General Information About Being a Federal Employee
- Affirmative Action
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
- Resolving Conflict
- Employment Discrimination
- Sexual Harassment
- Disruptive and Threatening Conduct in the Workplace
- Dealing with Difficult People
- Effective Communication
- Differences Between Leader and Supervisor Positions
- Government Resources: Opportunities and Responsibilities
- Joining a Team
- On the Job Injuries
- Preparing for Performance Reviews
- Privacy Act and FOIA: What Each Act Says
- Taking Charge of Your Own Training And Development
Overview
"Affirmative action" refers to steps an agency takes to ensure equal opportunity in hiring, promotion, training, recognition, and all other aspects of employment; to minority group members, women, and disabled individuals. President Kennedy first used the term to refer to measures designed to achieve non-discrimination. Previously, there had been an array of laws and socially accepted practices that, in effect, prevented certain populations from enjoying the opportunities and privileges that come with good jobs. Affirmative action is one tool used to address inequality in employment, when many tools are necessary.
It is important to understand what affirmative action isn't. It is not a quota system, meaning; agencies are not required by law to fill a certain number of jobs with minority, female or disabled individuals.
Examples of some of the elements that federal agencies have established to achieve. Affirmative Action are:
- Create and maintain a work environment in which diversity and cooperation are important common goals for all employees.
- Develop affirmative action plans, procedures, and regulations needed to carry out the various components of an effective recruitment program that reaches all segments of society.
- Appraise its personnel operations at regular intervals to:
- assure conformity with the policy,
- assure that programs are established and implemented in accordance with the various laws and regulations related to equal employment opportunity
- review agency programs for barriers to equal opportunity in either hiring or career a advancement
- plan steps to overcome any identified barriers.
- Designate a Director of Equal Employment Opportunity and permanently post his/her name and contact information.
- Make the affirmative action plan readily available to employees.
- Develop an effective recruitment strategy for hiring and providing career development opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) refers to any procedure used to resolve a controversy, generally with the assistance of a neutral third party. Such techniques include, but are not limited to, mediation, facilitation, arbitration, fact-finding and mini-trials. Traditional litigation is expensive, time-consuming and extremely stressful to the individuals involved. ADR can overcome most of these negatives by offering the possibility of fast, early settlement, as well as a forum for more flexible, creative solutions to disagreements.
When the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) revised its regulations regarding federal employee complaints of discrimination, federal agencies where mandated to have ADR programs available for employees to use at both the pre-complaint and formal complaint stages. Although an agency is not required to offer ADR in all cases, the EEOC wants ADR as an option, to encourage early settlement of employee complaints
An individual's approach to conflict resolution falls somewhere on a continuum between avoiding an issue all together to forcing your desired outcome on another by whatever means necessary. One's preferred approach is often a learned behavior, based on observations of how conflict was managed (or mismanaged) in the family in which you grew up. Truth is, there are many ways to resolve conflict. The key to success is the ability to clearly define both the issues and desired outcomes, then respond with the approach best suited for the circumstances. For example:
- If the outcome is not very important to you, but is very important to the other party, the best approach may be to accommodate the other person's wishes. Then put the goodwill you generated in the bank, to use another day.
- If the outcome is important to both parties, but time is very limited, a quick compromise may be the best approach.
- If the outcome is very important to both parties, and time allows, collaborating in finding a mutually satisfying solution, where the primary interests of both parties are met, will probably be worth the effort.
As suggested above, some methods of resolving conflict require a greater investment of time and energy, and are often used only when the stakes are high. Other times, the conflict is not worth the time it takes to discuss it, and other methods are in order. The challenge for some people is to overcome a natural tendency to always lean towards one particular style, and over using it to their own disadvantage. For example, if you tend to avoidlict, ask yourself what you are losing in the process. The next time you are faced with a conflict, define what you want to gain, and try a different approach. Conversely, if you always get your way, but your colleagues distrust and despise you, consider whether your luck with your competitive style will soon run out.
