If you’re like most office worker-bees, you’re probably spending more time sitting at your desk than you spend in any other place, besides your bed. Do you like it? Clutter, poor ergonomics, and stifling work environments can all contribute to a workspace that can actually damage your health and well-being. While grand, sweeping changes mayRead… Read more »
I had a really great conversation with one of my coworkers the other day about the concept of “plain language” which really got me thinking about writing across all parts of government–local, state, federal… Here in the federal government, we talk about plain language–which is the idea that language should be easy to understand forRead… Read more »
On Monday, June 8, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a final memorandum mandating that all Federal websites implement HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure). By December of 2016, all Federal websites will need to implement HTTPS for all communications. Why the Mandate? Privacy, web communications, and encryption are certainly in theRead… Read more »
Meet Nicole Stillwell, one of our esteemed NextGen Public Service Awards finalists. As the Deputy Director of Digital Engagement for the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, Nicole has done outstanding work improving the way the government communicates to citizens in emergencies. Putting people first, Nicole is leading by serving those with the most need.
Keeping people’s attention is important for government communicators. When we tell a story, people need to remember more than one weird trick.
People move around a lot in the field of city and county management; I have an Outlook database that can prove it. And when the city manager or another leader leaves, it’s tempting for a government to try to have other staffers cover that work until someone new is hired. I think it’s almost alwaysRead… Read more »
Here at GovLoop we have a sweet spot for networking, so much that we dedicated an entire online training to it, titled, “Become a Networking Ninja: Tips to Better Networking”. As Catherine Andrews, GovLoop’s Director of Content puts it, “Networking is like the flour that raises the cake of your career; it makes the foundationRead… Read more »
The government provides numerous safeguards against gender discrimination in federal employment. However, those securities are often neglected or discarded by uninformed employees who don’t know their rights or how to access them within the government bureaucracy. Nicole Mason, Esq. hopes to change that by educating federally employed women about their rights. Mason serves as ViceRead… Read more »
It’s been a rough nine months for federal cybersecurity. The huge Office of Personnel Management (OPM) hack is just the latest in a series of incidents that make people skeptical of Washington’s ability to protect their personal information. Since last fall, we’ve witnessed hacks of the: OPM. Last week’s cybersecurity failure at OPM wasn’t its firstRead… Read more »
Rapport makes small talk HUGE! Taking the time and getting to know people speeds learning names and fosters active engagement, increasing productivity. Rapport is the glue that binds personal and professional relationships. It reinforces the concept that people prefer to do business with those they consider friends. Successful networking can be accomplished simply by exercising… Read more »