Trainings That Meet Your Agency’s Needs

Any effective misconduct investigation starts with a solid foundation of the law and an understanding of the full scope of your investigation. This class explains the principles that underpin a successful investigation of Federal employee misconduct, including harassment.  You’ll leave with guidance on developing the investigation, from creating a plan …

FELTG’s 32-hour EEO counselor training provides the mandatory initial training for new counselors that’s required by EEOC, and much more. The course is taught over four 8-hour days. Our experienced instructors will explain the latest in EEO law in easy-to-understand terms and help you develop the skills necessary to be …

Subtle and overt language, joking, off-handed comments, and offensive comments and gestures can lead to a hostile work environment. And that includes ill-advised, even if not ill-intentioned, phrases such as “hold down the fort” and “low man on the totem pole.” Being a respectful communicator means more than just not …

You can’t discipline an employee for AWOL unless it has reached a certain number of days. Employees can’t be removed for AWOL. You can’t be charged AWOL for time that you were physically present in the office. None of these statements are true; they are AWOL myths. This training will …

An employee fails to report onsite and claims telework instead. Or ignores an order. Or gets arrested off-duty. What do you do? At FELTG, we take accountability seriously. It’s been part of our mission statement for almost 25 years. As a Federal supervisor, advisor, HR practitioner, or union representative, you …

FELTG’s flagship course UnCivil Servant empowers Federal supervisors and advisers to confidently handle the challenges that come with supervising in the Federal workplace. It shatters misconceptions about performance and misconduct-based actions and gives you simple step-by-step guidance for taking swift, appropriate, and legally defensible actions. This course fulfills the 5 CFR 412.202(b) …

A joke. A threat. A slap. A social media post. These could all possibly lead to viable claims of a hostile work environment harassment. But then again, they may not. Claims of harassment and more specifically, hostile work environment, continue to soar in the Federal workplace, along with confusion about …

This week of FELTG training focuses on conducting administrative investigations in the Federal workplace with an emphasis on employee misconduct, including workplace harassment. Workplace Investigations Week always includes the most up-to-date information on the skills, trends, and cases, including OPM’s regulations on investigative leave. February 24: Administrative Investigations: The Substantive …

An employee does not follow an order. Seems like an open-and-shut case of insubordination, right? Think again. Was it a refusal or simply a failure to comply? When you charge an employee with insubordination, you must prove intent along with the other elements of the charge. This class explains what …

“Who wrote this statute? Somebody who takes pleasure in pulling wings off flies?” The process for handling mixed cases has confused and frustrated many EEO practitioners, HR professionals, agency attorneys, and aggrieved employees – not to mention Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, author of the aforementioned quote. In this 60-minute …

Robust. Uninhibited. Wide-open. These are words the U.S. Supreme Court used to describe the type of debate by union officials that is considered “protected activity.” But how robust, uninhibited, or wide open is acceptable? And when? There are many tales of profanity, shouting, rough speech, and bullying taking place between …

Let’s face it: EEO is complex. Not only do you have several different laws and the growing caselaw to keep up with, but many areas, such as contractor complaints and mixed cases, are flat out confusing as heck. The increasing reasonable accommodation requests based on religion, disability, and pregnancy and …

Whether it’s a disgruntled employee or customer, a domestic issue that follows an employee to work, or an unknown individual intent on causing harm, workplaces are at a distinct risk for violent incidents. Healthcare workers are five times more likely to experience injury from workplace violence than employees in other …

The borderline between on-duty and off-duty has become increasingly blurred with the omnipresence of social media and many employees working flexible hours from home. Yet, one thing has remained clear and constant: If you’re going to discipline someone for what they do on their own time, you need to show …

Change happens in the world of Federal employee relations, and it often comes quickly. Those who succeed continuously sharpen their MSPB skills and refresh their knowledge. Those who don’t fall behind. FELTG’s MSPB Law Week provides an all-encompassing week of training that offers the most effective guidance and up-to-date information …

It’s widely expected that labor-management relations will be highly adversarial in the new administration, and arbitration can provide an answer when grievances seem unresolvable. This two-hour virtual training walks you through the various stages of arbitration, identifying the key actions that will lead to a successful result. Attendees will leave …

Investigating harassment in your agency can be an intimidating assignment, one that is rife with innuendo, conflicting accounts, and raw emotions. This course provides a successful and effective approach to conducting legally sufficient harassment investigations that gives the agency the information it needs, while withstanding third-party scrutiny. Tuesday, April 29: …

