
Updated
Management
IRS watchdog audits employee reassignments, as agency looks to extend some tours of duty
Employees placed on these involuntary details are doing jobs several pay grades below the work they were hired to perform, but continue to receive their regular paychecks.
Management
Labor’s disability accommodation delays under scrutiny by House lawmakers
Lawmakers say interim accommodations “are infrequently considered,” and that staffing shortages have contributed to significant processing delays and growing backlogs.
Management
VA disputes arbitration fees split with union it’s fighting to no longer recognize
VA officials say the agency will pay a "portion" of what a third-party arbitrator billed it, but is "unable to pay” for services rendered when VA didn't officially recognize its largest union.
