Sexual harassment is a term of art that while easy to allege, isn’t always easy to prove. However, just because something may not rise to the level of Title VII sexual harassment, doesn’t mean it’s not inappropriate or that it should be tolerated in the workplace. FELTG President Deborah Hopkins, …
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EEO/DEIA Training, Employee Relations, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
November 6If a Federal employee is required to have access to classified information, then the employee must be eligible for a security clearance in order to keep that position. What happens when the employee no longer has that clearance? This class will detail how to handle a security clearance suspension, revocation …
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Employee Relations, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
November 7Wouldn’t it be great if your first reaction to a reasonable accommodation request didn’t involve increased heartbeat, immediate beads of sweat, or fear? It doesn’t have to be that way. You can be the supervisor (or advisor) who sees the benefit of the interactive process and confidently navigates it to find a …
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EEO/DEIA Training, Employee Relations, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
December 5Numerous pitfalls can derail an agency’s disciplinary action, whether it’s suspension, demotion, or removal – and even make a bad situation worse. The most “effective and efficient” approach isn’t always traditional disciplinary action. This two-hour training will explain why, how, and when to use numerous alternative actions, including not just …
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Employee Relations, Litigation & Advocacy, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
December 12Any effective misconduct investigation starts with a solid foundation of the law and an understanding of the full scope of your investigation. This class explains the principles that underpin a successful investigation of Federal employee misconduct, including harassment. You’ll leave with guidance on developing the investigation, from creating a plan …
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EEO/DEIA Training, Employee Relations, Workplace Investigations, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
January 22Subtle and overt language, joking, off-handed comments, and offensive comments and gestures can lead to a hostile work environment. And that includes ill-advised, even if not ill-intentioned, phrases such as “hold down the fort” and “low man on the totem pole.” Being a respectful communicator means more than just not …
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EEO/DEIA Training, Employee Relations, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
February 5You can’t discipline an employee for AWOL unless it has reached a certain number of days. Employees can’t be removed for AWOL. You can’t be charged AWOL for time that you were physically present in the office. None of these statements are true; they are AWOL myths. This training will …
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Employee Relations, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
February 6FELTG’s flagship course UnCivil Servant empowers Federal supervisors and advisers to confidently handle the challenges that come with supervising in the Federal workplace. It shatters misconceptions about performance and misconduct-based actions and gives you simple step-by-step guidance for taking swift, appropriate, and legally defensible actions. This course fulfills the 5 CFR 412.202(b) …
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Employee Relations, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
February 12Reasonable Accommodation: Requests for Service and Emotional Support Animals in the Workplace
Most of us know something about service animals, but what about emotional support animals, comfort animals, and the like? Are they permitted in the workplace? The EEOC’s stance that an emotional support animal may be a required reasonable accommodation for a qualified individual with a disability, even if it is not a …
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EEO/DEIA Training, Employee Relations, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
March 6The borderline between on-duty and off-duty has become increasingly blurred with the omnipresence of social media and many employees working flexible hours from home. Yet, one thing has remained clear and constant: If you’re going to discipline someone for what they do on their own time, you need to show …
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Employee Relations, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
April 3Investigating harassment in your agency can be an intimidating assignment, one that is rife with innuendo, conflicting accounts, and raw emotions. This course provides a successful and effective approach to conducting legally sufficient harassment investigations that gives the agency the information it needs, while withstanding third-party scrutiny. Tuesday, April 29: …
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EEO/DEIA Training, Employee Relations, Workplace Investigations, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
April 29Absence, Leave Abuse and Medical Issues Week
Whether you’re an HR professional, Employee Relations practitioner, EEO specialist, supervisor, or agency counsel, you have undoubtedly faced a leave-related challenge or two. And chances are, you may have struggled with some of the more complicated scenarios. Leave and medical issues create a complex and seemingly burdensome issue, one often …
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EEO/DEIA Training, Employee Relations, Litigation & Advocacy, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
