Schedule F, Politicized Policy or Top-to-Bottom Transformation?

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By Michael Rhoads, December 15, 2020

The Trump administration is looking to make sweeping changes to federal employment by introducing a new schedule which could, if fully implemented, convert career conditional employees to at-will employees.  In the Executive Order, the administration cited a need to give “a greater degree of appointment flexibility with respect to these employees than is afforded by the existing competitive service process.” The process for implementing Schedule F as outlined in the EO requires agencies to submit a review of the positions to be covered by Schedule F within 90 days of the order or Jan. 19, 2021.

While it is not widely known how agencies are moving forward with this process, it has been reported by Real Clear Politics that The Office of Management and Budget has identified 425 positions – 88% of their workforce – to be reclassified to Schedule F.  The Washington Post reported, through an anonymous source, OPM may be rushing to move some of its budget and personnel offices to Schedule F “to be test cases for the controversial policy.”

The first challenges to impede the EO have been legal and legislative. The National Treasury Employees Union filed a lawsuit naming the president and Michael Rigas as defendants.  The NTEU claims in the lawsuit: “The president’s sweeping order fails to make a meaningful showing that shifting large numbers of federal employees into a new excepted service category so that they can be fired more quickly and without cause is necessary or supported by good administration principles.”

On the legislative side, Democrats are looking to block implementation of Schedule F through the budgetary process. Language has been included in the NDAA which would block or nullify funds meant to implement Schedule F. There has also been language proposed to ensure employees affected by any changes due to Schedule F would automatically restore employment to those removed, fire anyone who was hired under it, and give back pay to anyone who was fired.

In a GovExec Daily Podcast, Erich Wagner explained the timing of when Schedule F is implemented will determine how much work the Biden Administration will need to do to undo Schedule F, if they choose to do so.

If legislators can pass the NDAA with language to nullify Schedule F, we should not see much trouble for federal employees.

We understand the bad press government employees receive related to the complexity of hiring and firing delinquent employees.  We focus on how to rehabilitate problem employees, but also how to terminate those who are beyond help. Although this system is by no means perfect, it does allow career employees some relief from political pressure and allows them to do their job in a manner which serves the good of the American public as a whole.

In this holiday season, I am happy to know there are a dedicated men and women who are working hard every day to make my life better and provide for the common good. Enjoy your holidays, and remember, we’re all in this together. [email protected]

GSA Offers Guidelines for Re-entry Into Physical Workspaces

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By Michael Rhoads, November 17, 2020

The good news about the pandemic is we (hopefully) may start to see a light at the end of the tunnel. When will a vaccine be ready? When will it be widely available to the public? These questions do not have a definitive answer yet.  However, it is important to prepare now for what steps your agency will have to take once it is feasible to return employees to shared office spaces.  GSA recently put out some guidelines to help agencies prepare for a return to the office in the Return to Workplace Strategy Book.

Office etiquette – a new paradigm

When returning to the office, it is important to prepare employees for a paradigm shift in their behavior. The recommendations from GSA specify that “Frequent Cleaning by Individuals” will be necessary. This may be a sudden change for some employees after a long hiatus on telework, but it’s worth noting that employees “… should not rely on others to disinfect surfaces.” The agency should offer the cleaning supplies, but those supplies will be for agency office use only.

While individuals will be responsible for their own workspaces, the shared workspaces such as conference/meeting rooms, breakrooms, and restrooms will also get a makeover.

For meeting and conference spaces, it is important to ask can the meeting be held virtually instead? Since the capacity of meeting rooms will not be the same as before, consider how many people can fit in the room? Can the door to the meeting room remain open to allow for more ventilation?  Additionally, does the meeting room have the technology to loop in employees who are attending virtually?

Phases for reopening the office

Before the first person walks back in the door, determine the building capacity with your GSA building manager to determine how many employees your office can safely accommodate. A phased reopening approach is recommended.  When determining how many people to bring back in each phase, consider the workspace footprint and how many people may be able to inhabit the space at one time.

Per the GSA: “[T]he reduced capacity of these spaces may affect the number of people who can return to the workspace per phase.” Reassessment will loom large in your phased reopening.  Keep abreast of changes to federal, CDC, and local guidelines.  Employee feedback should be a part of your decision-making process. Also, consider if more parking spaces will be needed by employees who previously used public transportation and now prefer driving.

Individual workspace planning

When considering how to distance your employees’ workspaces, the Return to Workplace Strategy Book provides some great floor plan examples of how to phase in employees safely.  The office capacity used for these examples reflects an office with the maximum capacity of 33 cubicles, and 9 private offices.  Pathways are the spaces where an individual can walk freely.

30% Capacity: The most conservative model would allow individual cubicles to maintain physical distancing at all times. No additional barriers, such as clear plastic shields above cubicle walls to extend the height of the wall, would need to be added. Individuals would be placed in cubicles that allow for other co-workers to move through pathways without contacting a cubicle’s space.

50% Capacity: When half of the office capacity is used, physical distancing mostly would be maintained for individual cubicles except when co-workers walk around in pathways. Barriers such as clear plastic dividers would be added to the top of some cubicle walls to extend the height of the cubicle wall.

75% Capacity: Personal responsibility is the key to this level of employee capacity. Barrier use is important since employees would be encroaching on each other’s space more frequently via pathways around the individual’s cubicle. Clear plastic barriers on top of all cubicle walls in most areas of the workspace would be necessary. At 75% capacity, the use of smaller meeting spaces as individual offices should be considered.