Conflict Resolution Strategies
There are many conflict resolution models. Here's one we prefer. It's short, simple to remember, and easy to share with others. With the exception of collaboration, there is nothing you need to "learn" to do to use each method. If you think carefully about the factors involved in the conflict (who the players are, what's at stake, how important this issues is in relation to other possible issues), the proper method to use will be obvious.
Method | What it means | When to use it | Example |
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Avoidance | Not addressing the issue at all. Ignoring it. Perhaps pretending there is no conflict. Other party gets the outcome they sought. |
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A coworker who is retiring in two months wants you to work extra hours to help him re-arrange an adequate and very complex work process as his "legacy." |
Accommodation | Agreeing to the outcome proposed by the opposing party. |
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Giving in on a minor issue, because you need the other party's cooperation in a major issue. |
Compromise | Each party gets some of what they want, and sacrifices some of what they want, in order to reach a quick solution. |
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You want to hold a meeting from 9-10, several co-workers want to hold the meeting from 10-11. You hold the next one from 9:30-10:30 until you all can examine the pros and cons of each time. |
Collaboration | Parties work together to express their primary interests and come up with a creative solution where most primary interests are met. |
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Your have a long-standing conflict with another coworker over a workflow issue. Resolving it would improve customer service and morale within the department. |
Competition | One party pursues their concerns at the expense of the other. One uses whatever power one has to win. |
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You have spent significant effort trying to collaborate with a co-worker regarding a problem that is important to him. You need the issue resolved so the work can proceed. You prepare a strong case for your solution and take it to the boss. |
Unlawful employment discrimination refers primarily to putting someone at an unfair disadvantage in an employment or workplace situation; based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability. Executive orders issued in 1998 and 2000 also forbid discrimination of federal employees based on sexual orientation or "status as a parent". Discrimination based on political or marital status are also no-nos in the federal government.
It is illegal to discriminate in any aspect of employment, including:
- Hiring and firing
- Compensation, assignment, or classification of employees
- Transfer, promotion, layoff, or recall
- Job advertisements
- Recruitment
- Testing
- Use of company facilities
- Training and apprenticeship programs
- Fringe benefits
- Pay, retirement plans, and disability leave or
- Other terms and conditions of employment
Other discriminatory practices specifically forbidden under the law include:
- Harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability
- Employment decisions based on stereotypes or assumptions about the abilities, etc., of individuals of a certain race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age; or with a certain disability
- Denying employment opportunities based on marriage to or association with an individual of a particular race, religion, national origin or with a certain disability.
- Discrimination because of participation in activities in schools or places of worship associated with a particular racial, ethnic or religious group.
Interpretations of EEO laws and regulations require the courts and regulatory agencies to consider the following questions when determining if illegal discrimination has occurred:
- Was there disparate treatment? (Treating some individuals less favorably than other "similarly situated" individuals because of race, color religion, sex, age, etc.). Sexual harassment that creates a hostile environment for a particular employee is an example of disparate treatment.
- Was any group/class of people adversely impacted? (When an employment policy or practice negatively impacts a particular class of employee or applicant). The practice of promoting only employees of a certain race or sex would adversely impact those who aren't of that class.
- Did the agency fail to provide a reasonable accommodation? (An accommodation that allows a qualified person with a disability to perform the essential functions of a job, apply for a job, or enjoy the privileges of employment; without causing the employer undue hardship). If an agency knew an employee required leave for weekly medical treatments, and failed to accommodate that need, even though it did not create a hardship for the agency, a case of discrimination may be established.
- Was there any reprisal or retaliation? For example, if an employee had filed a discrimination charge, and suddenly a promotion for which she was a shoe-in, the timeframe infers reprisal. Denial of training opportunities or "dead end" assignments can also suggest reprisal.
Sexual Harassment is unwelcome behavior,usually of a sexual nature. Sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and certain comments, physical conduct or visual displays may all be interpreted as sexual harassment, if they are unwelcome, severe and/or pervasive in the eyes of the recipient. Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination and is against the law.
