Employee Assistance Program (ESPYR)
ESPYR is available to the following agency employees at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC): Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Park Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For more information, please visit the website at https://espyr.com/.
The U.S. Forest Service also provides employee assistance through ESPYR. This program is available to employees, retirees, and off-season employees. It includes life/health coaching and offers help to develop calming and focusing strategies and to learn and practice mindfulness in everyday life. More information is available in this Forest Service Employee Assistance flyer.
Grievances
To respond to grievances managers should contact the human resources employee relations specialist for time frames and assistance.
For reference:
Misconduct
Contact the human resources employee relations specialist for procedures and guidance.
For reference:
- Departmental Manual Part 370, Chapter 752: Discipline and Adverse Actions
- Department Personnel Bulletin No. 03-7 (752), December 6, 2002, Handbook
Whistleblower
Whistleblower disclosures to the Office of Special Counsel must be made in writing to:
Disclosure Unit Telephone: (800) 572-2249
U.S. Office of Special Counsel
1730 M Street, NW Suite 218
Washington , DC 20036-4505
Prohibited Personnel Practices
Twelve prohibited personnel practices, including reprisal for whistleblowing, are defined by law at § 2302(b) of title 5 of the United States Code (U.S.C.). A personnel action (such as an appointment, promotion, reassignment, or suspension) may need to be involved for a prohibited personnel practice to occur. Generally stated, § 2302(b) provides that a federal employee authorized to take, direct others to take, recommend or approve any personnel action may not:
- Discriminate against an employee or applicant based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicapping condition, marital status, or political affiliation;
- Solicit or consider employment recommendations based on factors other than personal knowledge or records of job-related abilities or characteristics;
- Coerce the political activity of any person;
- Deceive or willfully obstruct anyone from competing for employment;
- Influence anyone to withdraw from competition for any position so as to improve or injure the employment prospects of any other person;
- Give an unauthorized preference or advantage to anyone so as to improve or injure the employment prospects of any particular employee or applicant;
- Engage in nepotism (i.e., hire, promote, or advocate the hiring or promotion of relatives);
- Engage in reprisal for whistleblowing – i.e., take, fail to take, or threaten to take or fail to take a personnel action with respect to any employee or applicant because of any disclosure of information by the employee or applicant that he or she reasonably believes evidences a violation of a law, rule or regulation; gross mismanagement; gross waste of funds; an abuse of authority; or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety (if such disclosure is not barred by law and such information is not specifically required by Executive Order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or the conduct of foreign affairs – if so restricted by law or Executive Order, the disclosure is only protected if made to the Special Counsel, the Inspector General, or comparable agency official);
- Take, fail to take, or threaten to take or fail to take a personnel action against an employee or applicant for exercising an appeal, complaint, or grievance right; testifying for or assisting another in exercising such a right; cooperating with or disclosing information to the Special Counsel or to an Inspector General; or refusing to obey an order that would require the individual to violate a law;
- Discriminate based on personal conduct which is not adverse to the on-the-job performance of an employee, applicant, or others; or
- Take or fail to take, recommend, or approve a personnel action if taking or failing to take such an action would violate a veterans’ preference requirement; and
- Take or fail to take a personnel action, if taking or failing to take action would violate any law, rule or regulation implementing or directly concerning merit system principles at 5 U.S.C. § 2301.
