Employee Relations

Want to reduce conflict, increase productivity, and limit absenteeism, turnover, and even removals? That’s impossible, you say. Maybe not. Participants will learn how to recognize employees with high-conflict personalities, whether it’s individuals who blame their peers for mistakes, tend to think in all-or-nothing terms, display intense emotions, or have personality disorders …

Most Federal agencies settle employment disputes — whether they are initiated as grievances, EEO complaints, or appeals of agency disciplinary actions. While it’s common to assume that settlement means the agency has a flaw in its case, it has no direct tie to liability or admissions of wrongdoing. Often, it’s …

So far, 2026 is a year of continued changes in the Federal workforce, and one of the hottest topics just got an overhaul: Telework as Reasonable Accommodation. On February 11, 2026, the EEOC and OPM issued guidance, Frequently Asked Questions from the Federal Sector about Telework Accommodations for Disabilities, and …

This week of FELTG training focuses on conducting administrative investigations in the Federal workplace with an emphasis on employee misconduct, including workplace harassment. Workplace Investigations Week always includes the most up-to-date information on the skills, trends, and cases, including OPM’s regulations on investigative leave. Monday, August 10: Administrative Investigations: The …

Whether you’re an HR professional, Employee Relations practitioner, EEO specialist, supervisor, agency counsel, or union rep, you have undoubtedly faced a leave-related challenge or two. And chances are, you may have struggled with some complicated scenarios. Leave and medical issues create a complex and seemingly burdensome issue, one often laced …

Whether you’re representing your agency before the Merit Systems Protection Board or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, there is one ultimate goal: zealously advocate for your client to get the desired result. This interactive course will prepare you for these kinds of hearings whether you represent the agency side or …

FELTG’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) …

Change happens in the world of Federal employee relations, and it often comes quickly. Those who succeed continuously sharpen their MSPB skills and refresh their knowledge on adverse actions, performance-based actions, allegations of whistleblower retaliation, and more. Those who don’t fall behind. FELTG’s MSPB Law Week provides an all-encompassing week …

Maybe 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 …

For 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. …

Antisemitism 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 …

Want 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 …

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 …

Whether 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? …

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, …

We get it. You don’t want to look like you did something wrong. But here’s the thing: Settling a case does not mean there were flaws in your case, nor is it an admittance of liability or wrongdoing. This training will explain why so many disputes are settled and why …

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 …

Wouldn’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 …

On the surface, probationary periods seem rather simple. An employee is given a year to prove they are a good fit for the job, and if they aren’t, it’s an easy separation process, right? Generally, yes, but there can be challenges. What if you are unable to make an appropriate …

Numerous pitfalls can derail an agency’s disciplinary action – whether that action is a suspension, demotion, or removal – and make a bad situation worse. Because anything can happen during a legal challenge to an adverse action, the most “effective and efficient” approach to employee misconduct isn’t always traditional discipline. …

You 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 deconstructs …

Each presidential administration brings its own priorities and policies to the White House, but the speed with which the Trump Administration has issued Executive Orders regarding the Federal workplace is unprecedented. In this 60-minute review, FELTG President Deborah J. Hopkins provides up to-minute guidance on what several new Federal workplace-related …

President Trump recently reinstated the policies outlined in his 2018 Executive Order 13839: Promoting Accountability and Streamlining Removal Procedures Consistent With Merit System Principles — and you are now on the clock. Agencies have until March 7 (yes, March 7, 2025) to report to OPM all policies that have been …

An employee does not follow an order. Seems like an open-and-shut case of insubordination, right? Think again. Was it a refusal or simply a failure to comply? When you charge an employee with insubordination, you must prove intent along with the other elements of the charge. This class explains what …

The administration has highlighted that agencies should swiftly and properly deal with employees who engage in misconduct. In many cases, progressive discipline is a win-win for agencies. It’s a valuable tool to (hopefully) correct an employee’s misconduct. But, if it doesn’t have its intended effect, it gives the agency a …

If an employee tells you they have a disability and need reasonable accommodation, do you know what to do? The Americans with Disabilities Act, the Amendments Act, and the Rehabilitation Act provide the legal requirements, but what does the accommodation process look like in an actual workplace? This course provides …

