Get the ER expertise your agency needs — when you need it, for as long as you need it.

Overview

When conduct or performance issues arise, you need answers fast and the confidence that every step is procedurally sound. OPM’s Employee Relations (ER) consulting services gives your agency on-demand access to experienced employee relations specialists—whether you’re short on capacity, navigating a complex case, or have no dedicated ER staff at all.

Our guidance is strictly advisory. You make every decision, set every policy, and take every final action. We help you get there with confidence.

What you get

Partner with us to operate as your ER office or as overflow when your team is stretched. We can step in if your caseload exceeds capacity, a staff conflict requires recusal, or a situation demands specialized expertise, protecting both employee and supervisor rights at every step.

For cases that fall outside routine HR work, our specialists know the regulatory landscape and can translate it into actionable next steps for your team. With our support, your agency can:

• Distinguish between performance and conduct issues, and know what to do next.
• Prepare supervisors for counseling conversations and corrective actions.
• Stay compliant with the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 5 Part 432 (performance improvement plans) and Title 5 Part 752 (adverse actions).
• Ensure impartial investigations backed by defensible documentation.
• Understand relevant case law in plain language.

Scope of services

Performance and conduct consulting

Get clear, expert guidance on how to respond to misconduct and performance issues — including whether a proposed action is appropriate given the offense, the employee’s history, and applicable law. You make the call; we make sure you have what you need to make it confidently.

Letter drafting

Walk away with legally sufficient, ready-to-use letters — caution, counseling, reprimand, suspension, demotion, or removal — drafted alongside your legal counsel and reviewed for procedural accuracy before anything goes out the door.

Administrative investigations

When your agency needs an impartial investigation, we lead it. You get a thorough, properly scoped fact-finding process and a defensible record that holds up to scrutiny at every stage.

Conflict resolution support

Address workplace tensions before they become formal proceedings. We co-facilitate structured conversations that help your people resolve issues early, protecting your agency’s time and resources.