![FELTG Executive Director Deborah Hopkins instructing a class](https://feltg.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/board3-wide-1.jpg)
Course Description
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 has the authority to mitigate the penalty if it is outside the bounds of reasonableness. In this 60-minute webinar, Joe Schimansky will explain how the Douglas Factors came about and provide a detailed look at the role those factors play in the arbitration process.
Attendees will learn how to:
- Identify all 12 Douglas Factors.
- Determine whether the Douglas Factors have been appropriately considered.
- Explain how the factors apply in the circumstances of a particular case, and how to educate the arbitrator who may be unfamiliar with the Douglas framework.
Instructor
Date and Time
Thursday, September 29, 2:00 – 3:00 ET
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site, per webinar (payment required by September 19)
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site, per webinar (payments made September 20 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructor
Program Description
Your agency has ordered employees to return to the physical workplace, and one of your employees 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 a reasonable explanation for his absence? Can you deny a leave request when an employee is AWOL?
In this 60-minute presentation, FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will deconstruct the mystery of Absence Without Leave and offer strategies for agencies to take when an employee doesn’t show up for work, plus explain and other scenarios where AWOL applies.
Attendees will learn how to:
- Understand the elements of the charge of Absent Without Leave or Unauthorized Absence
- Determine reasonable penalties when AWOL is charged
- Identify situations where a perceived AWOL might be another type of absence
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site (payment required by September 26)
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site (payments made September 27 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructor
Program Description
Along with sex and politics, religion has often been cited as a topic that’s improper for workplace discussion.
However, religious expression has taken on a more prominent role through all aspects of society, and has been the defining issue in several high-profile court cases, including those from the Supreme Court. People are no longer afraid to discuss the topic. Some may aggressively discuss their beliefs, while others feel free to disparage.
Title VII makes it illegal to discriminate against someone based on religion. In this 60-minute session, FELTG Instructor and Attorney at Law Katherine Atkinson will discuss agency challenges with ensuring religious discrimination beyond reasonable accommodation. What constitutes religious harassment in the Federal workplace? When would an agency be liable for religious discrimination? What do you do when one employee’s religious belief impacts another employee’s protected status?
Attendees will learn how to:
- Determine whether an employee’s religious display is appropriate.
- Inquire into the sincerity of an employee’s religious beliefs.
- Prevent and promptly correct harassing behavior aimed at an employee’s religious beliefs.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site (payment required by October 3)
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site (payments made October 4 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructor
Program Description
President Biden recently issued a pardon for people convicted of simple possession of marijuana. Recreational marijuana is legal in over a dozen states and the District of Columbia, and its use for medical purposes is now legal in 30-plus states. What does that mean for Federal workers in those locations? Could their careers still go up in smoke for a “legal” activity? Are you required to accommodate an employee’s medically certified marijuana usage? What should you do if the Federal employee is married to someone who legally grows marijuana? Should you overlook an employee’s suspected marijuana usage because it makes him more pleasant to work with?
FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will review the laws that apply to Federal employees and share the most effective approach to managing and/or disciplining employees when their drug usage seeps into the workplace.
Attendees will learn how to:
- Craft the right charge when disciplining an employee for marijuana usage.
- Determine when it’s appropriate to require an employee to take a drug test.
- Handle an employee who has lied about previous marijuana usage.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site (payment required by October 12)
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site (payments made October 13 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructor
Program Description
The selection and promotion process is an emotional one, especially for those who aren’t selected. If you’re a federal EEO practitioner, 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, age, disability, or another protected class.
Although these cases are common, they can present agency reps with major challenges from properly defining the claim to collecting the right information during the investigation, and, eventually, to presenting evidence at the hearing or in a motion for summary judgment.
FELTG instructor Bob Woods will guides you through the important considerations necessary to defend your selections and promotions. He will begin by covering the basic principles of selection cases, and will take you through all the important categories of selection criteria.
Attendees will learn how to:
- Ensure that your selection criteria is valid and subjective.
- Explain the importance of selection records.
- Defend your selection cases before the EEOC or an arbitrator.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site (payment required by November 1)
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site (payments made November 2 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Download Registration Form Here
Program Description
As the new year turned, former FLRA Chair Ernest DuBester’s holdover term ended, leaving just two Authority members — Democrat Susan Tsui Grundmann (the new Chair) and Colleen Duffy Kiko (a former FLRA Chair). No one has yet been nominated. There is also no nominee yet for General Counsel, putting the Acting GC on borrowed time.
How will this “ideological deadlock,” as one report coined it, impact the FLRA’s rulings — or will it? And what happens if there is no one serving as General Counsel?
In this 60-minute webinar, FELTG Instructor Ann Boehm will share guidance on how you can navigate this new situation at the FLRA, discuss where to put your focus, and explain what happens when the Authority is without a General Counsel.
Date and Time
Thursday, February 2, 2023, 1:00 – 2:00 PM
Instructor
Registration
Download Registration Form Here
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site (payment required by January 23)
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site (payments made after January 24)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $60 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Program Description
As employees return en masse to the physical workplace and attempt to re-adjust themselves to their new surroundings, it’s highly likely that you’ll see some drops in performance – especially as employees struggle to acclimate to the hybrid work format. Let’s say you put the employee on a performance demonstration period and he does well enough to stay in his position. But weeks after the PIP, ODAP, DP – or whatever your agency calls it – his performance again becomes unacceptable.
What do you do?
And what has the new MSPB said about this?
Although performance swings are expected to recur more often in the next several months, this is not a new challenge — and it doesn’t appear to be one likely to go away. You can’t afford to ignore this. Attorney Bob Woods will provide you step-by-step guidance on effectively and efficiently handling wide swings in performance, and he’ll share the most recent MSPB decisions.
Date and Time
Thursday, March 2, 2023, 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET.
Instructor
Registration
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site (payment required by February 21)
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site (payments made February 22 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $60 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Deborah Hopkins, Barbara Haga, Katherine Atkinson, Ann Boehm, Joe Schimansky
Course Description
The most comprehensive supervisory training event available anywhere returns once again. The Federal Supervisor’s Workshop: Building the Best Toolkit for Managing Today’s Workforce offers six specific sessions (with a bonus seventh session for those who manage bargaining unit employees) that will give you the tools and skills to effectively and efficiently manage in the Federal workplace circa 2023.
If you’ve attended FELTG’s previous supervisory webinar series, UnCivil Servant: Holding Employees Accountable for Performance and Conduct, or any of our other flagship courses, these fast-paced and engaging 60-minute sessions, held monthly from 1 – 2 pm ET, will expand upon the legal and foundational principles shared in those sessions with best practices to handle very specific discipline, performance, leave, and reasonable accommodation situations. And the guidance shared will help you build the necessary framework to tackle numerous other specific and equally challenging situations.
FELTG’s annual supervisory series will get you up to speed quickly, without wasting any of your time. Just 60 minutes each month. The sessions are taught live by FELTG’s experience instructors AND you’ll have the chance to ask questions and get answers — in real time.
2023 dates and topics:
March 7: Why Supervisors Need to Use the Douglas Factors
If you’re not using the Douglas factor analysis to figure out an appropriate penalty for a misbehaving employee, then you’re doing it wrong. And when an appeal is filed, your action may not be so easy to defend without this justification. A scan of MSPB cases reveals how regularly Federal supervisors fail to understand these factors, and how that lack of understanding may sink the agency’s case. FELTG instructor Ann Boehm will explain the importance of the Douglas factors, using both foundational and recent case law examples, and walk you through the importance of each factor.
