Human Resources

Rocking the State: Human Resources

In the last decade, technology has transformed business, media and education. Telecommuting and web conferencing are increasingly common solutions to the problem of expensive travel. New applications like Twitter and Facebook make it easier for people, businesses and brands to connect. Leaving aside the question of paper books, there are few reasons to mourn theRead… Read more »

Jackson on Court-Provided Trial Technology in Criminal Trials

Professor Sheryl Jackson of the Queensland University of Technology School of Law has published Court-Provided Trial Technology: Efficiency and Fairness for Criminal Trials, 39 Common Law World Review 219-249 (2010) (Issue No. 3). Here is the abstract: In Australia, trials conducted as ‘electronic trials’ have ordinarily run with the assistance of commercial service providers, withRead… Read more »

Why Do Employees Want to Quit?

There might be some good reasons to retain (or attempt to retain) employees after they’ve announced they want to leave their jobs. I guess it all depends on what motivated employees’ to declare their intentions in the first place. Find out the reasons why employees quit is a good way to figure out the collectiveRead… Read more »

Using 180 degree feedback instead of 360 degree feedback: Some ideas

360 degree assessments can make a big difference in employee development, but what if your organization is not ready for 360 feedback? Consider using 180-degree format: self + supervisor. 6 Key Reasons to Consider 180-degree feedback instead of 360: Reality check – allows the person being rated the benefit of comparing self-perception of strengths andRead… Read more »

Of Trees and Teleworking

In the past couple of weeks, the DC metro area was wracked by massive storms that compounded commuting woes (and split an apartment building in half). My commuting time more than doubled. Much–maligned power company Pepco featured two Flickr feeds documenting the storm damage and indirectly making a strong case for teleworking. In the daysRead… Read more »

Evaluation Factors for Sole-Source Negotiations – Any Purpose?

Ok, so those familiar with the Uniform Contract Format (UCF) know Section M is used for listing evaluation factors. I’ve only heard Section M being used for competitive proposals. However, my agency does a lot of sole sourcing. (There aren’t too many people competing to build subs). Here’s my question: Are there any advantages toRead… Read more »

It’s Time for Change: What Does It Take?

As a senior executive, sometimes it’s easier <and more appropriate> to delegate challenging and complex assignments to middle managers. Doing them yourself means having to set aside your long term projects to focus immediately and directly on the problems at hand, fabricating solutions on your own, making decisions on your own, and dealing with situationsRead… Read more »