If 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 …

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 …

Leading people is tough. Conflict happens. But is conflict always a bad thing? This class will explain how to address workplace conflict clearly and directly – without excess emotions. It will also cover how accountability impacts morale, and all of the small and simple actions supervisors can take to become …

Some in the new administration, including the President, have voiced support for the changing of marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III substance. Meanwhile, the substance is legal in 38 states for medicinal purposes, and 24 for recreational purposes. And we continue to receive questions regarding Federal employees …

As part of President Trump’s transformation of the Federal government, on June 17, 2025, OPM issued a memo, Performance Management for Federal Employees, that required agencies to overhaul their non-SES performance management systems and processes – amounting to the biggest performance changes we’ve seen in the executive branch in years. …

This year, it is more important than ever for supervisors, reasonable accommodation coordinators, EEO specialists, LR/ER specialists, HR staff, attorneys, and union reps to understand the process for determining when an employee is legally entitled to a reasonable accommodation, whether the request is related to an individual’s disability, pregnancy-related medical …

Whether you work for a Federal agency subject to President Trump’s inauguration day Return to In-Person Work Memorandum, or you work for a state or local government or private sector company who has ordered employees back to work onsite, one thing is sure: you have received a number of exemption …

If only there was a checklist that you could use to determine the correct penalty to address employee misconduct. Oh right, there is: the 12 factors identified in the Merit Systems Protection Board’s landmark Douglas v. VA decision. Yet, look at any recent batch of MSPB decisions, and you’ll find continued confusion …

Who doesn’t love a redemption story? A real-life inspirational tale of an individual turning their life around gives us hope in our fellow humans. We like to believe in the best of people. It’s why we’re so willing to give people “one more chance.” Until they let us down a …

Subtle 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 …

“Who wrote this statute? Somebody who takes pleasure in pulling wings off flies?” The process for handling mixed cases has confused and frustrated many EEO practitioners, HR professionals, agency attorneys, and aggrieved employees – not to mention Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, author of the aforementioned quote. In this 60-minute …

Every 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 …

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 …

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 …

There 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 …

Few things create as much confusion among even experienced Federal attorneys, EEO specialists, or HR professionals as mixed cases. FELTG is here to help. This training untangles this often-complicated area when MSPB and EEOC both have potential jurisdiction over a case. What do you do when a mixed case lands …

We get it. You don’t want to look like you did something wrong. But here’s the thing: Settling a case does not mean there were flaws in your case, nor is it an admittance of liability or wrongdoing. This training will explain why so many disputes are settled and why …

Discovery is a critical and effective part of any litigation – when conducted properly. Annoying and abusive discovery techniques could have negative consequences, and possibly even lead to sanctions. From disrespect and profanity in depositions to the other party refusing to produce requested documents, it’s important to be prepared for …

Litigating cases in Federal sector employment law is a unique prospect and isn’t for the unprepared. In addition, taking a case to arbitration is also a world of its own. This training focuses on providing tips to practice effectively and successfully in administrative hearings before the MSPB, EEOC, and in …

Whether you’re representing your agency before the Merit Systems Protection Board or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, there is one ultimate goal: Win the case. This interactive course will prepare you for these kinds of hearings. Part 1: Developing a Theory In this session you’ll learn strategies for developing a …

In the world of Federal employment law, discovery is an integral part of the litigation process. Discovery is your opportunity to obtain the information and documents that are critical to your case. But discovery is fraught with potential mistakes, some of which could lead to sanctions – or even cause …

Learn how to prepare an engaging and effective case, targeted to the appropriate forum: MSPB or EEOC. This class will methodically describe the keys of each step in prepping your case, whether it’s getting witnesses ready, developing the record, objecting to documents, preparing your lines of questioning, or closing statements. …

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 …

On the surface, probationary periods seem rather simple, but with the addition of Executive Order 14284: Strengthening Probationary Periods in the Federal Service (April 24, 2025), new regulations and OPM guidance, and ongoing litigation, there are novel processes your agency must follow. Plus, probationary appeal rights have been limited even …