April 4: 5 Keys to Implementing and Managing a Successful Performance Opportunity Period
You’re not alone. Every agency has employees whose performance is unacceptable. The key to addressing poor performance is to initiate an opportunity to demonstrate acceptable performance (called everything from a PIP or OIP to an ODAP or DP). A successful opportunity period will either lead to sustained improved performance OR a defensible performance-based removal. From the Santos requirement to a post-PIP drop in performance, FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will explain the key steps to take and pitfalls to avoid.
May 2: They Just Won’t Show Up: Handling Excessive Absence
In a year when no-shows are more common than they should be, supervisors need to understand how to handle excessive absence, using the appropriate tools to correct employee behavior, while keeping in mind cases that involve reasonable accommodation or medical inability to perform. In 60 minutes, FELTG Senior Instructor Barbara Haga will share the documentation needed and steps necessary to effectively discipline an employee for excessive absence, leave abuse, and other related matters.
June 6: Ensuring Accountability with Hybrid and Teleworking Employees
Many experts agree: The performance success of a hybrid or telework environment will come down to managers and supervisors. You may think you know how to discipline. And you may think you know how to handle poor performance. Now that your employees are spread out beyond the physical workplace, you must hold all equally accountable for performance and conduct, regardless of where they physically work. FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will give you the tools and foundation to effectively do that, while also managing employees who remain in the physical workplace.
July 11: Trends in Hostile Work Environment Harassment: 2023 Edition
The pandemic sparked a rise in hate crimes against Asian-Pacific Americans and now the country is dealing with a steep increase in antisemitic threats and actions. How have these trends impacted the Federal workplace, and what is the supervisor’s role when it manifests in microaggressions, bias, harassment, or outright discrimination? This 60-minute webinar provides the tools supervisors need to recognize and quickly take effective action to prevent and correct illegal harassment in the workplace..
August 8: Providing Reasonable Accommodation for Invisible Disabilities
The effects of the pandemic live on in an increase in chronic fatigue and depression, not to mention the severe impact of long haul COVID. Meanwhile, chronic pain, diabetes, and other non-visible disabilities are on the rise as the Federal workplace continues to age. During this webinar, managers will learn how to find the right accommodation for a number of hidden disabilities.
August 22: What Supervisors Should Know About Official Time
The Labor-Management Statute holds labor and management equally accountable to the taxpayer with a shared responsibility to ensure that official time is authorized and used appropriately. In this 60-minute class, Joseph Schimansky will share everything that supervisors need to know to uphold that responsibility without overstepping their role. Attendees will learn who is entitled to official time — and who isn’t, along with the latest relevant case law and guidance.
Pricing
Early Bird Tuition:
- $270 per site, per session (payment required by February 24).
- Special series discounts available through February 24: $1,525 for the first 6 webinars or $1,795 for all 7. See registration form for details.
Standard Tuition:
- $295 per site, per session (payments made February 25 or later).
Working from home? Teleworkers may be added to a primary site registration for $60 each, per session, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructor
Program Description
The workforce is stressed out.
More than 40 percent of employees are feeling “highly stressed,” according to one recent report. In the workplace, stress leads to disengagement, conflict, and large drops in productivity.
It’s no wonder that employers, including some Federal agencies, are putting a high priority on employee mental well-being.
In this 60-minute webinar, Shana Palmieri, LCSW will supply your agency with the tools of knowledge, awareness, and interventions to support a healthy, successful and productive workforce.
Those who attend this webinar will learn how to:
- Understand the impact of stress on an employee’s health and work performance
- Develop effective strategies for coping with stress and improving focus
- Create an agency culture that is supportive, inclusive and accepting of employees’ differences
- Manage difficult personalities in the workplace
Note: This class focuses on the practical and clinical side of managing employees who have experienced stress rather than the legal side.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site (payment required by March 13)
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site (payments made March 14 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $60 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Deborah Hopkins, Barbara Haga, Katherine Atkinson, Ann Boehm, Joe Schimansky
Course Description
The most comprehensive supervisory training event available anywhere returns once again. The Federal Supervisor’s Workshop: Building the Best Toolkit for Managing Today’s Workforce offers six specific sessions (with a bonus seventh session for those who manage bargaining unit employees) that will give you the tools and skills to effectively and efficiently manage in the Federal workplace circa 2023.
If you’ve attended FELTG’s previous supervisory webinar series, UnCivil Servant: Holding Employees Accountable for Performance and Conduct, or any of our other flagship courses, these fast-paced and engaging 60-minute sessions, held monthly from 1 – 2 pm ET, will expand upon the legal and foundational principles shared in those sessions with best practices to handle very specific discipline, performance, leave, and reasonable accommodation situations. And the guidance shared will help you build the necessary framework to tackle numerous other specific and equally challenging situations.
FELTG’s annual supervisory series will get you up to speed quickly, without wasting any of your time. Just 60 minutes each month. The sessions are taught live by FELTG’s experience instructors AND you’ll have the chance to ask questions and get answers — in real time.
2023 dates and topics:
March 7: Why Supervisors Need to Use the Douglas Factors
If you’re not using the Douglas factor analysis to figure out an appropriate penalty for a misbehaving employee, then you’re doing it wrong. And when an appeal is filed, your action may not be so easy to defend without this justification. A scan of MSPB cases reveals how regularly Federal supervisors fail to understand these factors, and how that lack of understanding may sink the agency’s case. FELTG instructor Ann Boehm will explain the importance of the Douglas factors, using both foundational and recent case law examples, and walk you through the importance of each factor.
April 4: 5 Keys to Implementing and Managing a Successful Performance Opportunity Period
You’re not alone. Every agency has employees whose performance is unacceptable. The key to addressing poor performance is to initiate an opportunity to demonstrate acceptable performance (called everything from a PIP or OIP to an ODAP or DP). A successful opportunity period will either lead to sustained improved performance OR a defensible performance-based removal. From the Santos requirement to a post-PIP drop in performance, FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will explain the key steps to take and pitfalls to avoid.
May 2: They Just Won’t Show Up: Handling Excessive Absence
In a year when no-shows are more common than they should be, supervisors need to understand how to handle excessive absence, using the appropriate tools to correct employee behavior, while keeping in mind cases that involve reasonable accommodation or medical inability to perform. In 60 minutes, FELTG Senior Instructor Barbara Haga will share the documentation needed and steps necessary to effectively discipline an employee for excessive absence, leave abuse, and other related matters.
June 6: Ensuring Accountability with Hybrid and Teleworking Employees
Many experts agree: The performance success of a hybrid or telework environment will come down to managers and supervisors. You may think you know how to discipline. And you may think you know how to handle poor performance. Now that your employees are spread out beyond the physical workplace, you must hold all equally accountable for performance and conduct, regardless of where they physically work. FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will give you the tools and foundation to effectively do that, while also managing employees who remain in the physical workplace.
July 11: Trends in Hostile Work Environment Harassment: 2023 Edition
The pandemic sparked a rise in hate crimes against Asian-Pacific Americans and now the country is dealing with a steep increase in antisemitic threats and actions. How have these trends impacted the Federal workplace, and what is the supervisor’s role when it manifests in microaggressions, bias, harassment, or outright discrimination? This 60-minute webinar provides the tools supervisors need to recognize and quickly take effective action to prevent and correct illegal harassment in the workplace..
August 8: Providing Reasonable Accommodation for Invisible Disabilities
The effects of the pandemic live on in an increase in chronic fatigue and depression, not to mention the severe impact of long haul COVID. Meanwhile, chronic pain, diabetes, and other non-visible disabilities are on the rise as the Federal workplace continues to age. During this webinar, managers will learn how to find the right accommodation for a number of hidden disabilities.
