Instructor
Course Description
1.5
When the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act became effective nearly a decade ago, the law expanded ADA coverage to include more individuals in disability determinations. In Part 2 of the Reasonable Accommodation in the Federal Workplace webinar series, FELTG Instructor Katherine Atkinson, attorney at law, will take a focused look at three challenging areas in the disability process that have changed in recent years: qualified individuals, essential functions, and undue hardship.
After an overview of the disability accommodation law and analysis, Ms Atkinson will dive into the details, including:
- How to determine whether an individual is qualified for a particular job
- How to decide what job functions are essential, and what job functions are marginal or ancillary
- What factors control an undue hardship determination
You’ll have time to ask your questions, and get answers in real time, so make plans now to attend this important event.
Price
$270 per site
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $25 each, if space is available.
Instructors
Deborah Hopkins, Katherine Atkinson, Meghan Droste
Course Description
FELTG proudly presents this four-part series on reasonable accommodation in the federal workplace.
Click on any event for a full description.
6 (1.5 per webinar)
Session 1: Reasonable Accommodation: The Law, the Challenges, & Solutions for Agencies (July 19)
Session 2: Reasonable Accommodation: A Focus on Qualified Individuals, Essential Functions, & Undue Hardship (July 26)
Session 3: Telework and Flexible Work Schedules as Reasonable Accommodation (August 2)
Session 4: Understanding Religious Accommodation: How it’s Different from Disability Accommodation (August 9)
Price
- $270 per site, per session.
-
Series discount: Register for all four webinars by July 13 and pay only $990!
- Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $25 each teleworker, each webinar, on a space-available basis.
Instructor
Course Description
1.5
The law requires federal agencies to engage in the interactive process when assessing reasonable accommodations for employees who have disabilities. In 2018, telework and modified work schedules are among the most commonly requested – and most effective – accommodations for individuals who have physical and mental disabilities. But telework is often requested in cases where the “convenience” of working from home is called in to question. What should you do in those situations?
Join FELTG Executive Director and Attorney at Law Deborah Hopkins for a discussion on this timely topic during Part 3 of the Reasonable Accommodation in the Federal Workplace webinar series. Ms Hopkins will start with a quick review of the law, and will detail the required three-step process for agencies to be compliant when dealing with reasonable accommodation requests.
From there, she’ll discuss:
- What to do if telework would be an effective accommodation – but something else would work too
- Why accommodations are always the agency’s choice
- Alternative approaches to providing telework, leave and modified work schedules as accommodation
- The undue hardship analysis
- What the EEOC says about accommodating an employee’s commute
Oftentimes 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 and 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.
Price
$270 per site
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $25 each, if space is available.
Instructors
Deborah Hopkins, Katherine Atkinson, Meghan Droste
Course Description
FELTG proudly presents this four-part series on reasonable accommodation in the federal workplace.
Click on any event for a full description.
6 (1.5 per webinar)
Session 1: Reasonable Accommodation: The Law, the Challenges, & Solutions for Agencies (July 19)
Session 2: Reasonable Accommodation: A Focus on Qualified Individuals, Essential Functions, & Undue Hardship (July 26)
Session 3: Telework and Flexible Work Schedules as Reasonable Accommodation (August 2)
Session 4: Understanding Religious Accommodation: How it’s Different from Disability Accommodation (August 9)
Price
- $270 per site, per session.
-
Series discount: Register for all four webinars by July 13 and pay only $990!
- Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $25 each teleworker, each webinar, on a space-available basis.
Instructor
Course Description
1.5
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? Not everyone realizes this; in 2017 a company in West Virginia was ordered to pay out damages of nearly $600,000 for not taking an employee’s religious accommodation request seriously.
The law requiring religious accommodation is different than the law for disability accommodation, and it’s important you know the distinctions. Join FELTG for the final session in the Four-Part Reasonable Accommodation in the Federal Workplace webinar series, where Attorney at Law Meghan Droste helps in your goal of Understanding Religious Accommodation: How it’s Different from Disability Accommodation.