June 2FELTG’s flagship course UnCivil Servant empowers Federal supervisors and advisers to confidently handle the challenges that come with supervising in the Federal workplace. It shatters misconceptions about performance and misconduct-based actions and gives you simple step-by-step guidance for taking swift, appropriate, and legally defensible actions. This course fulfills the 5 CFR 412.202(b) …
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Employee Relations, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
September 3Absence, Leave Abuse and Medical Issues Week
Whether you’re an HR professional, Employee Relations practitioner, EEO specialist, supervisor, or agency counsel, you have undoubtedly faced a leave-related challenge or two. And chances are, you may have struggled with some of the more complicated scenarios. Leave and medical issues create a complex and seemingly burdensome issue, one often …
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EEO/DEIA Training, Employee Relations, Litigation & Advocacy, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
September 22Maybe you envision yourself donning a Sherlock Holmes hat and cape. Or, perhaps, your model is the masterful Benoit Blanc of Knives Out Mystery fame. If only the work of a Federal administrative investigation was as easy as these fictional detectives make their jobs seem. Instead, there are more than …
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Employee Relations, Supervisor TrainingA reference to dinosaurs, a joke about retirement, or a snide “OK Boomer” – nothing wrong with that if it’s just in fun, right? Wrong! And if you think those are the only actions that’ll lead to an age discrimination claim, you’re wrong again. Join Attorney and FELTG Instructor Meghan …
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EEO/DEIA Training, Supervisor TrainingFor many, it’s the most difficult and unpredictable part of the workplace investigation — conducting the interview. This is especially the case when the witness has suffered trauma. And it’s likely to happen, considering these sobering statistics: Seven to eight percent will have PTSD at some point in their lifetimes. …
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EEO/DEIA Training, Employee Relations, Workplace Investigations, Supervisor TrainingIn this 60-minute webinar, FELTG instructor Ann Boehm identifies and discusses when the law requires your agency to provide the union an opportunity to be involved in discussions, focusing on the requirements for a meeting to be considered a formal discussion, the union’s rights and responsibilities when it comes to …
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Labor Relations & Union Training, Supervisor Training5 USC 7112 of the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute defines the types of positions that must be excluded from the bargaining units. But in the modern workforce, those definitions aren’t always that clear. In this 60-minute webinar, FELTG Instructor Ann Boehm takes you through how to not only identify …
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Labor Relations & Union Training, Supervisor TrainingGot Nexus? Accountability for Off-duty Conduct
The borderline between on-duty and off-duty became blurred in recent years with the omnipresence of social and media and many employees working from home. Yet, one thing has remained clear and constant: If you’re going to discipline someone for what they do on their own time, you need to show …
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Employee Relations, Supervisor TrainingCould use of pronouns or names that are inconsistent with an individual’s gender identity be considered discrimination or harassment? Yes. In certain circumstances. Gender identity and related topics are so important that in June 2022 the EEOC introduced a nonbinary gender marker for people to use during the intake process, …
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EEO/DEIA Training, Employee Relations, Supervisor TrainingThe Role of the Douglas Factors in Arbitration
When faced with a case involving appealable adverse actions, an arbitrator must apply the same substantive standards as the Merit Systems Protection Board. The arbitrator must decide whether discipline was appropriate, and also assess whether the agency considered the relevant factors in determining the penalty. Just like an MSPB judge, the arbitrator …
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Labor Relations & Union Training, Litigation & Advocacy, Supervisor TrainingAvoiding Mistakes in Selection and Promotion Cases
The selection and promotion process is an emotional one, especially for those who aren’t selected. If you’re a federal EEO practitioner or supervisor, chances are you’ve had a case where an employee alleges that she was not selected or promoted because of something other than job qualifications – race, sex, …
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EEO/DEIA Training, Litigation & Advocacy, Supervisor TrainingAntisemitism is never acceptable. However, recent remarks by celebrities, athletes, and news networks have made antisemitism seem more commonplace, in all facets of life, including the workplace. Title VII makes it illegal to discriminate against someone based on, among other things, religion. However, this is one of the protected categories …
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EEO/DEIA Training, Employee Relations, Supervisor TrainingAvoiding Pitfalls: Advice from an EEOC AJ
Be prepared. Be on time. Be civil. These are fairly basic expectations. Yet, they’re often forgotten once parties enter the EEO process. And once in the process, the potential pitfalls only increase. EEOC Administrative Judge Meghan Droste discusses the common mistakes agencies make, from missing important deadlines to missing the …
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EEO/DEIA Training, Litigation & Advocacy, Supervisor TrainingAvoid the Pitfalls of EEO Reprisal
When a complaint is filed with your agency’s EEO office, it’s possible that something very wrong has happened. Yet, how agency officials respond to that complaint could go a long way toward not only resolving the complaint, but ensuring that you don’t make matters even worse than they are. Too …