Sexual harassment can take the form of "quid pro quo" (meaning "this for that") or can manifest itself as a hostile work environment. Quid pro quo occurs when one employee who has some power over another employee demands a sexual favor (a date, a kiss, or more) in exchange for a job, promotion, plum assignment, etc. When submission to or rejection of such an offer is used as the basis of an employment decision, it's harassment. A hostile environment exists when ongoing behavior creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work area. Examples include screen savers featuring nude figures, vulgar language, crude jokes, unnecessary touching, etc.
Because the interpretation of "offensive" is subjective, over time the courts have provided some guidelines in determining whether or not a particular behavior is likely to be interpreted as sexual harassment. Two guidelines are noteworthy:
- It matters much more how the recipient perceived a behavior, then how the person who did it intended it. In other words, regardless of whether someone meant to harass, or was "just kidding" matters little.
- If a reasonable person would find the behavior in question offensive, it shouldn't be occurring in the workplace.
If you feel you have been/are being sexually harassed, tell the harasser calmly but directly that the behavior is unwelcome and you want it to stop. If it does not, you have a responsibility to let someone in the organization know who can do something about it. That means besides telling your friend, you need to also tell your supervisor, an HR Specialist, or similar person.
Federal agencies have "zero tolerance " policies with regard to workplace violence. Actual violent acts (homicide, assault, and robbery) are the most dramatic examples of a larger class of disruptive behavior that includes threats, intimidation, and bizarre or irrational behavior/remarks. Any behavior along this continuum may fall under within the definition of "violence." All such behavior requires prompt attention. Even disruptive or threatening acts/comments should be quickly reported to management for two reasons:
- Disruptive behavior left unchecked fosters a climate of fear and anxiety
- Threatening remarks very frequently precede acts of workplace homicide by weeks and months, but are often ignored
Employees often hesitate to report such behavior or comments because they believe the employee in question "wasn't serious" or "was just blowing off steam." While that may be true, it may also be one in a series of escalating incidents. In other cases, employee's don't want to "rat" on a co-worker, for fear the co-worker will retaliate. Employees need to know that such retaliation is also against the rules, and anyone disciplined for disruptive or threatening behavior would be warned not to try to retaliate against anyone. However, if someone were still fearful, it would be better to report such incidents anonymously then not at all.
Violent incidents of any sort between coworkers are relatively rare. The vast majority of violent incidents occur between an employee and a member of the public. If your job requires you to interact with the public in dangerous or stressful situations, talk to your supervisor about special training available on de-escalating angry individuals and/or protecting yourself.
Any concerns regarding possible workplace violence should be reported to one's supervisor, a member of management or the EAP.
Most "strategies" for dealing with difficult co-workers involve categorizing someone; as a "hot-head", "complainer, "know-it-all" etc., then following a different approach for handling each personality type. It can be a lot to remember. A simpler approach involves understanding, on a very basic level, why people generally become difficult, and learning a few techniques to use to de-escalate the difficult behavior, regardless of its "type." The goal always is to keep the end in mind. Your objective is not to change the person, to understand the root cause of their bad behavior, or teach them how to be more pleasant. Your goal is to get what you need from that person (be it information, approval, cooperation, etc.), as quickly and easily as possible, then move on.
People become difficult when they feel like they are losing control--of an outcome, of their future, of their health, of their job security, it could be anything. People become difficult when they can "justify" their bad behavior. For example, if you are rude to me, I may respond very rudely, because I feel your behavior justifies an unkind response.
When people become difficult, for whatever reason, you will have a better chance at getting what you want by responding in any number of ways that will serve to "de-escalate" their behavior. That means if the difficult person is going on a complaining rant, you want to discourage that from continuing. If she is getting angrier, you want to reverse it. If he is stalling, you want to encourage some forward movement.
In a nutshell, here's what will help.
- Don't take difficult behavior personally. This will allow you to respond with logic, rather then emotion.
- Focus on the behavior, not the person. Think of the behavior as a puzzle which must be solved in order to attain your goal.
- Know that the person you are responding to will at times be irrational and unfair. That's not something you need to change. Just accept it as a fact and focus on your objective.
- Reflect. Reframe. Resolve. Let the other person know you hear and understand her concern, frustration, beef, gripe, sob story, etc. Restate conflicts as mutual problems to be jointly solved. Propose a response or solution and invite her opinion.