August 22: What Supervisors Should Know About Official Time
The Labor-Management Statute holds labor and management equally accountable to the taxpayer with a shared responsibility to ensure that official time is authorized and used appropriately. In this 60-minute class, Joseph Schimansky will share everything that supervisors need to know to uphold that responsibility without overstepping their role. Attendees will learn who is entitled to official time — and who isn’t, along with the latest relevant case law and guidance.
Pricing
Early Bird Tuition:
- $270 per site, per session (payment required by February 24).
- Special series discounts available through February 24: $1,525 for the first 6 webinars or $1,795 for all 7. See registration form for details.
Standard Tuition:
- $295 per site, per session (payments made February 25 or later).
Working from home? Teleworkers may be added to a primary site registration for $60 each, per session, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Program Description
Few situations draw as much angst among supervisors as when they have an employee with a physical or mental impairment who is failing to meet conduct standards. With the rise in mental health diagnoses, substance abuse disorders and the physical challenges that come with an aging workforce, Federal supervisors can expect more of these gut-wrenching situations.
Over the course of 60 minutes, FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will walk you through a step-by-step process for effectively managing misconduct for employees who have medical issues.
Attendees will learn how to:
- Determine whether disability should be a mitigating factor in discipline.
- Appropriately charge Absence Without Leave.
- Determine the best course of action for an employee who is unable to come to work because of a medical issue.
Date and Time
Thursday, April 6, 2023, 100 – 2:00pm ET.
Instructor
Registration
Download Registration Form Here
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site (payment required by March 27)
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site (payments made after March 28)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $60 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Program Description
One of the most important, yet often forgotten, parts of the reasonable accommodation process is the follow up, or what FELTG calls the “check in.” Sometimes, accommodations are no longer effective, no longer needed – or, perhaps, a more effective accommodation has become available. It’s more important than ever for agencies to be aware of the benefits and pitfalls of revisiting existing accommodations.
And as employees start returning to the physical workplace, some after more than three years of remote work, now may be the time to re-evaluate the effectiveness of employees’ reasonable accommodations. FELTG Instructor Katherine Atkinson, Attorney at Law, will explain why this is important, how to go about ensuring you find the right accommodation, and how to build the re-evaluation of an employee’s accommodation into a regular seamless process. She’ll also discuss scenarios where agencies shouldn’t change an existing accommodation.
Learning takeaways
Attendees will learn how to:
- Restart the interactive process when necessary.
- Make an appropriate, individualized reasonable accommodation determination.
- Determine if telework is an effective accommodation.
Date and Time
Thursday, April 13, 2023, 1:00 – 2:00pm ET.
Instructor
Registration
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site (payment required by April 3)
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site (payments made April 4 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $60 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Deborah Hopkins, Barbara Haga, Katherine Atkinson, Ann Boehm, Joe Schimansky
Course Description
The most comprehensive supervisory training event available anywhere returns once again. The Federal Supervisor’s Workshop: Building the Best Toolkit for Managing Today’s Workforce offers six specific sessions (with a bonus seventh session for those who manage bargaining unit employees) that will give you the tools and skills to effectively and efficiently manage in the Federal workplace circa 2023.
If you’ve attended FELTG’s previous supervisory webinar series, UnCivil Servant: Holding Employees Accountable for Performance and Conduct, or any of our other flagship courses, these fast-paced and engaging 60-minute sessions, held monthly from 1 – 2 pm ET, will expand upon the legal and foundational principles shared in those sessions with best practices to handle very specific discipline, performance, leave, and reasonable accommodation situations. And the guidance shared will help you build the necessary framework to tackle numerous other specific and equally challenging situations.
FELTG’s annual supervisory series will get you up to speed quickly, without wasting any of your time. Just 60 minutes each month. The sessions are taught live by FELTG’s experience instructors AND you’ll have the chance to ask questions and get answers — in real time.
2023 dates and topics:
March 7: Why Supervisors Need to Use the Douglas Factors
If you’re not using the Douglas factor analysis to figure out an appropriate penalty for a misbehaving employee, then you’re doing it wrong. And when an appeal is filed, your action may not be so easy to defend without this justification. A scan of MSPB cases reveals how regularly Federal supervisors fail to understand these factors, and how that lack of understanding may sink the agency’s case. FELTG instructor Ann Boehm will explain the importance of the Douglas factors, using both foundational and recent case law examples, and walk you through the importance of each factor.
April 4: 5 Keys to Implementing and Managing a Successful Performance Opportunity Period
You’re not alone. Every agency has employees whose performance is unacceptable. The key to addressing poor performance is to initiate an opportunity to demonstrate acceptable performance (called everything from a PIP or OIP to an ODAP or DP). A successful opportunity period will either lead to sustained improved performance OR a defensible performance-based removal. From the Santos requirement to a post-PIP drop in performance, FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will explain the key steps to take and pitfalls to avoid.
May 2: They Just Won’t Show Up: Handling Excessive Absence
In a year when no-shows are more common than they should be, supervisors need to understand how to handle excessive absence, using the appropriate tools to correct employee behavior, while keeping in mind cases that involve reasonable accommodation or medical inability to perform. In 60 minutes, FELTG Senior Instructor Barbara Haga will share the documentation needed and steps necessary to effectively discipline an employee for excessive absence, leave abuse, and other related matters.
June 6: Ensuring Accountability with Hybrid and Teleworking Employees
Many experts agree: The performance success of a hybrid or telework environment will come down to managers and supervisors. You may think you know how to discipline. And you may think you know how to handle poor performance. Now that your employees are spread out beyond the physical workplace, you must hold all equally accountable for performance and conduct, regardless of where they physically work. FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will give you the tools and foundation to effectively do that, while also managing employees who remain in the physical workplace.
July 11: Trends in Hostile Work Environment Harassment: 2023 Edition
The pandemic sparked a rise in hate crimes against Asian-Pacific Americans and now the country is dealing with a steep increase in antisemitic threats and actions. How have these trends impacted the Federal workplace, and what is the supervisor’s role when it manifests in microaggressions, bias, harassment, or outright discrimination? This 60-minute webinar provides the tools supervisors need to recognize and quickly take effective action to prevent and correct illegal harassment in the workplace..
August 8: Providing Reasonable Accommodation for Invisible Disabilities
The effects of the pandemic live on in an increase in chronic fatigue and depression, not to mention the severe impact of long haul COVID. Meanwhile, chronic pain, diabetes, and other non-visible disabilities are on the rise as the Federal workplace continues to age. During this webinar, managers will learn how to find the right accommodation for a number of hidden disabilities.
August 22: What Supervisors Should Know About Official Time
The Labor-Management Statute holds labor and management equally accountable to the taxpayer with a shared responsibility to ensure that official time is authorized and used appropriately. In this 60-minute class, Joseph Schimansky will share everything that supervisors need to know to uphold that responsibility without overstepping their role. Attendees will learn who is entitled to official time — and who isn’t, along with the latest relevant case law and guidance.
Pricing
Early Bird Tuition:
- $270 per site, per session (payment required by February 24).
- Special series discounts available through February 24: $1,525 for the first 6 webinars or $1,795 for all 7. See registration form for details.
Standard Tuition:
- $295 per site, per session (payments made February 25 or later).
Working from home? Teleworkers may be added to a primary site registration for $60 each, per session, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Course Description
Since the MSPB finally had its quorum restored, it has diligently been tackling the backlog of PFRs using a hybrid approach on case processing. But one thing has become crystal clear about the MSPB’s approach — whistleblower cases are a priority.
