Hello DOJ GEN members and followers!

We have a lot of updates to share this month, including our new LinkedIn page; great press coverage of our push for flexible work options; the end of administrative leave for caretaking responsibilities; news from other agencies about sexual misconduct, the advancement of women in SES positions, and steps to make services more available to people of all gender identities; and upcoming reproductive rights rallies.  Here we go!

 DOJ GEN is on social media!

Follow us on LinkedIn!! Many thanks to board member Amit Kumar for creating DOJ GEN’s new page, which we hope will help spread the word about our advocacy.

DOJ GEN’s flexible work options advocacy makes news

Bloomberg Law reported on the results of our data-collection project related to flexible work options across DOJ components, and explained why the disparities we revealed are concerning. The article states that “Justice Department offices vary widely in how often they expect employees to show up once in-person work plans are scheduled to take full effect next month,” and that DOJ GEN is pushing for “greater consistency as department leaders try to build cohesion while addressing shifting expectations about remote work.”

 In response to the data we collected, DOJ said it has “given components broad discretion to determine strategies” that work best for them.  But DOJ still hasn’t implemented any guardrails that DOJ GEN asked it to establish to help ensure that flexible work policies are as expansive as components’ missions allow.

We’ll keep advocating for generous flexibilities, and please continue to send us any new component policies you learn about.  Also, if you’ve used our data collection results to advocate for greater flexibilities in your component, please let us know.

 End of administrative leave for caretaking needs

Many have wondered whether administrative leave for employees whose caregiving responsibilities are disrupted by the pandemic is still available. We now know that the accommodation ended across DOJ on May 1. This is unfortunate because many schools and caretaking facilities still prohibit attendance at various times for Covid-related reasons, leaving many of us to struggle to do our jobs while making sure our kids don’t break into the liquor cabinet or splash around in the toilet.

 Updates on the sexual misconduct front

A leaked draft report by DHS’s Office of the Inspector General contains shocking information about sexual misconduct in DHS’s law enforcement components—TSA, ICE, CBP, and the Secret Service. Among the report’s many staggering details is that a 2018 survey revealed that out of the roughly 28,000 employees who responded, more than 10,000 said they’d experienced sexual misconduct in their workplace. The Project on Government Oversight exposed the report, which you can read about here.

In April, bills were introduced in the House and Senate that would remove sexual harassment investigations and discipline from the military chain of command. DOJ GEN has advocated for the same thing at DOJ and we’ll continue to do so.

Dearth of women in SES positions

OPM is addressing the fact that women are only 37% of the SES workforce. It released the Executive Women in Motion: Pathways to the SES Toolkit, which—as OPM Director Kiran Ahuja explained in a memo to agencies’ HR heads—is designed to encourage interest among women in senior leadership positions.

Progress toward inclusion for all genders

Federal agencies such as DHS, HHS, EEOC, the Education Department, and the State Department are taking important new steps to make their services more inclusive of transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people. You can read about those measures here.

 Weekend reproductive rights rallies

On Saturday, May 14, reproductive rights supporters will participate at “Bans Off Our Bodies” rallies throughout the country. Visit this site if you’d like to find details about one near you.