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Showing posts from July, 2020

Understanding the Retirement System for Government Employees

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  One of the key benefits that set the US civil service apart is the retirement benefits. The Civil Service Retirement Act came into being on August 1st, 1920, to help civil service employees maintain a decent lifestyle during their golden years. Here the details of those benefits: What is FERS? The retirement system for government employees in the US is governed by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) . This plan covers the retirement benefits for employees working in the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the US federal government. This plan doesn’t cover any employees of the state or local government or military personnel. The system is based on the following three benefit sources: a.  The Basic Benefit Plan b.  Social Security c.  Thrift Savings Plan What do the three plans mean? The basic benefit plan is a fixed amount of pension that a federal employee receives—irrespective of the amount that he or she has contributed. Federal employees ...

The Importance of Proactive Leadership During the Anti-Police Crisis Of 2020

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As law enforcement agencies are put on blast, influential leaders have become more important than ever to help bring positivity to the police force. They’re also needed to guide affected individuals through these dark times. It’s not easy to put in long hours of work while remaining active and vigilant at all times, especially during a crisis. The police force and other law enforcement agencies have been dealing with additional protests, putting up with unclear instructions from politicians, and putting in extra hours of duty as the entire nation faces uncertainty during the current health and financial crisis. It’s important to double down on leadership efforts at all levels to navigate this complex situation. Apart from this, officers also need to take a hard look at the issues that occur in their jurisdictions. If you’re a part of law enforcement, no matter what your position, you have an important role to play. Taking the lead and motivating your peers isn’t confined to a specific ...

Working for The Government — What You Need to Know About Civil Service Employment

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Civil service employees form an essential part of the US government and play a key role in law enforcement, education, information technology, and finance. They’re in charge of a rich menu of core government activities that make America what it is. To compensate the employees for the magnitude of their responsibilities, the government also takes care of the personnel needs well. Here’s what it’s like to work for the civil service: Benefits Unlike organizations in the private sector, the civil service pay scale is government-regulated. This ensures that each government employee receives substantially equal pay for equal work carried out in a defined local pay area. However, in each case, the employee’s professional experience and level of education is the key determinant of their pay grade. Most of the employees are compensated using the General Security (GS) pay scale. Whereas, the remuneration for foreign employees is based on the Foreign Service (FS) pay scale. Even th...