After a review of the relevant law and regulations law that pertain to religious accommodation, Ms Droste 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 want to be sure to join us for this important session.
Price
$270 per site
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $25 each, if space is available.
Instructors
Deborah Hopkins, Katherine Atkinson, Meghan Droste
Course Description
FELTG proudly presents this four-part series on reasonable accommodation in the federal workplace.
Click on any event for a full description.
6 (1.5 per webinar)
Session 1: Reasonable Accommodation: The Law, the Challenges, & Solutions for Agencies (July 19)
Session 2: Reasonable Accommodation: A Focus on Qualified Individuals, Essential Functions, & Undue Hardship (July 26)
Session 3: Telework and Flexible Work Schedules as Reasonable Accommodation (August 2)
Session 4: Understanding Religious Accommodation: How it’s Different from Disability Accommodation (August 9)
Price
- $270 per site, per session.
-
Series discount: Register for all four webinars by July 13 and pay only $990!
- Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $25 each teleworker, each webinar, on a space-available basis.
Instructor
Course Description
We see it every single week – a disgruntled employee, customer, or someone who is upset with an employee goes in to a workplace with a weapon, and kills innocent people. What should you do if someone threatens violence in your federal agency? How can you best prepare yourself to protect the lives of those around you? Are there risk factors that might give you an indication of when someone will become violent?
This topic is too important to ignore, so join FELTG for the webinar Threats of Violence in the Workplace: Assessing Risk and Taking Action. This program will be instructed by Shana Palmieri, FELTG instructor and LCSW who specializes in mental health and handled the psychiatric aftermath of the Navy Yard shooting in 2013.
The session is focused on the practical issues that agencies encounter when dealing with an employee whose behavior poses a risk to workplace safety. Discussion points include:
- Warning signs that violence may be imminent, and dynamic risk and protective factors for workplace targeted violence
- Equipping Threat Management Teams to respond to threats or violent acts
- Understanding the behavioral health issues that contribute to violent behavior – and those that don’t
- Preparing for domestic or intimate partner violence and its interplay with the federal workplace
The webinar will also include time for Q & A on these topics. This is a session you truly can’t afford to miss, so register your site today.
Price
$225 per site
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $25 each, on a space-available basis.
Instructor
Course Description
OMB Directive M-17-22, the Comprehensive Plan for Reforming the Federal Government and Reducing the Federal Civilian Workforce, requires agencies to eliminate unnecessary barriers to addressing poor performance contained in agency policies.
That starts with your performance plans!
Join FELTG for a 90-minute webinar with instructor Barbara Haga, who will give you the tools you need to analyze your existing performance plans, and make modifications to help managers set measurable expectations of employee performance that will survive third-party review.
Topics covered include:
- How to make sure your standards meet the legal requirements of specific and clear, measurable, and attainable
- How to create standards for subjective critical elements
- How to eliminate unacceptable performance requirements that are not based on law/regulation (and that waste your valuable time!)
The session will include time for Q & A with a premier instructor in the field. Whether you’re in HR or are a supervisor who is looking to make your performance plans better, you’ll want to be sure to join us. Register today!
Price
$270 per site
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $25 each, if space is available.
Instructor
Course Description
You’ve probably heard about the new Executive Orders, issued May 25, that significantly changed the civil service protections that have been in place for nearly four decades. You’ve probably also heard about the federal court decision on August 24, issued by D.C. District Court Judge Ketanji Jackson, that declared several provisions of those Executive Orders to be invalid.
So, as of today, what exactly are agencies and unions required to do under these Executive Orders, and what are they no longer allowed to do? The times are changing so fast, it can be a real challenge to keep up with the world of federal employment and labor law. But don’t worry, FELTG is here to help. Join William Wiley, attorney at law, on September 17 for a 60-minute discussion about the most important takeaways from this 120+ page legal decision.