Communicating effectively involves a full understanding of processes that occur when communications are taking place--both within our own minds, and within the minds of the person receiving our communications and/or visa/versa. The communication process takes many avenues besides verbal and written, such as expressions within the tone in your voice, body language, eye contact, and the written word also has tones and expressions based on the words chooses to convey your thoughts. Your appreciation and understanding of these factors may assist to ensure that there is a true exchange of thoughts, ideas, instructions, etc., each time you communicate with others.
Communicating effectively is often one of the most important skills a person needs to keep refining. There is often intense competition for the time and understanding of each person who is going to receive anything that you send out, so making effective use of the written word to grab the reader's attention and convey ideas clearly and concisely is a vital skill for the individual who wants to "be heard"--and that is everyone.
Typically, a supervisor is responsible for planning and scheduling work operations, administering supervisory personnel functions, evaluating work performance, and taking necessary action to insure that the work of subordinate employees meets standards of quantity and quality.
A work or team leader facilitates team processes by working collaboratively with the team to ensure that they complete their tasks efficiently and effectively. A team leader assists teams by attaining good working relationships and by coordinating with the manager and others on priorities and goals, team needs, and team achievements. (This definition taken from "Team Leadership in the New Workplace" by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management Office of Human Resources, September 1994).
For example, only a supervisor can take certain actions such as hiring or promoting someone, disciplining an employee, or responding to a grievance. However, team leaders can "recommend" or "suggest" that the supervisor take an action (such as responding to a complaint, rating performance at a certain level, promoting, reassigning, awarding or training team members).
Supervisors regularly exercise independent judgment in planning, assigning and accepting both short term and long term work; finding ways to improve production; defining critical objectives, forecasting future conditions and related opportunities for the work unit, etc. In short, the supervisor is focused on defining a plan for how the work unit can best serve the agency, and is then responsible that it does just that. The team leader then supports the accomplishment of that plan by monitoring more of the day-to-day activities of the workgroup. The team leader may be involved in assigning, accepting, rejecting, monitoring and improving the quantity and quality of the work. The leader may coach the entire team in problem-solving methods and assist team members in developing the skills or techniques needed to complete individual tasks.
Federal employees have access to many government resources (i.e., office furnishings, technology, equipment, supplies, money, credit cards, information, etc.) to use in the course of their job that benefits the agency and the American public. You can sum up the entire issue regarding working with government property in one sentence: Employees have opportunities to work with some of the most current resources available to accomplish the job, but employees may not use Government resources for personal gain.
Responsibilities regarding the misuse of government resources issues are covered either by law, regulation, or the code of ethical conduct. In many agencies, you may attend an ethics briefing soon after you are hired. As an employee if you have questions discuss with your supervisor, check the agency polices and procedures handbook.
Found yourself suddenly assigned to a team? Wondering what that might mean with regard to your role, performance expectations or how your work gets evaluated? All good questions! The definition of a "team" can vary greatly, as does how teams operate, their purpose, even how long they stay together. Provided here is basic information on what teams are and the qualities of effective teams, as well as guidance on how to thrive as a new member of a team.
People don't become a team because someone tells them they are. They must be striving together to attain something. Here's one definition of a team-a small group of people committed to accomplishing a common goal. Teams often operate best if they have a shared set of values. The following list are some attributes of highly successful teams:
- We are customer focused. Meaning, we are driven to do things that make our service more valuable to the customer, whether internal or external.
- We trust each other's intentions. Meaning we believe that everyone else on the team is working together to find the best possible solution to each problem or conflict encountered.
- We are truthful in our communications. Meaning we are open and honest with one another.
- We are interdependent. Meaning we rely on one another to get the whole job done.
- We are all accountable. Meaning we each take responsibility for the results of what we do and what the department does.
- We support one another. Meaning we are committed to helping and encouraging one another to grow professionally.
- We respect our diversity. Meaning we respect other's on the team who have values and points of view that are different from our own.
- We have a common purpose. Meaning we are all working towards attaining similar outcomes.