Anyone who has worked in Federal labor relations for any amount of time knows it’s an always-changing and ever-challenging field. It’s also about to become more adversarial than ever. Now is the time to make sure you labor relations skills and knowledge are updated.  So why not get that important …

The administration has highlighted that agencies should swiftly and properly deal with employees who engage in misconduct. In many cases, progressive discipline is a win-win for agencies. It’s a valuable tool to (hopefully) correct an employee’s misconduct. But, if it doesn’t have its intended effect, it gives the agency a …

Whether you’re an HR professional, Employee Relations practitioner, EEO specialist, supervisor, or agency counsel, you have undoubtedly faced a leave-related challenge or two. And chances are, you may have struggled with some of the more complicated scenarios. Leave and medical issues create a complex and seemingly burdensome issue, one often …

Some in the incoming administration, including the President, have voiced support for the changing of marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III substance. Meanwhile, the drug is legal in 38 states for medicinal purposes, and 24 for recreational purposes. And we continue to receive questions regarding Federal employees …

FELTG’s flagship course UnCivil Servant empowers Federal supervisors and advisers to confidently handle the challenges that come with supervising in the Federal workplace. It shatters misconceptions about performance and misconduct-based actions and gives you simple step-by-step guidance for taking swift, appropriate, and legally defensible actions. This course fulfills the 5 CFR 412.202(b) …

If a Federal employee is required to have access to classified information, then the employee must be eligible for a security clearance in order to keep that position. What happens when the employee no longer has that clearance? This class will detail how to handle a security clearance suspension, revocation …

Most Federal agencies settle employment disputes — whether they initiate as grievances, EEO complaints, or as appeals of agency disciplinary actions. While it’s common to assume that settlement means the agency has a flaw in its case, it has no direct tie to liability or admissions of wrongdoing. Often, it’s …

If only there was a checklist that you could use to determine the correct penalty to address employee misconduct. Oh right, there is: the 12 factors identified in the Merit Systems Protection Board’s landmark Douglas v. VA decision. Yet, look at any recent batch of MSPB decisions, and you’ll find continued confusion …

When EEO challenges arise, they rarely show up as run-of-the-mill simple scenarios you’ve worked through in a training class. Are you an EEO professional, attorney or advisor eager to learn how to more effectively manage the unexpected EEO issues?  This in-depth, highly interactive training will give you the necessary tools …

This year, it is more important than ever for agency supervisors, reasonable accommodation coordinators, EEO specialists, LR/ER specialists, attorneys, and union reps to understand the process for determining when an employee is entitled to an accommodation, whether the request is related to an individual’s disability, religious beliefs, or pregnancy status. …

A request to telework due to disability? An appeal to skip mandatory training due to religious beliefs? A request for leave due to prenatal appointments and medical incapacitation? With back-to-the-office plans in effect, new and changing laws, and a growing push for religious expression, it’s expected that requests for reasonable …

Do you want to take your knowledge and understanding of MSPB law to a new level? Have you let your skills languish while the Board sat empty and quorum-less for several years? Want to confidently address the knotty Federal employment law issues that challenge even the most experienced advisors? FELTG’s …

Potential reasonable accommodations should be discussed by the employee and the agency, through what the EEOC refers to as “the interactive process.” So, what exactly does the interactive process involve? And when is it required? This course explains what agencies need to know when they work with employees on reasonable …

Most of us know something about service animals, but what about emotional support animals, comfort animals, and the like? Are they permitted in the workplace? The EEOC’s stance that an emotional support animal may be a required reasonable accommodation for a qualified individual with a disability, even if it is not a …

With agencies mandating employees to return to the physical office space, you can expect more reasonable accommodation requests for telework. If someone has successfully teleworked already and is a qualified individual with a disability, must you grant the requested accommodation? This course will detail the required three-step process for agencies …

This week of FELTG training focuses on conducting administrative investigations in the Federal workplace with an emphasis on employee misconduct, including workplace harassment. Workplace Investigations Week always includes the most up-to-date information on the skills, trends, and cases, including OPM’s regulations on investigative leave. Monday, August 11: Administrative Investigations: The …