Topics include:
- What the court said about agencies imposing a 25 percent cap on the use of official time, and the status of taxpayer-funded union time
- Whether agencies are allowed to charge union to rent space and equipment
- Whether union employees are allowed to take performance ratings or removals before an arbitrator
- Whether the court agreed that 30-day PIPs can be imposed on all agency employees
- The brand-new, never-seen-before requirement for “flexibility” in bargaining
- And much more!
You won’t want to miss this session. Register your site today.
Price
$225 per site
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $25 each, on a space-available basis.
Instructor
Course Description
If you’ve been following the news lately, you’ve probably heard, “Fire the leakers” once or twice.
Listen up, folks: sometimes a “leaker” is an employee who engages in misconduct, and other times a “leaker” is a “whistleblower.” So when you hear that someone is firing “leakers,” keep in mind that there are good leakers and there are bad leakers, according to the law. Good leakers are whistleblowers who cannot be disciplined; bad leakers are civil servants who disclose information prohibited from disclosure by law and who can be fired. Do you know the difference? If not, you’d better learn quickly – and that’s what FELTG is here for.
Congress has provided whistleblowers with the highest level of protection from reprisal for disclosures of waste, fraud or abuse in the government. Join FELTG President William Wiley in September for a 90-minute webinar on this topic. After providing the statutory basis and explaining the civil service protections of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, he will discuss:
- The categories of protected disclosures
- How to handle disclosures that turn out to be false
- The appropriate avenues of protected disclosure
- What constitutes whistleblower reprisal – and how to avoid it
- How to know when you can discipline a leaker
- Evidence needed to discipline a whistleblower for misconduct unrelated to whistleblowing
You won’t want to miss this important session – and we’ll take all the questions you have on the topic. Register your site today.
Price
$270 per site
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $25 each, on a space-available basis.
Instructors
Course Description
- Did you know there were 291 suicides in the workplace in 2016?
- Did you know that suicide is the tenth leading cause of death overall in the United States, and killed over 45,000 people in 2016?
- Did you know that over the past 10 years there has been a 35% increase in the suicide rate in the U.S.?
As the suicide rates rise, the impact is becoming more severe on the workplace; learning how to correctly manage an employee’s suicidal crisis and ideations is increasingly important. Knowing what to do, and when, might save an employee’s life.
It is pertinent for federal agencies to have an understanding of the signs and symptoms an employee may demonstrate that indicates the need for professional help if that employee is suffering with suicidal thoughts.
Join FELTG for this webinar, where instructor Shana Palmieri, LCSW, will discuss:
- An overview of suicide and suicidal ideation in the United States and in the workplace
- A clinical overview of the signs and symptoms of suicide that indicate the need for professional intervention
- Effective communication strategies for talking about suicide with employees
- Practical recommendations for handing a suicidal crisis in the workplace
The webinar will also include time for Q & A on these topics. This is a session you truly can’t afford to miss, so register your site today.
Price
$270 per site
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $25 each, on a space-available basis.
Instructor
Course Description
1.5
Have you ever opened up a file to look at an employee’s discipline history, only to come across medical information that may or may not be related to the conduct at issue?
Do you know who in your agency is responsible for collecting medical information from healthcare providers in reasonable accommodation cases?
How much information should supervisors be told about their employees’ health conditions?
These are tough questions, and knowing the answers will help ensure you comply with the strict laws on requesting and storing medical documentation in the federal workplace. Join FELTG instructor Meghan Droste, attorney at law, for this 90-minute webinar on a topic we deal with in both the HR and EEO setting. After a brief discussion on applicable law, Ms Droste will cover:
- How the ADAAA and GINA impact the collection of medical information,
- Pre- and post-employment medical exams and inquiries,
- Conditional employment offers and related medical information,
- Who should gather the information – and who should not, and
- How much detail supervisors need in medical accommodation cases.
This is an area where innocent release of medical information can be expensive – and is an automatic loser even if there was no harm done to the employee. Register now!
