On the Road Again

Many of you have been asking when FELTG plans to return to the physical classroom, and today I finally have an answer for you. Our plan is to begin hosting open enrollment classes in person (with safety protocols) starting with Workplace Investigations Week in Denver August 2-6, followed by Absence, Leave Abuse & Medical Issues Week in Washington, DC August 9-13, and Federal Workplace Challenges: Managing Performance, Conduct, Reasonable Accommodation, and Behavioral Health Issues in Hawaii August 25-27. We also have events planned for September; check out the complete list of open enrollment classes here. And register soon, because we’re limiting class sizes amid COVID restrictions.

More good news: Most of our instructors have been vaccinated, or are in the process of doing so, and are ready to travel to provide onsite training to your agencies. And for those of you still not ready or able to get back out there on the road, we’ve got plenty of virtual training on the upcoming schedule (including classes on performance feedback, nondiscriminatory hiring, and EEOC-ordered compliance training).

In this month’s newsletter, we fondly remember the life and memory of a FELTG founder who left this world too soon, discuss new trainings on the White House’s priorities for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA), explain what to do with poorly trained “service animals,” the return of OPM, religious accommodation requests, and much more.

Take care,

Deborah J. Hopkins, FELTG President

Are You a Microaggressor?

With deep sadness, we note the recent death of Ernie Hadley. Ernie was a founder and the first President of FELTG, and was a beloved instructor. He se...

The Golden Doodle Who Wouldn’t Nuzzle: A Service Dog, or Not?

While preparing the materials for an upcoming training session Ricky Rowe and I are presenting at FELTG’s annual Emerging Issues in Federal Employme...

The Good News: OPM is Back (I Think)!

A mere two years ago, a move was afoot to abolish the Office of Personnel Management. You know, OPM – the entity created by the Civil Service Reform...

Being a Member of Protected Class Is Not a Free Pass to Harass Others

It’s hard to believe it’s been more than a year since I’ve been able to teach a class in person. I’m so grateful that we live in a time when t...

What Is Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility (DEIA)?

Biden administration has set a striking tone when it comes to Diversity and Inclusion. OPM has always taken a lead role in defining Diversity and Incl...

Director of EE Oh No: When HR Practitioners Fail to Perform Part III

This third column will focus on how discipline might fit with the situation described first in the February column....

Opening Up the Damns About Supervisor Rules and Return to Physical Workplace

I was moderating one of the recent webinars in our Supervisory Webinar Series (there are still a lot of great sessions left and you can still register...

Tips From the Other Side: Employee Responsibility and Religious Accommodation Requests

Welcome to the latest installment of our discussion of religious accommodations. So far, we have looked at various obligations agencies have when proc...

New ARPA Presumption Expands Federal Workers’ Comp Coverage

The one constant that has emerged in the COVID-19 era is that things will change, and such has been the case with Federal workers’ compensation cove...

The Performance Equation Adds Up To Better-Prepared Supervisors

Most organizations do a great job developing strategy and working with divisions and departments to cascade goals to employees. Yet, the vast majority...