May 2024 Federal Employment Law Training Group Newsletter
Three Reasons to Choose FELTG for Training
Happy May, FELTG readers. As we launch this month’s newsletter, I wanted to share three things you should know about FELTG as you make your summer training plans:
- Training isn’t just what we do, it’s all we do. FELTG classes are not a tangential offering as part of a larger company; our sole focus is making our classes the best they can be for you, our attendees.
- Our instructors are amazing. Really and truly, they balance expert knowledge with humor and engagement, and you won’t be disappointed – whether you attend virtually or in person.
- Because FELTG is an SBA-certified Woman Owned Small Business, you can help your agency meet its small business contracting goals while learning about the most important aspects of Federal employment law and broader workplace issues.
In this month’s newsletter, we discuss a precedential MSPB decision involving excessive absence removals, new EEOC guidance on harassment, plus accommodating emotional support animals, dealing with workplace injuries, and getting started on misconduct investigations.
Take care,
Deborah J. Hopkins, FELTG President
A MAJOR New Requirement in Excessive Absence Cases
By Deborah J. Hopkins, May 13, 2024 We haven’t had many precedential MSPB cases this year, but the eighth one was BIG, involving a new requirement for removals under a charge of excessive absence. Excessive absence removals can be a little weedy, but if you ever...
The Good News: EEOC Issues Superb Guidance on Harassment
By Ann Boehm, May 13, 2024 On April 29, the EEOC issued “Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace.” Trust me. You want to read this guidance. I’m always happy to praise Federal agencies when they do something well – something that really helps. This...
Ask FELTG: How Do I Handle Accommodation Requests for Emotional Support Animals?
The following question recently came into Ask FELTG: If an employee requests an emotional support animal as a reasonable accommodation, do we treat that the same as a request for a service animal? And our answer: Thanks for the question. Any request for a reasonable...
ECAB Ruling: Specialist Fell in Performance of Duty on ‘Premises’
By Frank Ferreri, May 13, 2024 The Employees' Compensation Appeals Board could have helped me and, more importantly, FELTG newsletter readers if it had published a recent decision ahead of the publication of the April issue’s "going & coming" rule story. Not to...
The Why and How of Starting Misconduct Investigations
By Dan Gephart, May 13, 2024 There’s a buzz at your agency about potential misconduct taking place. It’s been suggested you perform an administrative investigation. This is somewhat new to you, and you have questions, mostly: What’s the goal of the investigation? How...