Price
$270 per site.
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $25 each, on a space-available basis.
Instructors
William Wiley, Deborah Hopkins
Course Description
1
It’s that time of year again! And boy, do we have some new material, with the new executive orders on accountability and labor relations, plus several much-anticipated FLRA decisions bringing clarity to questions we’ve had for years.
Twice a year we update you with what’s new from the MSPB, EEOC and FLRA, and this one looks to be better than ever.
Join FELTG attorneys William Wiley and Deborah Hopkins as they combine forces for a fast-paced discussion on the most surprising, significant and groundbreaking recent decisions and trends from the MSPB, EEOC and FLRA. If you’ve attended a past edition, you know this is not your standard [“boring”] case law update, but an editorial discussion that not only informs you about current cases, but explains how they impact your daily work whether you’re a lawyer, or an HR, ER, LR or EEO practitioner.
Bill and Deb will share where we’ve been and where we’re headed with the trends and regulations that influence your workplace and the way issues are litigated in your agency or union. Plus, ask your questions and get answers in real time.
We’d love to tell you now about the cases and regulations that will be discussed, but that’s entirely up to the MSPB, EEOC and FLRA. Stay tuned!
Price
$270 per site
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $25 each, on a space-available basis.
Instructor
Course Description
1.5
There’s a lot of discussion these days about whether or not employees can legally be fired for being LGBTQ+. In fact, the EEOC says sexual orientation and gender identity is protected under Title VII, but the DoJ says just the opposite. It’s quite a conflict between two relatively independent federal agencies, so what does it all mean for the federal workforce?
Join FELTG instructor Meghan Droste, an experienced LGBTQ and Gender Issues Practice Group team lead, for this 90-minute webinar that explains the latest information on the state of sexual orientation and gender identity protections in the federal workplace.
After a brief discussion on applicable law and the theories of discrimination, Ms Droste will cover:
- Important definitions in 2018
- The latest on sexual orientation protection under Title VII, and the current federal circuit split
- Transgender status and legal protections
- Gender stereotyping claims and same-sex harassment
- Best practices for agencies to follow
The law has been evolving for quite some time, and with a circuit split it’s crucial to understand where things are – today. Register now!
Price
$270 per site.
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $25 each, on a space-available basis.
Instructor
Course Description
When we think about technology-related misconduct in the federal workplace, many of us think of the federal employee watching porn on his government computer. And there are certainly a number of cases involving pornography in the workplace. But federal employees have found many more ways to get in trouble with workplace technology, whether it’s running businesses from work, encouraging donations to political candidates using government computers, or simply wasting time on the Internet. And then there are teleworkers, who have their own unique tech issues.
In this 90-minute webinar, Barbara Haga will review relevant MSPB decisions on these topics, and discuss material on the defenses that employees have raised. She will identify the issues that should be addressed in technology policies, covering matters associated with telework and reasonable use of government equipment and systems.
While the near future of the Merit Systems Protection Board remains uncertain, Ms. Haga is staying on top of the situation and will provide attendees with the information they need to know.
Attendees will learn how to:
- Draft specific charges that deal with various types of technology-related misconduct
- Handle accommodation issues that come up in conjunction with technology matters
- Anticipate technology issues to coordinate with IT staffs to establish policies that clearly explain misuse
- Prepare supportable actions and ensure that union contract provisions support these policies
Price
Early Bird Tuition: $275 per site (registration submitted by February 15) Standard Tuition: $305 per site (registration submitted February 16 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $35 each, on a space-available basis.
Instructor
Course Description
A tough year for federal employees? That’s an understatement. Even before the shutdown, stagnant pay and slashed benefits led to significant drops in engagement and morale, according to the Best Places to Work survey. The factors that caused this precipitous drop in morale may be beyond your control. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything to get employees focused back on mission. Join FELTG instructor Ann Boehm for this important webinar where you will learn specific actions you can take to improve morale, such as:
- Finding out what employees like about their jobs
- Addressing misconduct and performance problems before they impact morale
- Rewarding good employees and include those employees in planning
The federal workplace is at a critical juncture. It needs skilled and proactive managers who have the right tools to lead their employees through these difficult times. Learn from Ms. Boehm, who has held numerous leadership roles during her 26-year career as a government attorney.