Join Attorney at Law Bob Woods for an in-depth look at how the new MSPB has ruled on whistleblower cases since the Board was sworn in. In addition, Mr. Woods will share everything else you need to know about whistleblower reprisal – the standards, burdens of proof, and actions that constitute reprisal. Plus, he’ll discuss how to defend your agency against a whistleblower reprisal allegation.
Attendees will learn how to:
- Handle whistleblower disclosures that turn out to be false.
- Recognize what constitutes whistleblower reprisal, and how to avoid it.
- Discipline a whistleblower for misconduct unrelated to whistleblowing.
Date and Time
Tuesday, May 23, 2023, 1:00 – 2:30 pm ET.
Instructor
Registration
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $295 per site (payment required by May 11)
- Standard Tuition: $325 per site (payments made May 12 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $60 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Program Description
It’s been more than 40 years since we were all introduced to those 12 factors identified in the MSPB’s landmark Douglas decision, the most cited case in Federal employment law. But you don’t have to go back to the Reagan Administration to find examples of agencies’ misunderstanding and/or misapplying those factors.
A review of recent decisions by the new MSPB shows a lot of confusion about how to appropriately determine a penalty – and clarity from the Board about their view on Douglas.
Attorney Ann Boehm will share recent case law, highlighting how agencies correctly use the Douglas factors and also how they have been misapplied. She will answer all your Douglas questions, such as: Do the factors go in the proposal or the decision? What do OPM’s new regs say about the Douglas factors? Considering the VA Accountability Act, does the VA still have to do Douglas factors?
Learning takeaways
Attendees will learn how to:
- Understand the Douglas principles.
- Explain when and how to use each factor.
- Avoid the too-common Douglas mistakes that sink your case.
Date and Time
Thursday, June 1, 2023, 1:00 – 2:00pm ET.
Instructor
Registration
Download Registration Form Here
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site (payment required by May 22)
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site (payments made May 23 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $60 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Deborah Hopkins, Barbara Haga, Katherine Atkinson, Ann Boehm, Joe Schimansky
Course Description
The most comprehensive supervisory training event available anywhere returns once again. The Federal Supervisor’s Workshop: Building the Best Toolkit for Managing Today’s Workforce offers six specific sessions (with a bonus seventh session for those who manage bargaining unit employees) that will give you the tools and skills to effectively and efficiently manage in the Federal workplace circa 2023.
If you’ve attended FELTG’s previous supervisory webinar series, UnCivil Servant: Holding Employees Accountable for Performance and Conduct, or any of our other flagship courses, these fast-paced and engaging 60-minute sessions, held monthly from 1 – 2 pm ET, will expand upon the legal and foundational principles shared in those sessions with best practices to handle very specific discipline, performance, leave, and reasonable accommodation situations. And the guidance shared will help you build the necessary framework to tackle numerous other specific and equally challenging situations.
FELTG’s annual supervisory series will get you up to speed quickly, without wasting any of your time. Just 60 minutes each month. The sessions are taught live by FELTG’s experience instructors AND you’ll have the chance to ask questions and get answers — in real time.
2023 dates and topics:
March 7: Why Supervisors Need to Use the Douglas Factors
If you’re not using the Douglas factor analysis to figure out an appropriate penalty for a misbehaving employee, then you’re doing it wrong. And when an appeal is filed, your action may not be so easy to defend without this justification. A scan of MSPB cases reveals how regularly Federal supervisors fail to understand these factors, and how that lack of understanding may sink the agency’s case. FELTG instructor Ann Boehm will explain the importance of the Douglas factors, using both foundational and recent case law examples, and walk you through the importance of each factor.
April 4: 5 Keys to Implementing and Managing a Successful Performance Opportunity Period
You’re not alone. Every agency has employees whose performance is unacceptable. The key to addressing poor performance is to initiate an opportunity to demonstrate acceptable performance (called everything from a PIP or OIP to an ODAP or DP). A successful opportunity period will either lead to sustained improved performance OR a defensible performance-based removal. From the Santos requirement to a post-PIP drop in performance, FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will explain the key steps to take and pitfalls to avoid.
May 2: They Just Won’t Show Up: Handling Excessive Absence
In a year when no-shows are more common than they should be, supervisors need to understand how to handle excessive absence, using the appropriate tools to correct employee behavior, while keeping in mind cases that involve reasonable accommodation or medical inability to perform. In 60 minutes, FELTG Senior Instructor Barbara Haga will share the documentation needed and steps necessary to effectively discipline an employee for excessive absence, leave abuse, and other related matters.
June 6: Ensuring Accountability with Hybrid and Teleworking Employees
Many experts agree: The performance success of a hybrid or telework environment will come down to managers and supervisors. You may think you know how to discipline. And you may think you know how to handle poor performance. Now that your employees are spread out beyond the physical workplace, you must hold all equally accountable for performance and conduct, regardless of where they physically work. FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will give you the tools and foundation to effectively do that, while also managing employees who remain in the physical workplace.
July 11: Trends in Hostile Work Environment Harassment: 2023 Edition
The pandemic sparked a rise in hate crimes against Asian-Pacific Americans and now the country is dealing with a steep increase in antisemitic threats and actions. How have these trends impacted the Federal workplace, and what is the supervisor’s role when it manifests in microaggressions, bias, harassment, or outright discrimination? This 60-minute webinar provides the tools supervisors need to recognize and quickly take effective action to prevent and correct illegal harassment in the workplace..
August 8: Providing Reasonable Accommodation for Invisible Disabilities
The effects of the pandemic live on in an increase in chronic fatigue and depression, not to mention the severe impact of long haul COVID. Meanwhile, chronic pain, diabetes, and other non-visible disabilities are on the rise as the Federal workplace continues to age. During this webinar, managers will learn how to find the right accommodation for a number of hidden disabilities.
August 22: What Supervisors Should Know About Official Time
The Labor-Management Statute holds labor and management equally accountable to the taxpayer with a shared responsibility to ensure that official time is authorized and used appropriately. In this 60-minute class, Joseph Schimansky will share everything that supervisors need to know to uphold that responsibility without overstepping their role. Attendees will learn who is entitled to official time — and who isn’t, along with the latest relevant case law and guidance.
Pricing
Early Bird Tuition:
- $270 per site, per session (payment required by February 24).
- Special series discounts available through February 24: $1,525 for the first 6 webinars or $1,795 for all 7. See registration form for details.
Standard Tuition:
- $295 per site, per session (payments made February 25 or later).
Working from home? Teleworkers may be added to a primary site registration for $60 each, per session, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Deborah Hopkins, Barbara Haga, Katherine Atkinson, Ann Boehm, Joe Schimansky
Course Description
The most comprehensive supervisory training event available anywhere returns once again. The Federal Supervisor’s Workshop: Building the Best Toolkit for Managing Today’s Workforce offers six specific sessions (with a bonus seventh session for those who manage bargaining unit employees) that will give you the tools and skills to effectively and efficiently manage in the Federal workplace circa 2023.
If you’ve attended FELTG’s previous supervisory webinar series, UnCivil Servant: Holding Employees Accountable for Performance and Conduct, or any of our other flagship courses, these fast-paced and engaging 60-minute sessions, held monthly from 1 – 2 pm ET, will expand upon the legal and foundational principles shared in those sessions with best practices to handle very specific discipline, performance, leave, and reasonable accommodation situations. And the guidance shared will help you build the necessary framework to tackle numerous other specific and equally challenging situations.
FELTG’s annual supervisory series will get you up to speed quickly, without wasting any of your time. Just 60 minutes each month. The sessions are taught live by FELTG’s experience instructors AND you’ll have the chance to ask questions and get answers — in real time.
