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• Feds who work without pay during government shutdowns will get paid back eventually, but they’re not entitled to extra pay. That is the upshot of a long-awaited federal appeals court decision yesterday. The three-judge panel ruled feds are not entitled to the double back pay that is normally required when employers fail to pay their workers on time. A 2-to-1 majority ruled that since the Anti-Deficiency Act prohibits agencies from making any payments during shutdowns, the Fair Labor Standards Act does not apply in a shutdown situation. (Feds who work during government shutdowns aren’t entitled to damages, appeals court rules – Federal News Network)

• The financial management shared services offering has taken two big steps forward. Agencies looking to modernize financial management systems have some additional assistance. The Bureau of Fiscal Service, which runs the financial management quality service management office (QSMO), released version two of the Financial Management Capability Framework. The FMCF is the standards and capabilities that define baseline for core financial systems. Additionally, the QSMO named CGI Federal as its first private sector provider. Agencies can now buy an assortment of services including grant accounting, core financial systems and maintenance support, strategic planning and investment business case development and financial management organizational change management services.

• Agencies’ transition to more hybrid work drove some results of the 2022 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS). About one quarter of survey respondents said they would consider leaving as a result of their agency’s telework and remote work policies. That’s according to the results of the Office of Personnel Management’s FEVS this year. Of that quarter, 11% of FEVS respondents said they would think about looking for a job at another agency. The survey finds that 17% of feds currently telework one to two days per week, while 25% telework three days per week. (Agencies’ transition to hybrid work shows through in 2022 FEVS results – Federal News Network)
  

• Seventy House lawmakers are pushing for the highest funding possible for the Social Security Administration. In a letter to the House Appropriations Committee, the group of representatives said full-year funding would help resolve issues with agency staffing, currently at a 25-year low. The budget request would also help the agency keep pace with the public’s needs. The letter from lawmakers built on recent calls from SSA and one of its unions, urging at least the full amount that’s included in the White House budget request of $14.8 billion.

• The Biden administration is seeking data from agencies on whether it’s hitting federal workforce goals. The Office of Personnel Management and departments of Defense and Labor  are asking agency chief human capital and chief diversity officers for data to see if they’re meeting workforce metrics under the President’s Management Agenda. They’re looking for agency data on whether hiring managers are more satisfied with the federal hiring process and whether more agencies are meeting hiring and staffing targets for mission-critical positions. They are also seeking data on how diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility strategies are being implemented across government.

• One of the nation’s top spy agencies is looking to offer more flexible workplace options. The Defense Intelligence Agency is seeing increased attrition among contracting specialists and other support staff. DIA Chief of Staff John Kirchhofer said the agency could begin offering more telework and remote work options for its support staff. “I think we need to work toward some home solutions for folks that work on that enabling side,” Kirchhofer said. “Otherwise, I just don’t think we can compete for talent and our retention will struggle.” (DIA looks to stem attrition through more flexible work options – Federal News Network)

• Over the course of the next year, agencies will evaluate opportunities to strengthen supplier diversity, have access to new governmentwide grants management training and work on several other goals under the President’s Management Agenda. The Office of Management and Budget released its quarterly PMA progress and goals update yesterday. The administration outlined several objectives across the three PMA areas with due dates in fiscal 2023 and 2024. OMB highlighted several accomplishments over the last quarter as well, including publishing a standard job announcement for a grants management specialist and the launching of a Chief Diversity Officer Executive Council.

• The Defense Department has a Senate-confirmed inspector general for the first time in nearly seven years. The Senate voted 92-3 yesterday to confirm Robert Storch as the new DoD IG. Storch has been serving as the National Security Agency’s inspector general until now. His nomination got the go-ahead from the Senate Armed Services Committee in March, but it’s taken until now for a final vote on the Senate floor.

• A new report said the Defense Department needs to change its strategy for recruiting civilians with science, technology, engineering and math abilities. A report commissioned by the DoD found that civilian recruiting often lacks necessary funding and planning to get workers with STEM skills. The Institute for Defense Analyses study, entitled “Accessing Critical Skills in the Department of Defense,” found that hiring was often reactive and  didn’t originate from long-term goals.

• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is getting the right data to the right people faster than ever. Deputy Chief Data Officer Damian Kostiuk said recent investments in the agency’s data maturity are making it possible to complete tasks in weeks that would have previously taken months or years. USCIS is looking at ways to use data to improve the agency’s customer experience and better understand how users navigate its website and services online. (USCIS deputy CDO sees faster ‘time to market’ getting right data to the right people – Federal News Network)

• Agencies grappling with bring-your-own-device policies have some new security guidance to consider. The National Institute of Standards and Technology is asking for feedback on a new draft of Mobile Device Security guidance for BYOD. The term refers to policies that allow employees to perform work on their personal phones or other devices. The new NIST guide provides organizations with security and privacy considerations for BYOD policies. The agency is asking for feedback by January 13.

• Space Force guardians are learning fighting  skills through a new program called “Aggressor Red Shade SKIES series.” The program involves training exercises where a group of guardians, known as “aggressors,” plays the bad guys. Aggressors attack the guardians by jamming their global positioning system receivers or disrupting satellite communications signals. The program was developed by Space Force Space Training and Readiness Command to teach guardians using unscripted, combat-like experiences to develop combat readiness.

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