When faced with a particularly challenging request for a reasonable accommodation, you may want to claim it’s an undue hardship. Don’t. Undue hardship is an important concept in terms of reasonable accommodation, but one that differs depending on whether accommodation is for disability, religious, or pregnancy-related reasons. This class will …

Whether you’re representing your agency before the Merit Systems Protection Board or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, there is one ultimate goal: Win the case. This interactive course will prepare you for these kinds of hearings. Wednesday, August 27: Developing a Theory In this session, you’ll learn strategies for developing …

FELTG’s flagship course UnCivil Servant empowers Federal supervisors and advisers to confidently handle the challenges that come with supervising in the Federal workplace. It shatters misconceptions about performance and misconduct-based actions and gives you simple step-by-step guidance for taking swift, appropriate, and legally defensible actions. This course fulfills the 5 CFR 412.202(b) …

Change happens in the world of Federal employee relations, and it often comes quickly. Those who succeed continuously sharpen their MSPB skills and refresh their knowledge. Those who don’t fall behind. FELTG’s MSPB Law Week provides an all-encompassing week of training that offers the most effective guidance and up-to-date information …

Anyone who has worked in Federal labor relations for any amount of time knows it’s an always-changing and ever-challenging field. It’s also about to become more adversarial than ever. Now is the time to make sure you labor relations skills and knowledge are updated.  So why not get that important …

Let’s face it: EEO is complex. Not only do you have several different laws and the growing caselaw to keep up with, but many areas, such as contractor complaints and mixed cases, are flat out confusing as heck. The increasing reasonable accommodation requests based on religion, disability, and pregnancy and …

Whether you’re an HR professional, Employee Relations practitioner, EEO specialist, supervisor, or agency counsel, you have undoubtedly faced a leave-related challenge or two. And chances are, you may have struggled with some of the more complicated scenarios. Leave and medical issues create a complex and seemingly burdensome issue, one often …

Maybe you envision yourself donning a Sherlock Holmes hat and cape. Or, perhaps, your model is the masterful Benoit Blanc of Knives Out Mystery fame. If only the work of a Federal administrative investigation was as easy as these fictional detectives make their jobs seem. Instead, there are more than …

A reference to dinosaurs, a joke about retirement, or a snide “OK Boomer” – nothing wrong with that if it’s just in fun, right?  Wrong! And if you think those are the only actions that’ll lead to an age discrimination claim, you’re wrong again. Join Attorney and FELTG Instructor Meghan …

For many, it’s the most difficult and unpredictable part of the workplace investigation — conducting the interview. This is especially the case when the witness has suffered trauma. And it’s likely to happen, considering these sobering statistics: Seven to eight percent will have PTSD at some point in their lifetimes. …

In this 60-minute webinar, FELTG instructor Ann Boehm identifies and discusses when the law requires your agency to provide the union an opportunity to be involved in discussions, focusing on the requirements for a meeting to be considered a formal discussion, the union’s rights and responsibilities when it comes to …

5 USC 7112 of the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute defines the types of positions that must be excluded from the bargaining units. But in the modern workforce, those definitions aren’t always that clear. In this 60-minute webinar, FELTG Instructor Ann Boehm takes you through how to not only identify …

A principal rule in findings of discrimination is to, as nearly as possible, place the victim in the position that person would have occupied but for the discrimination. This is easier said than done, because there’s no way to undo the harm caused by illegal employment discrimination. Even still, damages and remedies …

The EEOC allows parties to file motions for summary judgment, potentially eliminating the need for a time-consuming, expensive, and risky hearing. Yet, many agencies fail to take advantage of this opportunity. During this 60-minute webinar, FELTG Instructor Katherine Atkinson explains the importance of the Report of Investigation and thorough discovery, …

Could use of pronouns or names that are inconsistent with an individual’s gender identity be considered discrimination or harassment? Yes. In certain circumstances. Gender identity and related topics are so important that in June 2022 the EEOC introduced a nonbinary gender marker for people to use during the intake process, …

When faced with a case involving appealable adverse actions, an arbitrator must apply the same substantive standards as the Merit Systems Protection Board. The arbitrator must decide whether discipline was appropriate, and also assess whether the agency considered the relevant factors in determining the penalty. Just like an MSPB judge, the arbitrator …

The selection and promotion process is an emotional one, especially for those who aren’t selected. If you’re a federal EEO practitioner or supervisor, chances are you’ve had a case where an employee alleges that she was not selected or promoted because of something other than job qualifications – race, sex, …