2023 dates and topics:
March 7: Why Supervisors Need to Use the Douglas Factors
If you’re not using the Douglas factor analysis to figure out an appropriate penalty for a misbehaving employee, then you’re doing it wrong. And when an appeal is filed, your action may not be so easy to defend without this justification. A scan of MSPB cases reveals how regularly Federal supervisors fail to understand these factors, and how that lack of understanding may sink the agency’s case. FELTG instructor Ann Boehm will explain the importance of the Douglas factors, using both foundational and recent case law examples, and walk you through the importance of each factor.
April 4: 5 Keys to Implementing and Managing a Successful Performance Opportunity Period
You’re not alone. Every agency has employees whose performance is unacceptable. The key to addressing poor performance is to initiate an opportunity to demonstrate acceptable performance (called everything from a PIP or OIP to an ODAP or DP). A successful opportunity period will either lead to sustained improved performance OR a defensible performance-based removal. From the Santos requirement to a post-PIP drop in performance, FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will explain the key steps to take and pitfalls to avoid.
May 2: They Just Won’t Show Up: Handling Excessive Absence
In a year when no-shows are more common than they should be, supervisors need to understand how to handle excessive absence, using the appropriate tools to correct employee behavior, while keeping in mind cases that involve reasonable accommodation or medical inability to perform. In 60 minutes, FELTG Senior Instructor Barbara Haga will share the documentation needed and steps necessary to effectively discipline an employee for excessive absence, leave abuse, and other related matters.
June 6: Ensuring Accountability with Hybrid and Teleworking Employees
Many experts agree: The performance success of a hybrid or telework environment will come down to managers and supervisors. You may think you know how to discipline. And you may think you know how to handle poor performance. Now that your employees are spread out beyond the physical workplace, you must hold all equally accountable for performance and conduct, regardless of where they physically work. FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will give you the tools and foundation to effectively do that, while also managing employees who remain in the physical workplace.
July 11: Trends in Hostile Work Environment Harassment: 2023 Edition
The pandemic sparked a rise in hate crimes against Asian-Pacific Americans and now the country is dealing with a steep increase in antisemitic threats and actions. How have these trends impacted the Federal workplace, and what is the supervisor’s role when it manifests in microaggressions, bias, harassment, or outright discrimination? This 60-minute webinar provides the tools supervisors need to recognize and quickly take effective action to prevent and correct illegal harassment in the workplace..
August 8: Providing Reasonable Accommodation for Invisible Disabilities
The effects of the pandemic live on in an increase in chronic fatigue and depression, not to mention the severe impact of long haul COVID. Meanwhile, chronic pain, diabetes, and other non-visible disabilities are on the rise as the Federal workplace continues to age. During this webinar, managers will learn how to find the right accommodation for a number of hidden disabilities.
August 22: What Supervisors Should Know About Official Time
The Labor-Management Statute holds labor and management equally accountable to the taxpayer with a shared responsibility to ensure that official time is authorized and used appropriately. In this 60-minute class, Joseph Schimansky will share everything that supervisors need to know to uphold that responsibility without overstepping their role. Attendees will learn who is entitled to official time — and who isn’t, along with the latest relevant case law and guidance.
Pricing
Early Bird Tuition:
- $270 per site, per session (payment required by February 24).
- Special series discounts available through February 24: $1,525 for the first 6 webinars or $1,795 for all 7. See registration form for details.
Standard Tuition:
- $295 per site, per session (payments made February 25 or later).
Working from home? Teleworkers may be added to a primary site registration for $60 each, per session, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructor
Course Description
1
The reasonable accommodation process starts with a request from an employee or applicant. However, that request does not need to be in writing or be formalized in any certain way. In fact, an agency cannot require that a request for reasonable accommodation even include the words “ADA,” “request,” or even “reasonable accommodation.”
Heck, the request doesn’t even have to come from the employee.
If a employee makes a reference to a need for an adjustment or change and it’s related to a medical condition, then you have a request for reasonable accommodation.
During this training, you’ll receive guidance on how to “spot” a reasonable accommodation request, discuss the importance of having a reasonable accommodation policy, and provide examples of each.
This program meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site, per session (payment made by July 10).
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site, per session (payment made July 11 or later).
- Register for all five webinars in the series by July 10 and pay only $1295!
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $60 per teleworker, per webinar, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructor
Course Description
1
Agencies must accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities unless doing so would be an undue hardship. But what constitutes “undue hardship?” It’s a term of art that’s not so easily defined. And since it’s the only “statutory limitation on an employer’s obligation to provide reasonable accommodation,” the undue hardship claim is one that’s often misunderstood and misused.
This presentation will provide a thorough review of the various factors involved in making an undue hardship determination, as well as a review of case examples that show when the determination was made correctly and, more importantly, when it wasn’t.
This program meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site, per session (payment made by July 10).
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site, per session (payment made July 11 or later).
- Register for all five webinars in the series by July 10 and pay only $1295!
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $60 per teleworker, per webinar, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructor
Course Description
1
Congratulations, you’ve gone through the interactive process and come up with a reasonable accommodation that both you and the employee think will be effective.
But wait. It’s not over yet.
Over time, accommodations may lose their effectiveness. They may no longer be needed. Or, perhaps, a more effective accommodation has become available. One of the most important, yet often forgotten, parts of the reasonable accommodation process is the follow up, or what FELTG calls the “check-in.” It’s more important than ever for agencies to be aware of the benefits and pitfalls of revisiting existing accommodations.
And as employees start returning to the physical workplace, some after more than three years of remote work, now may be the time to re-evaluate the effectiveness of employees’ reasonable accommodations. In this class, you’ll learn how to:
- Go about ensuring you find the right accommodation.
- Build the re-evaluation of an employee’s accommodation into a regular seamless process.
- Recognize situations when an existing accommodation shouldn’t change.
This program meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site, per session (payment made by July 10).
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site, per session (payment made July 11 or later).
- Register for all five webinars in the series by July 10 and pay only $1295!
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $60 per teleworker, per webinar, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Deborah Hopkins, Barbara Haga, Katherine Atkinson, Ann Boehm, Joe Schimansky
Course Description
The most comprehensive supervisory training event available anywhere returns once again. The Federal Supervisor’s Workshop: Building the Best Toolkit for Managing Today’s Workforce offers six specific sessions (with a bonus seventh session for those who manage bargaining unit employees) that will give you the tools and skills to effectively and efficiently manage in the Federal workplace circa 2023.
If you’ve attended FELTG’s previous supervisory webinar series, UnCivil Servant: Holding Employees Accountable for Performance and Conduct, or any of our other flagship courses, these fast-paced and engaging 60-minute sessions, held monthly from 1 – 2 pm ET, will expand upon the legal and foundational principles shared in those sessions with best practices to handle very specific discipline, performance, leave, and reasonable accommodation situations. And the guidance shared will help you build the necessary framework to tackle numerous other specific and equally challenging situations.
FELTG’s annual supervisory series will get you up to speed quickly, without wasting any of your time. Just 60 minutes each month. The sessions are taught live by FELTG’s experience instructors AND you’ll have the chance to ask questions and get answers — in real time.
2023 dates and topics:
March 7: Why Supervisors Need to Use the Douglas Factors
If you’re not using the Douglas factor analysis to figure out an appropriate penalty for a misbehaving employee, then you’re doing it wrong. And when an appeal is filed, your action may not be so easy to defend without this justification. A scan of MSPB cases reveals how regularly Federal supervisors fail to understand these factors, and how that lack of understanding may sink the agency’s case. FELTG instructor Ann Boehm will explain the importance of the Douglas factors, using both foundational and recent case law examples, and walk you through the importance of each factor.