- We have a shared vision. Meaning we all have a common understanding of what we are trying to accomplish as we move into the future.
- We are always playing to win. Meaning we are trying to get as far as we can get each day by putting everything we can into our work.
"Team building" is not about spending a day out in the woods, trying to solve various contrived "survival" scenarios. Team building simply refers to the efforts teams make to improve functioning. For example, if there is confusion about the outcomes a team is striving for, inviting a facilitator in to guide a discussion about goal setting might well be a team building activity. Without a "common purpose" it is difficult to work together, and more difficult to succeed.
While there is a great deal you can intuit or "pick up" about how you're supposed to behave as a member of a team, just by close observation, it is often best to check out your assumptions with open, direct discussion. If you're uncertain about performance expectations, ask. Inquire as to whether a "team charter" has been created (as well as whether or not it is followed, and why). Ask your supervisor or team leader how individual performance as well as team success is evaluated.
Remember too, for many people, being part of a team can at first feel uncomfortable. Americans value rugged individualism and personal success. Tying one's professional future to the performance of a team; having one's value assessed according to how one functions as a team member as opposed to an independent employee, can seem like a risky proposition. Some would argue that only with great risk comes the opportunity for great success, and great rewards. There's no denying very successful teams work hard at working well together. If you're not interested in that kind of labor, working in a team environment may not be a good fit for you. However, if you thrive on the support of others, if you problem-solve best by bouncing ideas off someone else, if your creativity is fueled by open debate and dialogue, a team environment might suit you well.
The Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) provides compensation benefits to civilian employees of the federal government for disability due to personal injury or disease sustained while in the performance of duty, regardless of fault. The Department of Labor, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) administers the FECA. The FECA also provides for the payment of benefits to dependents if an employee dies due to a work-related injury or disease.
Performance rating meetings can cause even the most self-confident employee to have a moment of self-doubt. What if the boss doesn't remember the excellent work you did on a project that wrapped up eleven months ago? What if the minor mistake you made last week suddenly looms large in his mind? Do yourself a favor (and your boss one as well) by preparing a little advance material to help him jog his memory.
When you know the current performance period is coming to an end:
- Review your position description, performance plan/work requirements, and last year's (or your most recent) performance rating.
- Assemble a brief document list of your accomplishments in relation to the goals you and your supervisor had set.
- Quantify your accomplishments. Make them specific to your performance standards. Site examples of how you achieved your set goals.
- List actions or ideas you proposed that resulted in process improvements, major advancement of a project, or any other sort of significant
- Note contributions that were beyond your defined duties
- List any goals that were not accomplished and note why. Indicate whether these goals will/should be carried over into the new year
- Offer the above document to your supervisor to help him review your performance
- Document for yourself your career goals over the next few years, and how they translate you're your professional goals and support the organizational goals for the upcoming year.
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides access to all federal agency records (or portions thereof) except those, which are protected by law. Some samples of exceptions include:
- classified national defense and foreign relations information;
- internal agency personnel rules and practices;
- material prohibited from disclosure by another law;
- trade secrets and other confidential business information;
- certain interagency or intra-agency communications;
- personnel, medical and other files involving personal privacy;
The Privacy Act, a closely related law, establishes certain controls over how the executive branch agencies of the federal government collect, use, maintain and disseminate personal information.
Under the Privacy Act, you may only request information that pertains to you and is maintained by agencies in the executive branch of the federal government. Further, it applies only to those records that are in a "system of records", which means they are retrieved by an individual's name, social security number, or some other personal identifier.
Both the FOIA and the Privacy Act request can be used to obtain access to information. The FOIA covers all records under the custody and control of federal executive branch agencies. The Privacy Act pertains only to records the federal government keeps on individual citizens and lawfully admitted resident aliens. There are simple but specific procedures to follow to gather information under either Act. For more information, check out the FOIA or Privacy Act web pages of the agency from which you seek information.
Successful Project Management
Well-designed projects proceed through four phases: definition, planning, implementation and finalization. Good advance planning, excellent communications, the ability to respond to the inevitable errors, and changes in process are all critical elements of good project management.
