FMA contributes a quarterly column for "FedForum, published on FEDmanager.com, responding to different prompts. The prompt for this quarter was "What does accountability and transparency mean to your organization?" The piece originally ran on FEDmanager.com.

The mission of the Federal Managers Association is advocating excellence in public service. That mission is what guides and shapes our work.

When talking about accountability, first and foremost, FMA takes pride in being accountable to our members. We want to hear their concerns and listen to what issues are impacting their agencies, their workplace, their careers, their healthcare and retirement, and to address those issues with Congress and the Administration as best we can.

That is what shapes our issue briefs every year – from fighting to achieve the best compensation for their hard work and ensuring the benefits they were promised and earned throughout their careers are not taken away, to pursuing investments in the workforce and providing tools to empower FMA members in their workplace. Since any manager, supervisor or executive is eligible to join FMA, a win for FMA members is usually a win for the federal workforce, writ large. Accountability to our members often helps recruitment, retention, and morale across the federal government.

Hear It from FMA -

FMA contributes a quarterly column for "FedForum, published on FEDmanager.com, responding to different prompts. -

When not talking about potential government shutdowns, continuing resolutions, or protecting pay and benefits for feds, an issue that regularly comes up in Federal Managers Association (FMA) meetings on Capitol Hill is hiring reform.

Hiring, recruitment, and retention to the federal workforce are often talked about in Washington, D.C. The federal workforce faces a concerning comparison with the private sector in regard to time-to-hire. In Fiscal Year 2018, the average time it took to hire a new employee in the federal government was 98.3 days, which was down from 105.8 days in Fiscal Year 2017. The Office of Personnel Management’s goal across the government is 80 days. And according to the Society for Human Resource Management, the average time-to-fill in the private sector is 36 days. To speed this process, FMA supports commonsense hiring reforms and giving managers other tools to enhance the talent pipeline in the federal workforce.

FMA contributes a quarterly column for "FedForum, published on FEDmanager.com, responding to different prompts. The prompt for this quarter was "the importance of professional development for federal employees." FMA's column ran in the May 30, 2023, edition of FedManager.com. 

Professional development is a topic at the core of the Federal Managers Association (FMA) and our mission of advocating excellence in public service. Along with networking and advocacy of policy, we encourage and promote professional development for all FMA members.

At FMA we infuse professional development opportunities wherever possible, including training sessions during our annual national convention and management training seminars, regional conferences, and virtual sessions throughout the year. Most recently, at FMA’s 85th National Convention, attendees heard from Barbara Haga, President of Federal HR Services, Inc., on Navigating the Complexities of Title 5 Leave Programs, and Mika Cross, a federal workplace expert, on the Changing Nature of Work and the Future of the Federal Workforce. We also encourage FMA members who have expertise in different areas to lead development of their peers, addressing topics such as change management for federal managers, tools for ‘crucial conversations’ when stakes are high, and engaging employees to boost performance.

Route Fifty -

This week is Public Service Recognition Week. Since 1985, the first full week in May has been the annual celebration of the contributions of public servants in federal, state, local and tribal government. Across the nation, more than 21 million dedicated people serve in government, including in our public schools and universities.

FMA contributes a monthly column, "Hear it from FMA," published on FEDmanager.com on a variety of issues and topics. This month we discussed FMA's recent 'Day on the Hill,' where FMA members met with their elected officials to advocate on behalf of management in the federal workforce.

The Federal Managers Association (FMA) recently met for its 85th annual National Convention and Management Training Seminar. FMA’s mission is to advocate for excellence in public service, and on March 29, 2023, FMA members from across the country did just that when they went to the US Capitol and met with their Senators and Representatives.

For most attendees, the Day on the Hill is the highlight of the convention. And for good reason. Managers from the Department of Defense, the Social Security Administration, the Railroad Retirement Board, and many other agencies and departments go to Capitol Hill. They are empowered by knowing they are part of the legislative process. They walk the halls of Congress, make their voices heard by their elected representatives, and participate directly in the ongoing story of American democracy. They meet with decision makers and their staffs, educate them on issues that impact the profession of management in the federal workforce, and work to assist themselves and their fellow managers. And by joining together, with strength in numbers and a professional, conversational demeanor when taking our message to Capitol Hill, FMA members have an exceptional track record of achievements and legislative success stories.

FMA contributes a monthly column, "Hear it from FMA," published on FEDmanager.com on a variety of issues and topics. This month we featured FMA-endorsed legislation that would protect feds in the event of a government shutdown or debt default.

Most bills introduced in Congress languish and do not advance. More than 15,000 bills were introduced in the 117th Congress and 364 of them were signed into law. But sometimes a bill is introduced that is a complete no-brainer.

That is clearly the case with the Federal Employees Civil Relief Act (H.R. 1301 / S. 640), introduced in early March by Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI). Their legislation, which FMA swiftly endorsed, would protect feds from negative financial consequences from civil penalties due to situations completely out of their control, including a government shutdown or a debt default. This is about as commonsense as legislation comes.

FMA writes a quarterly column for FEDForum, published on FEDmanager.com, to share our mission and efforts. This quarter's topic was "New Year, New . . ."

New Year, new Congress, new . . . Resolve. The 118th Congress offers a fresh chance to secure a fair pay raise next year, and FMA has renewed vigor and resolve to make important changes to attract and retain the best and brightest to public service.

Federal managers, and indeed all feds, deserve to be treated with respect for their efforts and the work they have performed over many years. Every job they hold and perform daily is because of a congressional mandate. It is not too much to ask that, in return, feds be given the ability to maintain a living wage that provides for them and their families.

FMA writes a monthly column, "Hear it from FMA," published on FEDmanager.com.

We’re days away from the current continuing resolution expiring. News from Capitol Hill brings word of a standstill in omnibus appropriations negotiations, a potential full year CR, potential government shutdowns – the regular lumps of coal we have regrettably come to expect from Congress this time of year. FMA will continue to do all we can to urge Congress to do their jobs and provide managers with some measure of budget certainty for Fiscal Year 2023.

FMA contributes to a quarterly column, "FEDforum," published on FEDmanager.com. This quarter's article, published on November 1, 2022, responds to the prompt, "better late than never."

When prompted by the phrase “better late than never,” there is a lot to choose from in regard to the federal workforce. An evergreen topic is funding for federal agencies. Full funding of Fiscal Year 2022 came nearly six months into the year, and we’re staring down that road yet again for FY2023. Federal managers will certainly say “better late than never,” whenever appropriations are completed, but that doesn’t mean it is not maddeningly frustrating to see the negative effects of these delays year after year.

That said, the Federal Managers Association (FMA) would like to spotlight a win for all Department of Defense (DOD) civilian and uniformed military travelers that came in 2018. It took a lot of work and was long overdue, but the win was a textbook example at FMA of “better late than never.”