April 4: 5 Keys to Implementing and Managing a Successful Performance Opportunity Period
You’re not alone. Every agency has employees whose performance is unacceptable. The key to addressing poor performance is to initiate an opportunity to demonstrate acceptable performance (called everything from a PIP or OIP to an ODAP or DP). A successful opportunity period will either lead to sustained improved performance OR a defensible performance-based removal. From the Santos requirement to a post-PIP drop in performance, FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will explain the key steps to take and pitfalls to avoid.
May 2: They Just Won’t Show Up: Handling Excessive Absence
In a year when no-shows are more common than they should be, supervisors need to understand how to handle excessive absence, using the appropriate tools to correct employee behavior, while keeping in mind cases that involve reasonable accommodation or medical inability to perform. In 60 minutes, FELTG Senior Instructor Barbara Haga will share the documentation needed and steps necessary to effectively discipline an employee for excessive absence, leave abuse, and other related matters.
June 6: Ensuring Accountability with Hybrid and Teleworking Employees
Many experts agree: The performance success of a hybrid or telework environment will come down to managers and supervisors. You may think you know how to discipline. And you may think you know how to handle poor performance. Now that your employees are spread out beyond the physical workplace, you must hold all equally accountable for performance and conduct, regardless of where they physically work. FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will give you the tools and foundation to effectively do that, while also managing employees who remain in the physical workplace.
July 11: Trends in Hostile Work Environment Harassment: 2023 Edition
The pandemic sparked a rise in hate crimes against Asian-Pacific Americans and now the country is dealing with a steep increase in antisemitic threats and actions. How have these trends impacted the Federal workplace, and what is the supervisor’s role when it manifests in microaggressions, bias, harassment, or outright discrimination? This 60-minute webinar provides the tools supervisors need to recognize and quickly take effective action to prevent and correct illegal harassment in the workplace..
August 8: Providing Reasonable Accommodation for Invisible Disabilities
The effects of the pandemic live on in an increase in chronic fatigue and depression, not to mention the severe impact of long haul COVID. Meanwhile, chronic pain, diabetes, and other non-visible disabilities are on the rise as the Federal workplace continues to age. During this webinar, managers will learn how to find the right accommodation for a number of hidden disabilities.
August 22: What Supervisors Should Know About Official Time
The Labor-Management Statute holds labor and management equally accountable to the taxpayer with a shared responsibility to ensure that official time is authorized and used appropriately. In this 60-minute class, Joseph Schimansky will share everything that supervisors need to know to uphold that responsibility without overstepping their role. Attendees will learn who is entitled to official time — and who isn’t, along with the latest relevant case law and guidance.
Pricing
Early Bird Tuition:
- $270 per site, per session (payment required by February 24).
- Special series discounts available through February 24: $1,525 for the first 6 webinars or $1,795 for all 7. See registration form for details.
Standard Tuition:
- $295 per site, per session (payments made February 25 or later).
Working from home? Teleworkers may be added to a primary site registration for $60 each, per session, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructor
Course Description
1
Before the pandemic, telework was one of the the most commonly requested accommodations for individuals with physical and mental disabilities.
After the success of pandemic-induced remote work, agencies are receiving more reasonable accommodation requests for telework, especially as employees are directed to return to the physical workplace. If someone has successfully teleworked already and is a qualified individual with a disability, must you grant the requested accommodation?
Join us for a discussion on this timely topic during the fourth event in our Reasonable Accommodation in the Federal Workplace in 2023 webinar series. This course will detail the required three-step process for agencies to be compliant when dealing with reasonable accommodation requests.
From there, we’ll cover: What to do if telework would be an effective accommodation – but something else would work too.
- Who gets to choose the accommodation?
- What the EEOC says about accommodating an employee’s commute.
- When an agency can legally deny telework as an accommodation.
Often times the best way to learn is by looking at real-life case studies, so the session will include a discussion on recent federal cases – won and lost – involving telework requests as reasonable accommodation. Because of the cost incurred when handling a reasonable accommodation complaint, your agency EEO staff, reasonable accommodation coordinators, disability coordinators, HR staff and supervisors truly cannot afford to miss this event.
This program meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site, per session (payment made by July 10).
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site, per session (payment made July 11 or later).
- Register for all five webinars in the series by July 10 and pay only $1295!
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $60 per teleworker, per webinar, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructor
Course Description
1
Almost everyone knows that individuals with disabilities are entitled to reasonable accommodation – but did you know that federal employees are also entitled to reasonable accommodation for religious beliefs and practices? And that the law is different? And that the Supreme Court has recently weighed in on this subject?
It’s important you know the distinctions and understand the legal ramifications. Join FELTG for the final session in our five-part Reasonable Accommodation in the Federal Workplace in 2023 webinar series.
After a review of the relevant law and regulations law that pertain to religious accommodation, FELTG Instructor Bob Woods will discuss:
- What religions qualify for accommodation.
- The definition of “undue hardship” and case examples.
- The most common accommodations for religion.
- Issues related to dress code and grooming.
- What to do when employees request to be excused from performing certain job tasks because of religious reasons.
Whether you’re an attorney, EEO program specialist, HR specialist or manager, you’ll find everything you need to know about religious accommodations, including the impact of new Supreme Court decision, in this webinar.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site, per session (payment made by July 10).
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site, per session (payment made July 11 or later).
- Register for all five webinars in the series by July 10 and pay only $1295!
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $60 per teleworker, per webinar, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Deborah Hopkins, Barbara Haga, Katherine Atkinson, Ann Boehm, Joe Schimansky
Course Description
The most comprehensive supervisory training event available anywhere returns once again. The Federal Supervisor’s Workshop: Building the Best Toolkit for Managing Today’s Workforce offers six specific sessions (with a bonus seventh session for those who manage bargaining unit employees) that will give you the tools and skills to effectively and efficiently manage in the Federal workplace circa 2023.
If you’ve attended FELTG’s previous supervisory webinar series, UnCivil Servant: Holding Employees Accountable for Performance and Conduct, or any of our other flagship courses, these fast-paced and engaging 60-minute sessions, held monthly from 1 – 2 pm ET, will expand upon the legal and foundational principles shared in those sessions with best practices to handle very specific discipline, performance, leave, and reasonable accommodation situations. And the guidance shared will help you build the necessary framework to tackle numerous other specific and equally challenging situations.
FELTG’s annual supervisory series will get you up to speed quickly, without wasting any of your time. Just 60 minutes each month. The sessions are taught live by FELTG’s experience instructors AND you’ll have the chance to ask questions and get answers — in real time.
2023 dates and topics:
March 7: Why Supervisors Need to Use the Douglas Factors
If you’re not using the Douglas factor analysis to figure out an appropriate penalty for a misbehaving employee, then you’re doing it wrong. And when an appeal is filed, your action may not be so easy to defend without this justification. A scan of MSPB cases reveals how regularly Federal supervisors fail to understand these factors, and how that lack of understanding may sink the agency’s case. FELTG instructor Ann Boehm will explain the importance of the Douglas factors, using both foundational and recent case law examples, and walk you through the importance of each factor.
April 4: 5 Keys to Implementing and Managing a Successful Performance Opportunity Period
You’re not alone. Every agency has employees whose performance is unacceptable. The key to addressing poor performance is to initiate an opportunity to demonstrate acceptable performance (called everything from a PIP or OIP to an ODAP or DP). A successful opportunity period will either lead to sustained improved performance OR a defensible performance-based removal. From the Santos requirement to a post-PIP drop in performance, FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will explain the key steps to take and pitfalls to avoid.