Price
$225 per site (payment by February 17)
$255 per site (payments made February 18 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $35 each, on a space-available basis.
Instructor
Course Description
1.5
Effective writing directly impacts whether you win or lose a case before the EEOC. One of the most powerful tools to use in EEO complaints is the Motion for Summary Judgment. Join attorney at law Meghan Droste as she spends 90 minutes taking you through the best practices you need to draft a strong motion that will withstand even the harshest scrutiny.
After setting out the basics on summary judgment procedures and standards, Ms. Droste will show you how to:
- Organize for the motion
- Draft the motion using IRAC (and explain why IRAC isn’t just for law school exams)
- Edit your work
Participants will also deconstruct segments from sample summary judgment motions, and will learn how to spot strengths and weaknesses throughout the writing process. Whether you’ve been an attorney for years, or you’ve never been to law school, this is a session EEO practitioners won’t want to miss. Register your site today.
Price
Early Bird Tuition: $275 per site (registration submitted by February 25) Standard Tuition: $305 per site (registration submitted February 26 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $35 each, on a space-available basis.
Instructor
Course Description
Few people love meetings, but we all know they are sometimes necessary. However, not all meetings are the same. And, in fact, some meetings can get you in trouble, despite your good intentions. FELTG instructor Joe Schimansky, former Executive Director of the Federal Service Impasses Panel, will identify and discuss when the law requires you to provide the union an opportunity to be involved in discussions. Learn when meetings become formal discussions or Weingarten meetings, and what to do when an employee requests union representation.
Mr. Schimansky will explain:
- The union’s rights and responsibilities when it comes to meetings
- What is required for a meeting to be considered a formal discussion
- What a union rep can and cannot do during a formal discussion
- What constitutes a reasonable belief that discipline may occur
This webinar will also include the most updated information related to President Trump’s May 2018 Executive Orders on federal labor unions. If you have union employees, this is a session you won’t want to miss.
Price
Early Bird Tuition: $275 per site (registration submitted by March 11) Standard Tuition: $305 per site (registration submitted March 12 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $35 each, on a space-available basis.
Instructors
Jennifer Johnson, George Woods
Course Description
Not only can federal employees work past official retirement age, they often have to work longer. This is helping create a federal workforce with more generations working side-by-side than ever before. What does this older generation of employees mean for federal supervisors and those who advise them? This is your opportunity to find out. This 90-minute webinar is a must for attorneys, supervisors, and labor and HR specialists who handle management issues. Attorney Jennifer Johnson and Psychiatrist George Woods will lay out in detail how people change as they age, and the management approaches you may need to adopt as a result. Those who attend this timely webinar will learn how to prioritize the value of older employees’ expertise and experience, as well as make effective accommodations for them to succeed without discriminating against anyone due to age.
Attendees will also learn how to:
- Identify the biological changes that impact functioning.
- Understand the structural and neurocognitive changes that impact brain functioning.
- Eliminate the barriers that keep people from confronting the issue of aging.
Don’t just wait for your older employees to retire. Learn how to maximize their strengths for a more focused and productive workplace.
Price
$275 per site (payment by March 16) $305 per site (payments made March 17 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $35 each, on a space-available basis.
Instructor
Course Description
For many supervisors and HR specialists, the word “reassignment” is met with anxiety, angst, and apprehension. There are few in the federal workplace with the confidence to effectively employ this under-utilized management tool. And if it’s not in your toolbox, you’re missing something important.
