Agency management is often hesitant to take adverse action toward employees who have a disability or a medical issue, fearful of triggering discrimination claims. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t – or can’t – discipline those employees for misconduct or take action for performance problems when it’s warranted. You don’t have to be reluctant to act when you know how to make decisions based on case la...

Now in its 27th year, the Federal Dispute Resolution Conference has become synonymous with unbeatable value — delivering the high-quality and cutting-edge training federal civil service law practitioners seek year after year. What will you gain at FDR? Basic and advanced interactive seminars Networking with 1,000+ of your peers Convenient location and affordable hotel rates And much more!

Proposal and decision letters are considered the most critical documents in any discipline or adverse action. Why? Because poorly drafted letters lead to penalty reversal or mitigation – dragging out the process and costing the agency more time and money. Take advantage of one of the few training opportunities available focused solely on how to draft letters that effectively sell the agency’s penalty determination and stand up to r...

Diabetes, fibromyalgia and asthma might not have obvious symptoms, but they – and other “invisible” conditions – are still disabilities, and if your agency doesn’t address them properly you face potential EEO complaints. Here’s your only chance to hear firsthand guidance from the EEOC’s Kendra Duckworth, a federal practitioner with 20 years experience providing accommodation solutions, specifically for...

Make the right call regarding fitness-for-duty exams! Concerns that an employee is unfit for a job raise numerous questions … When can the agency request a fitness-for-duty exam? Are the rules different for physical and psychiatric evaluations? What if the employee has a disability? Spend 90 minutes learning the answers to these questions and much more directly from Marilyn Mattingly, renowned expert on federal medical and leave issues....

When you’re determining the appropriate penalty for an employee's misconduct, it’s easy enough to find a list of the all-important Douglas Factors you must consider. But the list doesn’t tell you how to balance relevant factors, or even which factors are relevant in different situations. Don’t risk having your discipline decisions overturned by the Merit Systems Protection Board! Get expert guidance from Attorney Robert...

Reasonable accommodation is the new focus in disability law, and agencies will have to spend more time dealing with it day to day. Make sure every agency decision-maker involved in the interactive process is comfortable with carrying out the steps needed to successfully address accommodation issues – and ultimately avoid disability-based liability. With real-world experience gained from working in the trenches of federal HR, presenter Sa...