May 2: They Just Won’t Show Up: Handling Excessive Absence
In a year when no-shows are more common than they should be, supervisors need to understand how to handle excessive absence, using the appropriate tools to correct employee behavior, while keeping in mind cases that involve reasonable accommodation or medical inability to perform. In 60 minutes, FELTG Senior Instructor Barbara Haga will share the documentation needed and steps necessary to effectively discipline an employee for excessive absence, leave abuse, and other related matters.
June 6: Ensuring Accountability with Hybrid and Teleworking Employees
Many experts agree: The performance success of a hybrid or telework environment will come down to managers and supervisors. You may think you know how to discipline. And you may think you know how to handle poor performance. Now that your employees are spread out beyond the physical workplace, you must hold all equally accountable for performance and conduct, regardless of where they physically work. FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will give you the tools and foundation to effectively do that, while also managing employees who remain in the physical workplace.
July 11: Trends in Hostile Work Environment Harassment: 2023 Edition
The pandemic sparked a rise in hate crimes against Asian-Pacific Americans and now the country is dealing with a steep increase in antisemitic threats and actions. How have these trends impacted the Federal workplace, and what is the supervisor’s role when it manifests in microaggressions, bias, harassment, or outright discrimination? This 60-minute webinar provides the tools supervisors need to recognize and quickly take effective action to prevent and correct illegal harassment in the workplace..
August 8: Providing Reasonable Accommodation for Invisible Disabilities
The effects of the pandemic live on in an increase in chronic fatigue and depression, not to mention the severe impact of long haul COVID. Meanwhile, chronic pain, diabetes, and other non-visible disabilities are on the rise as the Federal workplace continues to age. During this webinar, managers will learn how to find the right accommodation for a number of hidden disabilities.
August 22: What Supervisors Should Know About Official Time
The Labor-Management Statute holds labor and management equally accountable to the taxpayer with a shared responsibility to ensure that official time is authorized and used appropriately. In this 60-minute class, Joseph Schimansky will share everything that supervisors need to know to uphold that responsibility without overstepping their role. Attendees will learn who is entitled to official time — and who isn’t, along with the latest relevant case law and guidance.
Pricing
Early Bird Tuition:
- $270 per site, per session (payment required by February 24).
- Special series discounts available through February 24: $1,525 for the first 6 webinars or $1,795 for all 7. See registration form for details.
Standard Tuition:
- $295 per site, per session (payments made February 25 or later).
Working from home? Teleworkers may be added to a primary site registration for $60 each, per session, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Program Description
Few situations draw as much angst among supervisors as when they have an employee with a physical or mental impairment who is failing to meet conduct standards. With the rise in mental health diagnoses, substance abuse disorders and the physical challenges that come with an aging workforce, Federal supervisors can expect more of these gut-wrenching situations.
Over the course of 60 minutes, FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will walk you through a step-by-step process for effectively managing misconduct for employees who have medical issues.
Attendees will learn how to:
- Determine whether disability should be a mitigating factor in discipline.
- Appropriately charge Absence Without Leave.
- Determine the best course of action for an employee who is unable to come to work because of a medical issue.
Date and Time
Thursday, October 26, 2023, 1:00 – 2:00pm ET.
Instructor
Registration
Download Registration Form Here
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site (payment required by October 11)
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site (payments made after October 12)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $60 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Course Description
Your 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 a reasonable explanation for his absence? Can you deny a leave request when an employee was AWOL?
When it comes to AWOL, there are a lot of questions. And a lot of misunderstandings. For example: Considering the following statements:
- 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.
In this 60-minute presentation, FELTG President Deborah J. Hopkins will deconstruct the mystery of Absence Without Leave (and its companion charge, Unauthorized Absence), shatter the aforementioned myths, and offer strategies for agencies to take when an employee doesn’t show up for work.
Attendees will learn how to:
- Understand the elements of the charges Absent Without Leave and Unauthorized Absence
- Determine reasonable penalties when AWOL is charged
- Identify situations where a perceived AWOL might be another type of absence
Date and Time
Thursday, February 1, 1 -2 pm ET
Instructor
Registration
Download Individual Registration Form
Pricing
- Early Bird Tuition (register by January 2): $145
- Standard Tuition (register January 3 or later): $195
- Rates per registrant.
- Want to register a group? Group discounts for 10 or more attendees are available through January 2. Contact FELTG.
Event FAQs
- Can I attend Virtual Training from my government computer?
- FELTG uses Zoom to broadcast this Virtual Training Institute event. Many government computers and systems allow Zoom access. If for some reason your firewall will not allow access, you’re welcome to use your personal email address to register, and to attend the sessions from your personal device.
- Can I earn CLE credits for this class?
- CLE applications are the responsibility of each attendee; FELTG does not apply for the credits on behalf of attendees. If you are seeking CLE credit, attendees may use the materials provided by FELTG in submission to your state bar. Attendees may also request a certificate of completion which will contain the number of training hours attended.
- Can I share my access link with co-workers?
- No. Registration for this event is per individual, and access links may not be shared. Each link may only be used by one person.
- Can I register a teleworker?
- This event is individual registration, so the cost is the same whether the person is teleworking or in an agency facility.
- How do I receive a group rate discount?
- Group rates are available for agencies registering 10 or more individuals. Group discounts are available through January 2.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Course Description
Congratulations, you’ve gone through the interactive process and come up with a reasonable accommodation that both you and the employee think will be effective.
But wait. It’s not over yet.
Over time, accommodations may lose their effectiveness. They may no longer be needed. The nature of the work might change. Or, perhaps, a more effective accommodation has become available. One of the most important, yet often forgotten, parts of the reasonable accommodation process is the follow up, or what FELTG calls the “check-in.” It’s more important than ever for agencies to be aware of the benefits and pitfalls of revisiting existing accommodations.
And as employees have begun returning to the physical workplace at least a few days a month, now may be the time to re-evaluate the effectiveness of employees’ reasonable accommodations.
Learning takeaways
Attendees will learn how to:
- Restart the interactive process when necessary
- Make an appropriate, individualized reasonable accommodation determination
- Determine if telework is an effective accommodation
Date and Time
Thursday, March 14, 2024, 1 – 2 pm ET
Instructor
Registration
Download Individual Registration Form
Pricing
- Early Bird Tuition (register by February 13): $145
- Standard Tuition (register February 14 or later): $195
- Rates per registrant.
- Want to register a group? Group discounts for 10 or more attendees are available through February 13. Contact FELTG.
Event FAQs
- Can I attend Virtual Training from my government computer?
- FELTG uses Zoom to broadcast this Virtual Training Institute event. Many government computers and systems allow Zoom access. If for some reason your firewall will not allow access, you’re welcome to use your personal email address to register, and to attend the sessions from your personal device.
- Can I earn CLE credits for this class?
- CLE applications are the responsibility of each attendee; FELTG does not apply for the credits on behalf of attendees. If you are seeking CLE credit, attendees may use the materials provided by FELTG in submission to your state bar. Attendees may also request a certificate of completion which will contain the number of training hours attended.
- Can I share my access link with co-workers?
- No. Registration for this event is per individual, and access links may not be shared. Each link may only be used by one person.
- Can I register a teleworker?
- This event is individual registration, so the cost is the same whether the person is teleworking or in an agency facility.
- How do I receive a group rate discount?
- Group rates are available for agencies registering 10 or more individuals. Group discounts are available through February 13.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Course Description
It’s one of the situations most managers would most like to avoid — an employee who doesn’t show up for work. As agencies order some employees to return to the physical workplace, the chances an employee will not show up and not provide notice has increased. Is the best way to discipline the employee to charge him with AWOL? What if he comes up with a reasonable explanation for his absence? Can you deny a leave request when an employee was AWOL? Part of the Managing the Federal Workplace in 2024: Dos and Don’ts for Supervisors webinar series, this class will give you all of the tools and knowledge you need to successfully and confidently respond when employees fail to follow leave procedures.