FELTG instructor Ann Boehm, who spent 26 years as a government attorney focused primarily on employment and labor law, is here to set you straight. She will walk you through management-directed reassignment for business reasons, reassignment for performance reasons, and reassignment as reasonable accommodation for a disability. The 90-minute webinar will cover many facets of reassignment, including:
- What to do when an employee refuses reassignment as a reasonable accommodation.
- When you can legally and unilaterally reassign an employee.
- How to handle an employee request for reassignment.
Price
Early Bird Tuition: $275 per site (registration submitted by April 1)
Standard Tuition: $305 per site (registration submitted April 2 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $35 each, on a space-available basis.
Instructors
Shana Palmieri, Mollie Slater
Course Description
Employee substance abuse is a costly and dangerous problem for federal workplaces, especially when it comes to safety and productivity. Yet, many federal supervisors fail to address the situation appropriately. FELTG is here to do something about that.
Healthcare attorney Mollie Slater and Shana Palmieri, a licensed clinical social worker, will share strategies for reducing risk for substance-abuse issues and aligning agency processes to fit within the scope of the law, while promoting a safe and productive workplace. You will leave this 90-minute webinar knowing how to successfully navigate the legally complex relationship employers have with healthcare providers. You will also gain the knowledge and skills to effectively and appropriately take action when substance abuse impacts workplace safety and productivity.
Attendees will also learn:
- When substance abuse is reason for termination.
- The privacy standards applicable to employees and patients.
- How to effectively manage the medical clearance process for employees returning to work after they receive substance abuse treatment.
This class focuses most of its emphasis on the practical and clinical side of managing employees with substance abuse issues, and trains you how to identify and work with people who have addiction issues. You won’t want to miss it.
Price
Early Bird Tuition: $275 per webinar per site (registration submitted by April 8)
Standard Tuition: $305 per webinar per site (registration submitted April 9 or later)
Register for both webinars by April 8 and pay only $530.
Add a teleworker for $35 per webinar, in addition to a main site registration, if space permits.
Instructors
Course Description
If one of your employees had a mental health crisis in the workplace, would you know what to do? This isn’t a far-fetched scenario. Almost 18 percent of all adults have a mental illness diagnosis at some point in their lives. This 90-minute webinar will provide you with an understanding of mental health conditions and the impact they have on the individual, as well as strategies to effectively provide supervision and management to ensure a productive workplace.
Licensed Clinical Social Worker Shana Palmieri will help you walk the tenuous line between providing accommodations and support for a mental health condition and holding employees accountable for their work performance.
Attendees will leave this webinar with strategies to:
- Improve performance and success for employees with mental health conditions.
- Effectively accommodate employees with behavioral health conditions.
- Set appropriate boundaries and expectations in the workplace.
This class focuses on the practical and clinical side of managing employees with behavioral health conditions, rather than the legal side. You won’t want to miss it.
Price
Early Bird Tuition: $275 per webinar per site (registration submitted by April 8)
Standard Tuition: $305 per webinar per site (registration submitted April 9 or later)
Register for both webinars by April 8 and pay only $530.
Add a teleworker for $35 per webinar, in addition to a main site registration, if space permits.
Instructor
Course Description
1.5
The EEO process can be challenging for even the most experienced practitioners. If only there was someone with close to 35 years of experience as an EEOC administrative judge who has seen numerous agency mistakes who was willing to take the time to explain what you can do to avoid them.
Now there is. Meet Dwight Lewis, who recently retired as chief administrative judge in the Dallas region – a post he held since 1990. Mr. Lewis will guide you through the Dos and Don’ts of the EEO process from effectively framing an EEO complaint to avoiding sanctions.
Join FELTG for this 90-minute webinar, where Mr. Lewis will discuss appropriate etiquette when interacting with a judge. He’ll also help you learn how to:
- Determine which complaints should be investigated, and which should be dismissed.
- Avoid retaliation claims.
- Get past your resistance to settle.
The webinar will also include time for Q&A on these topics. Don’t miss this important opportunity to learn from the highly respected former Chief AJ. Register now.
