After a long career of serving your nation enjoy the great retirement benefits that comes with federal service. New Federal civilian employees who have retirement coverage are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). FERS provides retirement benefits from three different sources: a Basic Benefit Plan, Social Security, and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). While the social security portion is self-explanatory, the Basic Benefit Plan is a pension, or defined benefit plan.  This provide employees guaranteed income for life when they retire.  It is based on factors such as the employee’s salary and years of service.  In the private sector are rare and have been largely replaced by defined-contribution plans.  A simple calculation of the annual pension is:

Average of Highest 3 Salaries x Numbers of Years Worked x 1.1% = Annual FERS Pension.

The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is similar to a traditional 401(k) plan. Your agency will contribute 1% of your salary whether or not you choose to make any contributions to the plan. They will match the first 3% of basic pay you contribute each pay period dollar for dollar. Each dollar of the next 2% of basic pay will be matched 50 cents on the dollar. If you contribute 5% of your salary you will receive agency matching contributions of 4% each pay period. This means the equivalent of 10% of your basic pay will be saved toward your retirement each pay period (5% of your Employee Contribution + 4% Agency Matching Contributions + 1% Agency Automatic Contribution = 10% in your TSP account). Best part of it all is that you are immediately vested in the matching contributions.

Be position for success.  Our employees have the opportunity to take leadership courses both online and in the classroom.  Additionally, district employees have access to free courses in topics such as Accounting, Mathematics, Marketing, Human Resources, MS-Office, Crystal Reports,  Software Design, Cisco Certifications,  Microsoft Certifications, Oracle Certifications, and many more.  All of this training prepares our employees to be successful in their dream role within the organization when the opportunity presents itself.

According to a 2014 Gallup poll, the average work week for a salaried worker is 49 hours per week.  The Jacksonville District recognizes that having the proper work-life balance produces a healthier, happier, and more productive and engaged employee.  Most district employees enjoy 40-hour work weeks.  Additionally, we offer a flexible work schedule which allow you to build a custom 40 hour per week work schedule if you are present within core business hours which are currently between 09:00 AM to 3:00PM.  Employees can come in as early as 06:30AM or as late as 09:00AM at their leisure.  And if you have worked a typical 8-hour workday you are free to leave as early as 3:00PM.  This gives you flexibility in scheduling doctor appointments, getting the kids to and from school, attending practices, sleeping in late, or beating rush hour traffic and getting home early.

In addition to flexible work schedules, the Jacksonville District also offers telework opportunities. Telework is a benefit of federal employment that allows you to work from home or another convenient location.

Vacation, vacation, vacation!  Get paid while relaxing!  New federal employees enjoy 13 days of paid vacation per year, and your number of vacation days increases with your length of service up to a total of 26 days per year. That's over 5 weeks of paid vacation to spend at one of those beaches you helped re-nourish.

Take care of yourself and your family.  You receive 13 days of paid sick leave each year regardless of length of service.  There is no limit to the amount of sick leave you can accumulate over time.  Sick leave can be used for any of your own medical needs, to take care of anyone in your family, and if you are having a child or are going through an adoption process.

Get Paid while bonding with your new child! As of October 1, 2020, the Federal Employees Paid Leave Act (FEPLA) provides 12 weeks of PAID parental leave following the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child for federal employees. The law applies to both new mothers and fathers.

Take a holiday!  As a matter of fact, take ten.  Federal employees receive 10 days of paid holidays per year. On MLK, Presidents, Columbus, and Veterans Day you can call up you private sector friends and tell them how the sand feels between your toes while they are knee deep in spreadsheets.

Create a schedule that works with the realities of your life.  With supervisory approval, our employees may fulfill their 80-hour biweekly work requirement in eight or nine days, vary their daily arrival and departure times, and earn credit hours to be used in lieu of vacation days.  With the combination of compressed work schedules and flexible work schedules and hours you are sure to be able to find create a schedule to fit your needs.

Compressed Work Schedules: 

Four Day Week: Full-time employees work 10 hours a day, 40 hours a week, and 80 hours a biweekly pay period.

5/4-9 Compressed Plan: Allows full-time employees to work eight 9-hour days and one 8-hour day for a total of 80 hours in a biweekly pay period.  This provides the employee the opportunity to have a three day weekend once in a biweekly pay period without having to use vacation hours.

Flexible Work Schedules and Hours: Allow an employee to complete an 80-hour biweekly basic work requirement by determining his or her own schedule within the limits set by the agency.  An FWS consists of workdays with core hours and flexible hours. Core hours are the designated period of the day when all employees must be present for work. Flexible hours are the part of the workday when employees may (within limits or "bands") choose their time of arrival and departure (i.e., starting and stopping work time). Sounds confusing, but that's what examples are for: 

Example 1: An agency allows employees to elect to work a maxiflex work schedule and to telework. An employee can complete the biweekly work requirement in less than 10 days.  The maxiflex schedule is comprised of core hours on each Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (excluding a 30-minute unpaid lunch break) and flexible time bands allowing employees to start their workday as early as 6:00 a.m. and complete their workday as late as 6:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday.  In response to COVID-19, the agency has decided to expand its flexible time bands to allow greater flexibility for its employees. The agency will expand its flexible bands in the evening to allow employees to work until 10:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday with the same core hours requirement. An employee participates in an agency’s maxiflex work schedule and typically begins the workday at 7:00 a.m., working an 8-hour day (plus a 30-minute unpaid lunch break), and ending the workday at 3:30 p.m. Under the expanded maxiflex schedule, the employee can change his or her work schedule to 11:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, completing an 8-hour workday without the need to take leave or other time off.

Example 2: Normal Flexible Hours: Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Expanded Flexible Hours under COVID-19: Monday through Saturday, 5:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight

Core day/hours: Thursdays, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

An agency is allowing employees to telework full-time in response to COVID-19.  The agency has also established a maxiflex work schedule to provide maximum flexibility for those employees affected by COVID-19.  The agency’s maxiflex schedule will have core hours on each Thursday from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. and flexible time bands available from 5:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight on Monday through Saturday.  An employee, teleworking full-time, participates in the maxiflex work schedule.  The employee is unable to work Monday through Wednesday. Due to the expanded flexible hours, the employee can complete the 80-hour biweekly work requirement on Thursday through Saturday without needing to take leave or other time off.