The United States Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) is tasked with ensuring federal employments, government agents, and civil servants both understand and adhere to their duties, responsibilities, and ethical guidelines. Within its codes, the MSPB has established nine Merit System Principles (MSP) that an agent should always follow, and thirteen Prohibited Personnel Practices (PPP) that should never be done. Despite the fact that MSPs and PPPs apply to all federal employees, the Chairman of the MSPB has expressed concern in a recent newsletter than many agents and personnel don’t know about them.
Lack of Training Could Be a Problem
According to the MSPB, about one in every five federal employees in nonsupervisory positions were not trained at all in distinguishing between MSPs and PPPs. The same is estimated for political affiliates appointed to low-level positions. It did not cover how many of these agents received some yet inadequate training; it can be assumed that this number is also significant.
The Chairman – Susan Tsui Grundmann – noted that failing to train federal employees about MSPB expectations and rules can negatively impact all interested parties. The individual employee will not be able to identify violations and bring it to the attention of supervisors, which could potentially hinder their own work experience. In other situations, a lack of understanding could cause agents to report violations that are not actually problems, effectively wasting time and resources. Any sort of misinterpretation of MSPs or PPPs could eventually cause an impact that reaches ordinary citizens.
To address the apparent lack of understanding, the MSPB has created a new report that includes:
- Full explanations of each MSP and PPP
- How to implement MSPs within each department
- Case law examples of MSP violations and enforcement
- MSPB agency abilities and information
Have you been accused of violating an MSP? Do you just need help understanding your workplace rights and expectations as a federal employee? The Law Firm of John P. Mahoney, Esq., Attorneys at Law, PLLC can help! Our DC federal employment lawyer has secured an AV Preeminent® Rating by Martindale-Hubbell® for his work in federal employment law cases, so you know you can rely on our team for trustworthy, experienced counsel.
Learn more about MSPB rules and violations by contacting us and scheduling a free consultation.
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