Additional takeaways

Touchless Experience – GSA must approve any changes to fixtures such as doors, faucets, and toilets. However, it is a good idea to update these items to touchless fixtures to reduce employee contact with one another in high touch areas.

Occupancy Monitoring – Sensors can be placed in lobbies, meeting rooms, and break rooms to keep track of how many people are in a space at a given time.

Signage – The guide also offers templates for signage to put up around the office, not only for the employee workspace, but for lobbies, restrooms, breakrooms, and wellness/well-being areas.

The most important takeaway is agencies should be flexible in their approach to returning to the office. As the guide states: “Each agency will need to address specific conditions location by location.” In the coming weeks and months, we will face many challenges brought on by this pandemic, but I am positive the lessons we learn now will only make us stronger for the future that awaits us.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  Stay safe, and remember, we’re all in this together. [email protected]

Make a Plan to Create Order Out of Chaos

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By Michael Rhoads, October 14, 2020

Happy (Fiscal) New Year!  Here in the Northeast, the leaves are changing color, the temperature is falling, and just like any other new year celebration, it’s good to take time to look at where you are and where you’re going. Fortunately, OPM and FELTG have multiple resources to help you focus your employees’ goals for the coming fiscal year to maximize your unit’s contribution to  agency’s mission.

Workforce Planning

Are you looking to bridge the gap between your current workforce and the needs your agency is facing to complete its mission? It would be nice to wave a magic wand and have it all appear at once. However, as Ben Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”

Having a framework and a step-by-step outline is the best way to begin the planning process. This 5-step model from OPM is a great tool for novices and experts.

Step 1: Set Strategic Direction. Start by linking the workforce planning process to your agency’s annual performance or business plan and consider both the long-term and short-term objectives of your plan.

Step 2: Analyze Workforce, Identify Skill Gaps, and Conduct Workforce Analysis. What are your resources? What are the gaps between the current resources and the goals of your plan? What human capital will you need to accomplish your plan’s goals?

Step 3: Develop an Action Plan. Identify strategies to close the gaps, implement strategies, and measure progress.

Step 4:  Implement Action Plan. Ensure the resources identified are in place, market your ideas to those involved, and execute the plan to achieve your goals.

Step 5: Monitor, Evaluate and Revise.  Monitor progress against milestones, evaluate to improve goals, and adjust goals.

SWOT Analysis

Another tried-and-true method to evaluate and plan new fiscal year goals is a SWOT Analysis.

  • What does your agency do well? What are your internal resources (e.g., skilled workers)? What are your Capital Assets such as proprietary technology or intellectual property?
  • Where can your agency improve? What resource limitations might hold you back?
  • How can your agency leverage its current strengths to create new opportunities? Could press or media coverage highlight your agency’s strengths? What are the emerging markets in need of your services?
  • Will the agency have to deal with any changing regulations?

As part of FELTG’s half- or full-day Strategic Planning course, IG-2: Strategic Planning, Scott Boehm will demonstrate how to formulate the OIG Mission and Vision Statements and conduct SWOT analysis.

Also, on November 19, Scott will give an hourlong webinar presentation about how organizing and annual planning can help your Office of Inspector General to make your agency more effective and achieve the annual goals you are planning right now. Register now for Properly Executing Planning and Outreach: A Guide for OIGs and get a jump start on your annual goals.

Stay safe out there, and remember, we’re all in this together. [email protected]

Flexing Schedules to Help Employees Meet Child Care Needs

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By Michael Rhoads, September 16, 2020

The coronavirus has forced everyone to rethink how our society functions. One of the most difficult functions to overcome for me and my peers who have young children has been how to manage childcare while both parents still work full-time jobs.

When on Zoom or other online meetings, our small “co-workers” can be heard playing, screaming, and asking an innumerable amount of embarrassing questions (Daddy, can you take me to the bathroom?)

Childcare options have shrunk for families. Daycare facilities have closed or have been forced to limit the number of children they can accept for safety reasons. Public schools have been the foundation of childcare for most families. However, when a school district moves to online-only or hybrid schooling, it adds to a family’s childcare needs. If your family is fortunate enough, there may be a willing grandparent or relative to help out, or maybe your family is able to hire in-home care such as a nanny to help lighten the burden. Trying to determine what’s best for your child and your career feels overwhelming at times.

How can you as a supervisor help your employee face their childcare needs? The majority of the workforce is currently under a telework arrangement, which does help alleviate commuting time, but what other opportunities are you able to offer? I took a look at OPM’s guidance and found a few ways federal employers can be flexible without compromising the agency’s mission.

If the agency or your collective bargaining agreement allow, flexible work schedules are worth a look.  OPM offers examples of flexible works schedules, including flexitour, gliding, variable day, variable week and maxiflex, in “Fact Sheet: The Use of a Maxiflex Work Schedule in Response to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).” After reviewing the examples, maxiflex caught my eye. OPM described it as a way to address a “wide range of COVID-19 work situations.” Per OPM:

A maxiflex work schedule is a type of flexible work schedule (FWS) that, when combined with telework, provides the most flexibility to employees who need to address the dual demands of work and caregiving, as well as other personal responsibilities in response to COVID-19.

One of the early signs an employee is having trouble with childcare could be irregular leave patterns. In order to recognize other signs of leave abuse, and how to effectively manage employee leave, FELTG is hosting a Absence, Leave Abuse & Medical Issues Week, the week of September 28.  Barbara Haga, Ann Boehm, Katherine Atkinson, and Meghan Droste will tackle what you need to know about leave and how to handle any potential abuse in the current climate.

Stay safe out there, and remember, we’re all in this together. [email protected]