Understanding Your Rights and Responsibilities as a Federal Employee

Target Audience: All Federal Employees

Length: Half-Day and One-Day Seminars


In “Understanding Your Rights and Responsibilities as a Federal Employee” we teach employees about their basic rights and responsibilities in the federal workplace. We present a broad range of topics including an employee’s basic obligation to follow orders, what it means to be insubordinate, and other employee offenses. We also explain employee protections provided in the prohibited personnel practices. In our experience, employees who have a clear understanding of their supervisor’s expectations as well as their own obligations and rights contribute to a high performing culture in federal agency.


1. Basic Rights and Responsibilities

  1. Supervisor’s Rights and Responsibilities
  2. Employee’s Rights and Responsibilities
  3. The Manager’s Bill of Rights

2. Employee Discipline

  1. The Government’s Three-Part Burden
  2. The Disciplinary and Adverse Action Process
  3. Errors of Management
  4. The Douglas Factors
  5. Specific Offenses

3. Prohibited Personnel Practices

  1. Merit-Based Hiring and Promotions
  2. Veterans’ Preference
  3. “Whistleblower” Retaliation

4. Discrimination

  1. Federal EEO Process
  2. Retaliation
  3. Disability Discrimination and Reasonable Accommodation