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EEO/DEIA Training, Litigation & Advocacy, Supervisor TrainingWant to reduce conflict, increase productivity, and limit absenteeism, turnover, and even removals? That’s impossible, you say. Maybe not, if you learn how to effectively manage individuals whose behavior repeatedly generates workplace conflict. This two-hour presentation teaches how to recognize employees with high-conflict personalities, whether it’s individuals who blame their peers …
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Employee Relations, Supervisor TrainingYour agency has ordered some employees to return to the physical workplace, and one of them hasn’t shown up for work for three days straight. He hasn’t contacted his supervisor either. Is the best way to discipline the employee to charge him with AWOL? What if he comes up with …
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Employee Relations, Litigation & Advocacy, Supervisor TrainingSubtle and overt language, joking, off-handed comments, and offensive comments and gestures can lead to a hostile work environment. And that includes ill-advised, even if not ill-intentioned, phrases such as “hold down the fort” and “low man on the totem pole.” Being a respectful communicator means more than just not …
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EEO/DEIA Training, Employee Relations, Supervisor Training, Employee Training, Private Sector TrainingManaging Chronic Performance and Conduct Issues
Whether it’s up-and-down roller coaster performers or repeat offenders of misconduct, chronically challenging employees eat up time, create workplace stress, and dampen productivity. And it will only get worse until you address the issue. FELTG President Deborah J. Hopkins shares the tools necessary to address performance issues and lays the …
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Employee Relations, Supervisor TrainingDo You Really Know How to Use the Douglas Factors?
It’s been over 40 years since we were all introduced to those 12 factors identified in the Merit System Protection Board’s landmark Douglas v. VA decision, the most cited case in Federal employment law history. Yet, look at any recent batch of MSPB decisions, and you’ll find continued confusion about how to …
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Employee Relations, Supervisor TrainingWhether it’s a disgruntled employee or customer, or a domestic issue that follows an employee to work, workplaces are at a distinct risk of violent incidents. And that risk may be heightened when it’s a Federal workplace. How do you prepare yourself to protect the lives of those around you? …
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EEO/DEIA Training, Employee Relations, Supervisor Training, Private Sector TrainingWhen Domestic Violence Impacts the Workplace: Ensuring a Safe and Supportive Environment
Domestic violence significantly impacts the workplace. Nearly one in four women and one in nine men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, sexual violence, or stalking – and nearly three-quarters of those victims are harassed by their abuser at work. This leads to lost productivity, declining performance, and increased potential …
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Employee Relations, Supervisor TrainingThere used to be a time when work was a respite from whatever else was going on in the world. Not anymore — and especially not in the Federal workplace. For starters, a good portion of employees are working from their homes, where many are inundated all day with news …
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EEO/DEIA Training, Employee Relations, Supervisor TrainingEvery agency has employees who struggle with performance, but there is a reliable solution for addressing unacceptable performance. A successful Performance Demonstrate Period (DP) will either lead to sustained improved performance or a defensible performance-based removal or demotion. This fast-paced class guides you through the critical steps to reaching that …
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Employee Relations, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
By AppointmentWorkplace Investigations: Successfully Interviewing Witnesses With Mental and Behavioral Health Conditions
The most difficult and unpredictable part of the workplace investigation – conducting the interview – can be especially challenging when the witness has a behavioral or mental health condition, or violent tendencies. This course will explain temperament traits and personality disorders and provide a road map to help you understand how to …
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EEO/DEIA Training, Employee Relations, Workplace Investigations, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
By AppointmentMisconduct Investigations: Get Them Right From the Start
Any effective misconduct investigation starts with a solid foundation of the law and an understanding of the full scope of your investigation. This class explains the principles that underpin a successful investigation of Federal employee misconduct, including harassment. You’ll leave with guidance on developing the investigation, from creating a plan …
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EEO/DEIA Training, Employee Relations, Workplace Investigations, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
By AppointmentThere are numerous examples of investigations that have gone awry. It could be an investigator’s failure to interview certain witnesses, a failure to take a complainant’s statement into account, or, perhaps, an action, such as a widely shared email, that shows a lack of objectivity. This course will provide guidance …
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EEO/DEIA Training, Employee Relations, Workplace Investigations, Litigation & Advocacy, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