Price
Early Bird Tuition: $275 per site (registration submitted by May 6) Standard Tuition: $305 per site (registration submitted May 7 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $35 each, on a space-available basis.
Instructors
Course Description
Within-grade Increases (WIGIs), besides having an acronym that’s fun to say, have often been dubbed “those automatic increases that Federal employees always receive.” In 2011, OPM instructed agencies to make sure that WIGIs were properly granted, and withheld when warranted. If you are looking for detailed information on WIGIs from the fine points of eligibility to the steps to deny one, or how to answer the appeal, join FELTG’s Barbara Haga for this 90-minute webinar. Ms. Haga will give you a primer on this seemingly simple subject complete with detailed references to relevant MSPB decisions.
Attendees will learn about:
- Eligibility for WIGIs
- When a WIGI decision may be delayed
- Properly handling the notice of an acceptable level of competence determination and the reconsideration decision
- Successfully defending the appeal
You’ll have the opportunity to ask your questions – and get answers – in real time. Register your site today and get ready to assist supervisors and managers at your agency properly act on within-grade increase determinations.
Price
Early Bird Tuition: $275 per site (registration submitted by May 20)
Standard Tuition: $305 per site (registration submitted May 21 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $35 each, on a space-available basis.
Instructor
Course Description
Your agency’s Office of Inspector General employs investigators, auditors, evaluators, and, sometimes, armed special agents. Its mission is to prevent and detect waste, fraud, and abuse, and promote economy, effectiveness, and efficiency of Agency operations, and it does that by investigating potential violations of law or misconduct and auditing or evaluating the agency’s operations and systems.
If it sounds like your OIG’s mission may overlap or interconnect with your office’s mission, you’re right. So it’s important that you not only have a clear picture of what the OIG does, but also how to work with them. Jim Protin, whose 30-year federal career included several positions in the National Security Agency’s Office of Inspector General, will explain both.
In this 90-minute webinar, Mr. Protin will review how the IG’s statutory authority was created, how it has developed, and what it means to you that the OIG is “independent.”
Attendees will learn:
- The various types, purposes, and qualifications of Inspector Generals.
- The agency information that the OIG has access to, and any limitations it has on that information.
- What triggers responsibility for you to notify the OIG of something.
- How the OIG reports its findings.
- The situations in which the OIG will work directly interact with the agency.
Price
Early Bird Tuition: $275 per site (payment required by May 27)
Standard Tuition: $305 per site (for payments made May 28 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $35 each, if space is available.
Instructors
Course Description
Reprisal is a term that gets used a lot, but did you know that it has different definitions in different cases? If you join FELTG President Deborah Hopkins during this 90-minute webinar to find out exactly where the differences lie, you just might save your agency from losing a reprisal case.
During this interactive discussion, Ms. Hopkins will explain the legal background on the various forms of reprisal and why it’s such an important area of focus in federal employee statutory protection. From there, she will talk about:
- Whistleblower reprisal: the standards, burden of proof, and actions that constitute reprisal
- The many forms of EEO reprisal and why it’s the most common category in discrimination findings
- Reprisal for union activity, including what type of activity falls outside the bounds of coverage
- What is legal and not legal when considering someone’s veteran status in making employment-related decisions
- The distinction between reprisal and retaliation
This is an event you won’t want to miss, whether you’re an attorney, LER specialist, EEO specialist, union official or supervisor. We hope you’ll join us.
Price
Early Bird Tuition: $275 per site (registration submitted by June 3)
Standard Tuition: $305 per site (registration submitted June 4 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $35 each, on a space-available basis.
Instructor
Course Description
We are still getting used to this “new” FLRA. With Chair Colleen Duffy Kiko joining James Abbott and Ernest DuBester, and with the the nomination of Catherine Bird to be General Counsel, the FLRA will soon be at full strength. What will the next year bring for this new group?
