Federal employees could face more discipline under proposed new rules

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Washington Post

Politics
Federal employees could face more discipline under proposed new rules

By Eric Yoder, National reporter focusing on internal federal government personnel, management and budget policies
September 17 at 2:56 PM

Federal agencies would have greater freedom in disciplining their employees, and the employees would be guaranteed only the minimum protections required by law, under rules the Trump administration proposed Tuesday. ... The rules would strip away many of the practices agencies have followed in disciplining employees while urging them to move as fast as the law allows. (1)

For example, the rules emphasize management’s discretion to order penalties up to firing in cases of alleged misconduct regardless of whether an agency had taken lesser actions against the employee first and regardless of how it had responded in some similar past situations. ... For cases of alleged poor performance, agencies would have more leeway in fulfilling their obligation to help employees try to improve before taking disciplinary action.

Most of the changes would put in place the parts of a May 2018 executive order from President Trump that are not affected by a court injunction blocking portions of that order and two others issued at the same time. (2) ... In proposing the rules for a 30-day comment period, the Office of Personnel Management said that “failure to address unacceptable performance and misconduct undermines morale, burdens good performers with subpar colleagues, and inhibits the ability of executive agencies to accomplish their missions.”

After issuing proposed rules, an agency must review the comments and respond to them when issuing final rules, which may included changes. There is no deadline for those steps. Further, changes in federal personnel policies commonly don’t take actual effect until OPM later issues guidance to agencies.
....

Eric Yoder is a National reporter at The Washington Post. He has reported for The Post since 2000, concentrating on federal employee issues, the budget and government management policies. Follow https://twitter.com/EricYoderWP

(1) https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/09/17/2019-19636/probation-on-initial-appointment-to-a-competitive-position-performance-based-reduction-in-grade-and

(2) https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/their-personal-information-was-hacked-but-the-trump-administration-doesnt-want-to-pay/2019/09/09/6a008bd0-d33e-11e9-9610-fb56c5522e1c_story.html

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal-employees-could-face-more-discipline-under-proposed-new-rules/2019/09/17/5fdb9846-d976-11e9-ac63-3016711543fe_story.html

---

Probation on Initial Appointment to a Competitive Position, Performance-Based Reduction in Grade and Removal Actions and Adverse Actions

A Proposed Rule by the Personnel Management Office on 09/17/2019

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/09/17/2019-19636/probation-on-initial-appointment-to-a-competitive-position-performance-based-reduction-in-grade-and

[bucolic_frolic]

1. The goal of this policy is clearly stated and matches ALL of Trump's policies

"undermines morale, burdens good performers with subpar colleagues, and inhibits the ability of executive agencies to accomplish their missions.”

In. A. Nutshell.

[TheRealNorth]

2. Or

Do as Trump says and cover for his insane tweets, or you're fired.

[SoCalNative]

3. I'm going to guess that their unions

might have something to say about this.....

[modrepub]

4. Our Union Got A Contract Imposed On It

Not something the MSM picked up on. Assuming other federal agencies have had or will experience the same at some point.

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

5. Taking it to court is about all they can do.

The courts could decide to block this as they have the other rules and orders.

[riversedge]

6. Trump always proposes harsh treatment for others but NOT for himself or family #CrueltyisthePoint

[not fooled]

7. Any Federal employee

who votes puke is an idiot.

[bluedigger]

8. Goodbye, due process.

Resistance is futile.

[Skittles]

9. sounds like they'd be treated like non-fed employees

[Smackdown2019]

10. La la land

We just need to have two governments ... USA and Russia Trump Government. USA could just mirror the trump government by pushing the daily list of fired fake people, while the real employees run our nations without retaliation. Seems they been hoodwinking him anyhow.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

11. If these same standards are applied to the Executive Branch

then we no longer need to worry about impeachment.

[DeminPennswoods]

12. More civil servants than you might think will be on

board with this. There is little that's more frustrating than having to pick up the work of a slacker or imcompetent co-worker.

Can't speak for other agencies or departments, but my command's union wasn't very strong and management coordinated with HR to impose pretty much whatever discipline they wanted.

[atreides1]

13. Question

What about incompetent supervisors? You know the type...you do all the work, they take all the credit! They get the grade/step increases while at the same time telling you that your job description doesn't justify a grade increase, or that you're really not deserving of a step increase!

In my experience the biggest problem with a lot of civil servants is that they're all under the impression that it's the other guy who slacks off or is incompetent! At one time or another mostly all civil servants are slackers...have you been to a post office lately?

Now to be honest there is a percentage of civil servants who live to work, we call these workaholics, they come in early, they leave late, sometimes they're sociable, other times they're not...but work is their life!!!

So, let them lower the protections across the board, because those civil servants who think they're the hard working, competent ones, may get a rude awakening...

[DeminPennswoods]

14. We've all had supervisors in over their heads

A few of mine took credit for my work on their way up the ladder, too. But there are some federal employees who just need to be fired, but because of the involved documentary process to do that, they are just passed from one job to another. In my quarter century of federal employment, I never saw anyone denied a step increase although I did see a lot of really good people either passed over for promotion or not even bother to apply for them because they thought the job was in the bag for someone else.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

15. So, ye Federal peasants:

Dare not jest at the glorious leader's brilliant use of sharpies to correct the errors of viziers and alchemists and wizards and witches. Our leader knows more than some bunch of pocket-protector-wearing bookworms.