By AppointmentWhy are labor-management relations perpetually adversarial? Are agencies and unions supposed to be working together, or against each other? How can both sides get along better, as Congress intended? The Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute says collective bargaining “safeguards the public interest,” “contributes to the effective conduct of public business,” …
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Labor Relations & Union Training, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
By AppointmentExecutive Order 14003 rescinded limitations on collective bargaining and instructed agency leaders that they “shall elect to negotiate over the subjects set forth in 5 USC 7106(b)(1) and shall instruct subordinates to do the same.” How should this be interpreted? Shall seems to be the critical word here. In this training, …
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Labor Relations & Union Training, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
By AppointmentThe Role of the Douglas Factors in Arbitration
Did you know that an arbitrator, much like a Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) judge, has the authority to mitigate a penalty if it is outside the bounds of reasonableness? This session will explain how the Douglas Factors came about and provide a detailed look at the role those factors play in the arbitration …
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Labor Relations & Union Training, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
By AppointmentThis course will discuss when the law requires you to provide the union an opportunity to be involved in agency meetings with employees, focusing on the requirements for a meeting to be considered a formal discussion. It will also explore the union’s rights and responsibilities when it comes to meetings, …
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Labor Relations & Union Training, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
By AppointmentThe Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute defines the types of positions that must be excluded from the bargaining units. But in the modern workforce, those definitions aren’t always entirely clear. This course will take you through how to not only identify the applicable statutory provisions, but also provide practical and …
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Labor Relations & Union Training, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
By AppointmentPreparing to Bargain
Whether you’re currently preparing to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement, or if it’s a year down the road, now is always the best time to ensure that you’re ready for anything. This training will provide you with key strategies and guidance to ensure you are well-equipped to begin negotiations and …
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Labor Relations & Union Training, Supervisor Training, Private Sector TrainingAvailable:
By AppointmentHandling Union Requests for Information
Just about every Federal labor relations professional has dealt with a union request for information, but they may not have handled it correctly. This training will help anyone dealing with an information request to ensure the agency provides information that it owes the union, but also ensure that the unions …
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Labor Relations & Union Training, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
By AppointmentWorking in labor relations requires a firm foundation of the statute, historical perspective, and FLRA decisions, plus an understanding of agency and union rights and responsibilities. Whether you’re new to labor relations or looking for a refresher, this class will provide an overview of the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute …
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Labor Relations & Union Training, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
By AppointmentEffective Negotiation Techniques and Strategies
It’s time for negotiations, and it’s critical not only that you know the current law, but that you have the right skills and know how to choose wisely your words and your battles. This training will cover it all — everything from understanding management rights and management maybes to handling …
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Labor Relations & Union Training, Litigation & Advocacy, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
By AppointmentLabor Relations Meetings, Official Time, and ULPs
Not all meetings are created equally. In fact, some meetings can get your supervisors in trouble, despite their good intentions. This training will cover everything you need to know about meetings. Plus, we’ll discuss official time, identify unfair labor practices (ULPs), and discuss practical strategies along with common legal missteps …
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Labor Relations & Union Training, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
By AppointmentYour heart suddenly beats faster, and your blood pressure rises to a dangerous level. It could be a health issue. Or possibly, you may have heard your name mentioned in connection with “an EEO case.” As the much-repeated saying goes: We fear what we don’t understand. This class aims to …
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EEO/DEIA Training, Litigation & Advocacy, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
By AppointmentDealing With Medical Issues in Misconduct Cases
With the rise in mental health diagnoses, substance abuse disorders, and the physical challenges that come with an aging workforce, Federal supervisors can expect a corresponding increase in employees failing to meet conduct standards due to physical or mental impairments. This course will walk you through a step-by-step process for …
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Employee Relations, Supervisor TrainingAvailable:
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