10% pay cut to go from contractor to govie?

[TheWatchmen]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

This is my experience as well.

There's a grain of truth to the perception about Feds being hard to fire: If you show up when you're supposed to, do the job (even just so-so), and don't run naked through the building, throw office supplies at your coworkers, or have the ISIS flag as your screen-saver, it's hard to fire you. However, it's not impossible--particularly for conduct problems (versus performance).

And I think that's as it should be. Firing someone should be hard but not impossible. In the private sector, the ability of employers in most states to fire you ostensibly for no reason at all I think goes too far, given the major impact it will have on the employee.

Many of us who work in smaller businesses cannot waste months or even years of time firing a non-productive or disruptive employee. Not all of us have a blank check from Uncle Sam to keep our operations going.

That said, every single government employee that I've known throughout my many years of living here have been above-the-board good people, and good employees, I would presume.

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by TheWatchmen

Many of us who work in smaller businesses cannot waste months or even years of time firing a non-productive or disruptive employee. Not all of us have a blank check from Uncle Sam to keep our operations going.

I don't think you should have to wait that long. But if the person truly deserves to be fired, it should be easy to state a reason and provide evidence to support that. The idea that an employer can pick any reason at all (as long as it's not discriminatory) or no reason I think is ridiculous. Doesn't show up? Is rude to customers? Can't get along with others? Makes an expensive math error? Says "between you and I" or pronounces "homage" the French way? Fire when ready!

It reminds me of civil-asset forfeiture: If the driver is so obviously a drug dealer, you should be able to produce evidence of that and arrest them.

It's all about due process.

[TheWatchmen]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

I don't think you should have to wait that long. But if the person truly deserves to be fired, it should be easy to state a reason and provide evidence to support that. The idea that an employer can pick any reason at all (as long as it's not discriminatory) or no reason I think is ridiculous. Doesn't show up? Is rude to customers? Can't get along with others? Makes an expensive math error? Says "between you and I" or pronounces "homage" the French way? Fire when ready!

It reminds me of civil-asset forfeiture: If the driver is so obviously a drug dealer, you should be able to produce evidence of that and arrest them.

It's all about due process.

And I can leave my job at any moment, for no reason at all. Thus is the nature of at-will employment. It goes both ways, a bit.

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by TheWatchmen

And I can leave my job at any moment, for no reason at all. Thus is the nature of at-will employment. It goes both ways, a bit.

True, but in the case of large employers, the employee takes on a lot more risk; the effect (on the company) of one person's sudden departure is much less pronounced than the effect of being fired would be on an employee. With small companies, I could see how one person's departure could be a real headache. And in that case, I would think a contract laying out the conditions under which the employee may resign or be fired would protect both parties' interest.

[nikkiheaven]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

I admit I wasn't very clear there. Yes, you're right that the FERS benefit lasts till you die. But it's a smaller payout (1%-1.1% for most) than CSRS was/is, because it's meant to be only one leg of the three-legged stool. SocSec is also till death, but ignoring the fears of its eventual insolvency, it's a very small leg. And then the third leg, TSP, is a finite amount of money.

Contrast this with CSRS, which gave its participants a till-death benefit that would be enough to live on. According to OPM:

First 5 years of service: 1.5 percent of your high-3 average salary for each year
Second 5 years of service: 1.75 percent of your high-3 average salary for each year
For all years of service over 10: 2 percent of your high-3 average salary for each year.

Up to a max of 80% of your high three, PLUS payout for sick leave (which we FERS people don't get).

New rules say FERS do get payout for sick leave.

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by nikkiheaven

New rules say FERS do get payout for sick leave.

Is it 100% or 50% payout? For example, if I save my 2 weeks per year sick leave. When I retired 26 years later, do I get 1 year of my salary or 6 month salary in exchange for unused sick leave?

[kiplingif]

A three second google search later:
http://www.usgs.gov/humancapital/pb/...RSIONCHART.pdf

[JfromReston]

Originally Posted by HB2HSV

Is it 100% or 50% payout? For example, if I save my 2 weeks per year sick leave. When I retired 26 years later, do I get 1 year of my salary or 6 month salary in exchange for unused sick leave?

You don't get any pay out directly. It gets added to your years of service for calculating your annuity using the chart in the above post.

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by JfromReston

You don't get any pay out directly. It gets added to your years of service for calculating your annuity using the chart in the above post.

OK I see it now. Thanks !