By Nicole Ogrysko, Federal News Network

The Office of Personnel Management has offered up three legislative proposals this spring for congressional consideration, which the agency said will “improve, expand and harmonize” government’s efforts to restructure and reshape the federal workforce.

OPM has suggested statutory changes that would eventually allow agencies to use longer probationary periods for employees.

When DOD announced the extended probationary period in October 2016, it explained  the reason for the extension was “one year often does not allow sufficient time for a supervisor to form conclusions regarding the performance of a new employee.” It cited examples that a new hire “spends much of the first year in training before beginning work,” and “don’t have an opportunity to demonstrate all the skills associated with their positions.” Further, DOD noted “the longer probationary period offers employees a greater opportunity to showcase their talents and for supervisors to properly assess their capabilities.” FMA agrees with this assessment.

By Scott Thompson, My Federal Retirement

House Representatives Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Tom Cole (R-OK) introduced Thursday legislation that would ensure federal employees who started their careers as temporary workers — meaning they did not have the ability to make retirement contributions — are granted the opportunity to make catch-up retirement contributions so that they can retire on time.

“FMA strongly endorses Representatives Kilmer and Cole’s leadership and bipartisan effort to allow FERS employees to buy back temporary time,” said Renee Johnson, National President of the Federal Managers Association. “Our members fully understand they would be responsible to bear the bulk of the costs, but welcome the opportunity to buy back this time and be rewarded for their years of hard work. This solution would provide an excellent option for many feds, especially those who were ‘temporary’ for many years. We urge Congress to consider and pass this legislation.”

Her coworkers praise her dedication and the quality of her work on the job. They also admire her community contributions off the job. Now Diana Stewart has been named Manager of the Year by the Federal Managers Association. She’s acting director of the command support office at the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, and she spoke with Federal News Network’s Eric White on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

As an organization that represents managers, supervisors, and executives in the federal government, including at the Internal Revenue Service, it was difficult, but necessary, to take a close look at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on the IRS released last week. GAO was asked to “review IRS’s enterprise-wide strategic workforce planning efforts,” and its finding of serious risks to IRS’s mission should not come as a surprise.

By FEDweek

The Federal Managers Association has named as its Manager of the Year Diana Stewart, acting director of command support office at the Defense Logistics Agency in Philadelphia and the vice president of the FMA chapter there.

Eric White, Federal News Network

The president’s new nominee to become permanent director of the Office of Personnel Management already has support from several federal employee organizations. The Senior Executives Association, Federal Managers Association and three other groups within the Government Managers Coalition wrote to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee leaders to express support for Dale Cabaniss. 

The Federal Managers Association endorsed the bills, which would help federal firefighters, law enforcement officers, Customs and Border Protection officials, and other federal employees with potentially dangerous jobs receive their full retirement benefits if they get hurt while on duty. Currently, federal public safety officers lose their early retirement benefits if they are injured on the job and return to federal service in another position.