July 27th, 2010

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Every week FEDmanager gives out the latest information you need to manage the nation's largest and most important workforce. From new laws and regulations to key court decisions FEDmanager delivers unfiltered news in an easy-to-read, straight forward format designed to help managers and other federal employees keep ahead of the rapidly changing federal workplace.

This Week in FEDmanager^® (scroll to articles below if these quick links do not work in your email provider)

• New MSPB Report Finds First-Level Supervisors' Performance Subpar
• Percentage of Feds with Targeted Disabilities Holds Steady, but Agencies' Efficiency in the Complaint Process Slips, EEOC Reveals
• Agencies Wasting Billions in IT Projects, GAO Concludes
• From the Hill - Bill Designed to Curb Wasteful Spending By Agencies, Require Recovery of Overpayments, Signed into Law
• Educate Yourself - Sign-up today for OmniGov's Most Popular Classroom Seminar: How to Rehabilitate or Remove the Problem Employee
• Case Law Update - Postal Employee Not Entitled to Back Pay Because He Was Not "Ready, Willing, or Able to Work" Due to an Incapacitating Illness or Injury, Federal Circuit Rules
• Tip of The Week - Get Ahead of the Curve
• Smile of the Week - Smile of the Week
• Leadership Reflection - Leadership Reflection

News Round Up

New MSPB Report Finds First-Level Supervisors' Performance Subpar
A new report from the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) states that while there has been some overall improvement in employees' perceptions of their supervisors' performance in recent years, many supervisors continue to demonstrate levels of supervisory skill that is "substantially lower than what is needed to effectively engage employees and manage their performance." The report, "A Call to Action: Improvin ...
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Percentage of Feds with Targeted Disabilities Holds Steady, but Agencies' Efficiency in the Complaint Process Slips, EEOC Reveals
Yesterday, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) revealed that while the percentage of federal workers with targeted disabilities is holding steady after 13 years of decline, agencies' efficiency in the complaint process has slipped. The findings are reported in the EEOC's Annual Report on the Federal Work Force for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009, which assesses the state of equal employment opportunity thro ...
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Agencies Wasting Billions in IT Projects, GAO Concludes
Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Tom Carper (D-Delaware), members of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, recently released a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which they requested, highlighting government agencies' continued mismanagement of billions of dollars on information technology (IT) investments because of poor management oversight. The Committee, which oversees ...
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From the Hill - Bill Designed to Curb Wasteful Spending By Agencies, Require Recovery of Overpayments, Signed into Law
Last Thursday, President Barack Obama signed into law The Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act (S.1508). Sponsored by Sen. Tom Carper (D-Delaware) and Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pennsylvania), the law provides new tools designed to address government waste, including: (1) requiring agencies to produce audited, corrective action plans with targets to reduce overpayment errors; (2) mandating all agencies that spe ...
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Educate Yourself - Sign-up today for OmniGov's Most Popular Classroom Seminar: How to Rehabilitate or Remove the Problem Employee
Sign-up today for OmniGov's most popular classroom seminar: How to Rehabilitate or Remove the Problem Employee featuring William L. Bransford, Managing Partner- Shaw, Bransford & Roth, P.C.Whether you are a new first line manager or a seasoned supervisor, this course is for you!Learn to manage a problem employee, while fulfilling your obligations to your agency and the employee. Date: Wednesday, September 22, 2010Tim ...
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Case Law Update - Postal Employee Not Entitled to Back Pay Because He Was Not "Ready, Willing, or Able to Work" Due to an Incapacitating Illness or Injury, Federal Circuit Rules
A mail processing clerk was not entitled to back pay because he was not "ready, willing, or able to work" due to an incapacitating illness or injury, the Federal Circuit ruled last week. The case began in April 2008, when the U.S. Postal Service placed the clerk on administrative leave pending a fitness for duty examination. The clerk was examined by two physicians and a psychologist, all of whom expressed concerns a ...
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Tip of The Week - Get Ahead of the Curve
Our top news story this week is on a recently issued report of the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) based on a survey of employees' perceptions of the management skills of their first level supervisors. According to the MSPB survey results, there has been some overall improvement in employee perception of their supervisors' job performance, but not enough. Many employees still perceive their first level sup ...
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Smile of the Week - Smile of the Week
"What's the matter, doctor?" the patient asked. "You look perplexed." "I can't figure out exactly what's wrong with you," the doctor replied. "It may be the result of heavy drinking.""Oh, well in that case, I'll just come back when you're sober," the patient said.

Leadership Reflection - Leadership Reflection
"I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers." - Ralph Nader

FEDmanager^®
Publisher: Shaw, Bransford & Roth, PC
Consulting Attorney: William L. Bransford
Editor: Susan S. McWilliams

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