February 2021 Federal Employment Law Training Group Newsletter
The Pendulum is On the Move
We’re exactly three weeks into a new administration, and to say that things have changed is an understatement. Regardless of where you fall on the political ideology spectrum, or how you feel about executive actions, the whiplash is real.
This edition of the newsletter highlights some of the significant changes that are occurring in the Federal government, as a result of a new president whose philosophy on just about everything, is diametrically opposed to the previous president’s. There is always a bit of shock when a new President takes over, more so when the governing political party changes. The shock seems more pronounced this time around. Perhaps there is more change than usual, or perhaps the memories of previous transitions have faded.
Regardless, it’s February and the new administration is charging ahead. Things are hopping at FELTG, especially as we incorporate the Biden Executive Orders into our training programs. See elsewhere in this newsletter for some of the upcoming highlights. Meanwhile, you’ll find articles on whether saying “All Lives Matter” creates a hostile work environment, what led to an EEO Director’s removal, and much more.
Take care,
Deborah J. Hopkins, FELTG President
Does Saying ‘All Lives Matter’ Create a Hostile Work Environment?
By Deborah Hopkins, February 10, 2021 Last summer, at the height of the Black Lives Matters protests, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) issued guidance on whether Federal employees were permitted to display Black Lives Matter paraphernalia in the workplace....
Director of EE Oh No! When HR Practitioners Fail to Perform
By Barbara Haga, February 10, 2021 A case caught my eye earlier this week. I was reading through another newsletter focused on the Federal workplace and saw this headline: Air Force EEO Director Removed Following Investigation. Of course, I had to read that article....
Focused on Mission and the American People: An Effective Federal Workforce
By Ann Boehm, February 10, 2021 Let’s be honest. The past administration did not hold any particular fondness for Federal employees. We can start with the whole “Drain the Swamp” thing. Being referred to as swamp dwellers does not do much for employee morale. The...
Don’t Abuse the Abuse of Process Dismissal
By Meghan Droste, February 10, 2021 Happy February, FELTG readers! Although a certain rodent recently predicted six more weeks of winter, I know I have already turned my thoughts to spring and the warm weather it will hopefully bring. I don’t need a groundhog to tell...
As Forecast, Flurry of Executive Orders Accumulate for Federal Workplace
By Michael Rhoads, February 10, 2021 Winter has made its presence known this year. Here in the Northeast, my friends and family have had the pleasure of receiving more snow in one storm than we have in the past two years combined. President Biden has also made his...
Pop Goes the Mountweazel: Find the Roadblocks to Swift, Effective Action
By Dan Gephart, February 10, 2021 Mountweazel. I just love this word. I discovered it last week as I was reading Liar’s Dictionary, a new novel by Eley Williams. Neither a steep scalable landmass nor a rat-sized mammal, a mountweazel is a bogus entry inserted into a...
Tips from the Other Side: Understanding the Religious Accommodation Process
By Meghan Droste, February 10, 2021 This month, we continue our look at religious accommodations. As I mentioned last month, while there are some similarities with accommodating disabilities, there are ways in which responding to a request for religious accommodations...
Is Whistleblowing Different Under a Biden Administration?
By Deborah Hopkins, February 10, 2021 We have a new President in the White House, there’s something you may not have realized: He sees things differently than the last guy who occupied 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. At FELTG we try not to wade into the merits of politics;...