I recently read a blog that posed this question: Based on recent workforce trends, is the 40-hour work week considered part time for white-collar professionals? How does this play out among the federal workforce? What are the implications of these trends if true? – Two under-40 female Department of Energy employees (GS-9 and GS-13) LikeRead… Read more »
As was the case earlier this year when the White House and Congress went to the brink before finalizing a 2011 budget, government workers are again facing great uncertainty about their work and their future amid the high-stakes political negotiations over raising the debt limit. At this point, no one is saying what will happenRead… Read more »
Leadership development is an important investment in employees and a means to improve the performance of federal agencies. Considering the current budgetary constraints, there are a number of no-cost or low-cost training and development options that you can use to help educate and develop your managers and team members to fill in any gaps. AsRead… Read more »
This week’s question comes from a congressional staffer who’s frustrated by the unclear policies around sick leave and vacation days. I work on the Hill so the rules on sick days and vacation days may be different from the rest of the known universe. Despite asking our chief of staff in the beginning of theRead… Read more »
Dr. Thomas R. Frieden became the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry in June 2009, following a seven-year stint as New York City Health Department Commissioner. He has worked on tuberculosis issues in New York and India and spent 12Read… Read more »
What suggestions do you have for being an effective leader when you don’t have support from your leadership? – Federal manager (GS-15), U.S. Department of Homeland Security I commend you for wanting to grow as a leader and become more effective so that you can engage your team and have a positive effect on theirRead… Read more »
Alice Rivlin, an expert on fiscal and monetary policy, is a senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution. She was founding director of the Congressional Budget Office, served as the director of the Office of Management and Budget and was vice chair of the Federal Reserve. What are some of the key leadershipRead… Read more »
Staff turnover is as inevitable as death and taxes, and for government it looms on the horizon. According to the Office of Personnel Management projections, by the end of 2015 more than 50 percent of the 7,746 senior executives in place at the beginning of 2011 will have left government. As these executives leave theirRead… Read more »
Twitter, Facebook and other social media tools have been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons this past week given the news about Rep. Anthony Weiner and his online liaisons. While this news can be enough to scare federal employees away from social media, digital communication is a potential tool that often times canRead… Read more »
Dr. Patrick Gallagher is the director of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where he helps promote the advancement of measurement science, standards and technology. He previously served as the agency’s deputy director, as well as the director of the NIST Center for Neutron Research. He also worked asRead… Read more »