Joe Schimansky, former Executive Director of the Federal Service Impasses Panel, will take a look at what’e been happening, and what’s likely to happen in the next few months at the FLRA. He’ll take a look at the most important new decisions to demonstrate how the world of federal labor relations is changing daily, and will provide an explanation of where everything stands with game-changing executive orders issued a year ago by President Trump.
In addition, attendees will learn about the FLRA’s most recent perspectives on:
- Attorneys fees
- The distinction between working conditions and conditions of employment
- Representation cases
- Excessive interference test
- And much more
If you are involved in federal sector labor relations, this is a topic you can’t afford to miss.
Price
Early Bird Tuition: $225 per site (payment required by June 7)
Standard Tuition: $255 per site (for payments made June 8 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $35 each, if space is available.
Instructor
Course Description
1.5
In 2017, an MSPB survey revealed that more than 20 percent of female federal employees were sexually harassed in the workplace between 2014 and 2016. There has been a lot of talk about the need for training on this important topic. But now it’s time for action.
Let FELTG help you take that action. Join us for the 90-minute webinar Employee Sexual Misconduct: Discipline Early to Make Your Agency a Safer Place. FELTG President Deborah Hopkins, attorney at law, will show you how to address sexual harassment in the federal government as MISCONDUCT — not just as an EEO issue.
We’ll discuss the foundational law and how sexual harassment cases come to be, but our emphasis will be on STOPPING it from happening by addressing the misconduct before it becomes a problem. Case examples will show you the best ways to handle inappropriate sexual conduct from employees and supervisors – and things to avoid. We hope you’ll be able to attend this important discussion.
Price
Early Bird Tuition: $275 per site (payment required by June 17)
Standard Tuition: $305 per site (for payments made June 18 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $35 each, if space is available.
Instructor
Course Description
If you’ve attended a FELTG training or read our newsletters, you know how important we believe word selection is when framing charges of employee misconduct. FELTG President Deborah Hopkins, attorney at law, will conduct a 90-minute webinar discussing best practices for drafting disciplinary documents that will withstand even the harshest scrutiny by the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) or an arbitrator.
After the proper statutory foundation is laid, this program will cover:
- The four mandatory rules of charging
- The three styles of charging
- Charge specifications and label elements
- Why less is more in proposal and decision letters
- Specific words to use – and avoid – in drafting charging documents
Whether you’re new to drafting disciplinary documents, or you’ve been doing it for years, your work will be more efficient, professional, and defensible if you participate in this program. Register your site today!
Price
Early Bird Tuition: $275 per site (payment required by July 1)
Standard Tuition: $305 per site (for payments made July 2 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $35 each, if space is available.
Instructor
Deborah Hopkins, Joe Schimansky
Course Description
The drama continues.
President Trump issued three Executive Orders last year aimed at curtailing union activity and increasing supervisors’ ability to hold employees accountable for misconduct and shoddy performance. Three months later, several provisions of those Executive Orders were set aside as illegal, per a D.C. District Court judge decision.
And now, almost a year since the District Court decision, its ruling has been overturned by an Appeals Court. The Executive Orders are no longer enjoined.
If you think this all seems confusing, you’re not alone. As always, you can count on FELTG to help you through these confusing times. Join FELTG President and Attorney at Law Deborah Hopkins and Joseph Schimansky, former Executive Director of the Federal Service Impasses Panel (FSIP), on July 31 for a 60-minute discussion about the most important takeaways from this decision. They will explain the key provisions of the Executive Orders, and spell out exactly your agencies can, cannot, and should do under these EOs.
You’ll leave this important webinar with answers to the the 6 Ws:
- Who is impacted by the latest decision?
- What did the District and Appeals Courts actually decide?
- Why did the courts make those decisions?
- Where will the next challenge to the Executive Orders take place?
- When will this all finally be resolved?
- What does this mean for us today?
You can’t afford to miss this session. Register your site now.
Price
- $225 per site through July 26, 2019.
- $255 per site July 27, 2019 and later.
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $35 each, on a space-available basis.