Labor Day – that beautiful holiday in early September on one of the last summer weekends of the year that’s devoted to all of us in the American workforce. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, this holiday is “dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers,” and it “constitutes a yearly nationalRead… Read more »
Involvement in “extracurricular activities” at work is a good way to learn new skills, expand your network and boost your government career. Always make sure your supervisor signs off on your participation in such activities. Below is a list of 10 activities you should consider raising your hand to participate. Agency professional network: Most federalRead… Read more »
In a recent article written for Public Sector Digest, Micki Callahan, Human Resources Director for the City and County of San Francisco cited a committed to public service as a key trait for prospective employees. She points out that the public sector cannot always rival the private sector in terms of monetary compensation and otherRead… Read more »
How many ways do you interact with your coworkers during the day? Email, instant messenger, phone calls, texts, passive aggressive notes in the kitchen – chances are you use most of these every day. (Though hopefully not the passive aggressive notes!) Technology has gives us more and more tools to communicate with our coworkers without speakingRead… Read more »
Imagine a federal government with no managers, executives, supervisors, bosses or titles. Imagine a federal holocracy-an organization where authority and decision making are distributed through self-organizing teams rather than a hierarchy. One such organization that is making this “outside the box” approach work is Zappos, an online shoe and clothing company. You are probably thinkingRead… Read more »
Talk to an American Indian employee, a colleague with a disability, a person of two or more races or a Millennial and you will hear a common theme. They are some of the most disengaged employees in the federal government. The federal government has given up on these important constituencies so they have no alternativeRead… Read more »
Everybody makes everyday mistakes at work; we send out the wrong letter or jam the copier until it breaks. Although those mistakes aren’t fun, they are also not catastrophic. Epic mistakes are the ones that keep people up at night. An epic mistake can strike out of nowhere, and suddenly your whole world is inRead… Read more »
GSA is making it easier than ever to use one of its flagship portals, GSA Advantage!, with the addition of GSA AdvantageSelect: a money saving program that makes shopping for pre-competed IT commodities easier and faster.
Conflict is uncomfortable, sometimes unavoidable. Different personalities could make for a dynamic work environment. Tension is bound to occur when you spend 40-plus hours a week in the same place. You should self-evaluate before you start a verbal firestorm. Ask yourself how you contributed to the problem and what will you do differently to preventRead… Read more »
Last week, my post discussed observed declines in camaraderie across the past five decades in my office. I asked retirees and long-time employees to fill out a survey about their activities during the decades they’d been working here. This post will discuss the survey results and their thoughts on the decline of camaraderie.