Phase I: Defining the Project
Consider assembling a group (sometimes called an "advance preparation team"), to help you evaluate the costs and benefits of a potential project by defining the:
- Specific goals and objectives. What is the project supposed to achieve? What will have been added or improved once the project has been completed?
- Stakeholders. Who is going to be affected by the outcome of the project? What will they gain?
- Scope. How large is the project's objective?
- Limiting factors. What are the parameters, constraints and risk factors?
- Resource requirements. What resources would be needed in terms of time, money, technology, equipment, facilities, and material and supplies?
- Feasibility. Is the project feasible? Can it be completed successfully?
Phase II: Planning
Some project managers prefer to continue working only with a smaller core or "drive" team during this stage, provided they have the expertise to define exactly what needs to be done, and how long each step will take. If they don't, it is possible to miss information that will affect your time line, budget, or ability to deliver.
Define the major segments of the project, when a "section" of the project must be completed (i.e. a milestone), and the individual activities that support each milestone. Order the activities (in project management lingo, the first activity is called a "predecessor/precursor" activity, and the second a "successor" activity), and estimate the time each will take. In doing so, you will be able to define which activities are dependent upon the completion of others. You'll also be able to identify some tasks that can be completed independent of others. Writing each segment, milestone and activity on a separate "Post it" note and moving them about until you've come up with a workable plan is an affordable, flexible method of project planning.
Diagramming, or charting your milestones and related activities against a timeline can create a great map for all personnel involved in the project. By visually representing the dependencies between the various activities involved, you will quickly be able to identify areas where a slippage in schedule will have a strong impact on other segments of the project's implementation. You can also assign activities to people.
Phase III: Implementation
There are a number of hazards that can derail even the best-planned project. As the manager, you'll need to tell (tell, and re-tell) project members all they need to know to get the work done, have a strategy for communicating progress, and be able to quickly address "showstoppers". Here are some helpful ideas:
Use a "kick off" meeting to orient everyone to the project goals and plan, introduce team members, and share information so everyone starts out on the same page.
Have a two-tiered plan for monitoring and communicating progress. At the first level, everyone involved in the project, including both employees and outside vendors, will need to have access to the level of information they'll need to effectively perform their activities. At the second level, your project team will need to keep you informed about the details of their progress. You can use this information to summarize and evaluate progress in your own reports to and communications with management and other stakeholders.
Recognize and respond quickly to problems. No matter how passionately you believe in a project, or how clearly you've spelled out a plan, there are going to be other people who lack your motivation, clarity of vision, skill set, etc. Have a plan for surfacing problems quickly. Take time to dissect them, implement a solution and follow up. No news is not good news when it comes to projects. No news means something might be amiss.
Phase IV: Finalization
Some projects are easier than others to finalize. If there is a specific, tangible result, everyone involved knows when the project is completed. Other projects, however, tend to linger on and on, with a myriad of little details that need to be cleaned up, etc. As a result, the project continues to use (and/or be charged for) resources that are no longer required or require resources that are no longer available. To manage this:
- Have a clearly defined "end" for different project team members. Ensure their contributions are recognized, they are properly thanked, and any notable accomplishments have been communicated to each project member's supervisor. Time spent on such efforts now will increase the likelihood of each person's participation in your next project!
- Prepare a post project evaluation, outlining and quantifying project successes, so that team participants (including you) receive credit where credit is due; noting lessons learned, so future problems can be avoided; and documenting tasks still in process/still to do.
While supervisors do have a responsibility to work with each employee on identifying training needs and facilitating professional development, this is definitely one area in which you'll want to be very actively involved. This is your career we're talking about, your passion, your livelihood. Positioning yourself to get the optimum benefit will definitely pay off.
Your further training and development will often be raised during the annual review of your individual development plan (IDP). Some agencies tie the IDP review to the annual performance rating process. Regardless, working with your supervisor on your IDP gives you the chance to clarify your career objectives in your own mind, then specify them to your boss. With their support, you can then identify the training and/or professional development opportunities required to help you advance your career.