Attendees will learn how to:
- Hold employees accountable when they don’t show up for work.
- Properly use an AWOL charge.
- Expand knowledge of leave procedures.
Date and Time
April 9, 2024; 1 – 2 pm ET
Instructor
Registration
Download Individual Registration Form
Pricing
- Early Bird Tuition (register by March 8): $145
- Standard Tuition (register March 9 or later): $195
- Rates per registrant.
- Want to register a group? Group discounts for 10 or more attendees are available through March 8. Contact FELTG.
Event FAQs
- Can I attend Virtual Training from my government computer?
- FELTG uses Zoom to broadcast this Virtual Training Institute event. Many government computers and systems allow Zoom access. If for some reason your firewall will not allow access, you’re welcome to use your personal email address to register, and to attend the sessions from your personal device.
- Can I earn CLE credits for this class?
- CLE applications are the responsibility of each attendee; FELTG does not apply for the credits on behalf of attendees. If you are seeking CLE credit, attendees may use the materials provided by FELTG in submission to your state bar. Attendees may also request a certificate of completion which will contain the number of training hours attended.
- Can I share my access link with co-workers?
- No. Registration for this event is per individual, and access links may not be shared. Each link may only be used by one person.
- Can I register a teleworker?
- This event is individual registration, so the cost is the same whether the person is teleworking or in an agency facility.
- How do I receive a group rate discount?
- Group rates are available for agencies registering 10 or more individuals. Group discounts are available through March 8.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Course Description
Being a Federal supervisor is a demanding job, made even more extracting by constant changes in Federal employment law. FELTG’s annual webinar series Managing the Federal Workplace in 2024: Dos and Don’ts for Supervisors aims to make the job a little less demanding, while providing you guidance and tools to understand the latest changes.
If you’ve attended FELTG’s previous supervisory webinar series, UnCivil Servant: Holding Employees Accountable for Performance and Conduct, or any of our other flagship courses, these fast-paced and engaging 60-minute sessions, held monthly from 1 – 2 pm ET, will expand upon the legal and foundational principles shared in those sessions with best practices to handle AWOL, improve performance, adopt coaching, accommodate employees with disabilities, and determine whether to invite the union to a meeting.
FELTG’s annual supervisory series will get you up to speed quickly, without wasting any of your time. Just 60 minutes each month. The sessions are taught live by FELTG’s experience instructors AND you’ll have the chance to ask questions and get answers — in real time.
2024 dates and topics:
April 9: Handling AWOL and Failure to Follow Leave Procedures
It’s one of the situations most managers would most like to avoid — an employee who doesn’t show up for work. As agencies order some employees to return to the physical workplace, the chances an employee will not show up and not provide notice has increased. Is the best way to discipline the employee to charge him with AWOL? What if he comes up with a reasonable explanation for his absence? Can you deny a leave request when an employee was AWOL? This class will give you all of the tools and knowledge you need to successfully and confidently respond when employees fail to follow leave procedures.
May 7: How to Use a PIP in 2024
Federal supervisors have a useful tool to deal with underperforming employees – the Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). Yet, supervisors have consistently struggled with getting PIPs right. And then came the decision in Santos v. NASA, which requires agencies to have substantial evidence of poor performance BEFORE the implementing the PIP. This class will detail the ins and outs of this requirement and share clear guidance and the effective, time-tested FELTG approach to handling unacceptable performance in 2024.
June 4: Coaching for Individuals and Teams – Tips for Supervisors
Working with a skilled coach can transform individuals and teams. When coaching an individual supervisor, the coach creates a safe and confidential space to clarify issues. A client learns to maximize strengths and minimize self-sabotage, and to improve communication (up, down, and across the organization). When working with a team, the coach employs observation, discussion and assessments to understand and minimize unproductive conflict and maximize the talents and perspectives of team members. During this hour-long class, participants will learn what to expect when working with a coach, the complementary roles of a facilitator, consultant, and coach, and examples of positive outcomes for individuals and teams.
July 16: Providing Effective Reasonable Accommodations in 2024
The reasonable accommodation process has always been challenging and full of surprises. The past year alone has seen the introduction of a new reasonable accommodation requirement for pregnant employees and the Supreme Court’s decision changing the undue hardship definition for religious accommodations. This fast-paced webinar will provide you with the most current legal and practical guidance.
August 6: The Union Doesn’t Get to Attend Every Meeting
Why do unions have the right to attend formal discussions? Why did Congress use the word “formal?” What does “formal” mean? What if the employee doesn’t want the union to attend the meeting? Is it better to just invite the union to every meeting? You have questions, questions, and more questions – and we have the answers in this webinar series finale.
Instructors
Deborah Hopkins, Joe Schimansky, Susan Schneider, Bob Woods
Registration
Download Individual Registration Form
Pricing
Early Bird Tuition (register by March 8):
- One Webinar: $145
- Two Webinars: $275
- Three Webinars: $395
- Four Webinars: $525
- All Access: $655
- Rates per registrant.
Standard Tuition (register March 9-August 6):
- One Webinar: $195
- Two Webinars: $315
- Three Webinars: $430
- Four Webinars: $550
- All Access: $695
- Rates per registrant.
- Want to register a group? Group discounts for 10 or more attendees are available through March 8. Contact FELTG.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Course Description
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. But you don’t have to go back to the Reagan Administration to find examples of agencies’ misunderstanding and/or misapplying those factors.
Just look at a any recent batch of MSPB decisions and you’ll find continued confusion about how to appropriately determine a penalty – and clarity from the Board about their view on Douglas.
Instructor and attorney Ann Boehm will share recent case law, highlighting how agencies correctly use the Douglas factors and also how they have been misapplied. She will answer all your Douglas questions, such as: Do the factors go in the proposal or the decision? What do OPM’s new regs say about the Douglas factors? What’s the best way to prevent penalty mitigation?
Learning takeaways
Attendees will learn how to:
- Understand the Douglas factors principles
- Explain when and how to use each factor
- Avoid the too-common Douglas mistakes that sink your case
Date and Time
Tuesday, April 23, 2024, 1:00 – 2:00pm ET
Instructor
Registration
Download Individual Registration Form
Pricing
- Early Bird Tuition (register by March 24): $145
- Standard Tuition (register March 25-April 23): $195
- Rates per registrant.
- Want to register a group? Group discounts for 10 or more attendees are available through March 24. Contact FELTG.
Event FAQs
- Can I attend Virtual Training from my government computer?
- FELTG uses Zoom to broadcast this Virtual Training Institute event. Many government computers and systems allow Zoom access. If for some reason your firewall will not allow access, you’re welcome to use your personal email address to register, and to attend the sessions from your personal device.
- Can I earn CLE credits for this class?
- CLE applications are the responsibility of each attendee; FELTG does not apply for the credits on behalf of attendees. If you are seeking CLE credit, attendees may use the materials provided by FELTG in submission to your state bar. Attendees may also request a certificate of completion which will contain the number of training hours attended.
- Can I share my access link with co-workers?
- No. Registration for this event is per individual, and access links may not be shared. Each link may only be used by one person.
- Can I register a teleworker?
- This event is individual registration, so the cost is the same whether the person is teleworking or in an agency facility.
- How do I receive a group rate discount?
- Group rates are available for agencies registering 10 or more individuals. Group discounts are available through March 24.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.