This pamphlet is designed to get supervisors, managers and HR on the same page – at a time of great change in the federal civil service – by explaining the rules of the federal personnel system, the available options, the consequences of ignoring the rules and the advantages of following them.

Combining perennial problem areas, such as dealing with poor performers, with today’s hot topics, such as e-mail and computer misuse, this one-stop pamphlet provides quick answers and background information essential to handling personnel issues effectively and legally.

Your supervisors and managers learn:

• Merit principles, the basis of all federal supervision and prohibited personnel practices
• How to recognize and deal with alcohol and drug abuse in the workforce
• The differences between performance and conduct-based adverse actions and how to choose between them
• How to meet the challenges of supervising telework
• Why computer and e-mail misuse needs to be confronted, and how to do it
• The rights and obligations of union officials and how to deal with them

Plus, each chapter includes quick-read "Mistakes to Avoid" and answers to "Frequently Asked Questions," as well as quizzes that allow supervisors to test and refresh their knowledge of specific areas.