The FY 2016 Budget: Details Worth a Look

The Administration’s FY 2016 budget proposal shows that it is committed to creating capacity and sustainability for performance-and-results based government. It’s all in the details. Beyond the dollars in the President’s budget, there are some details buried in congressional justifications that are worth examining. I think there are three sets of initiatives – that forRead… Read more »

Talkin’ Pretty: Design and Accessibility

We’ve got a new twist this week, folks. Since I’ve been blogging mostly about accessibility, I wanted to talk with someone who approaches accessibility from a different perspective than a subject matter expert. I met with a designer who works for a federal government agency and has a refreshing outlook on design and accessibility. SheRead… Read more »

11 Rules for Using Government Email

On Monday, the New York Times reported that Hillary Clinton may have violated federal records laws when she used her personal email to conduct all of her official State Department business during her four years as Secretary of State. Federal law states that certain emails written or received by federal employees become government records andRead… Read more »

Overseas Business Travel Is So Glamorous! Or Is It?

When I interview candidates for vacant Civil Service positions, at some point in the conversation, the candidate asks, “Will I have the opportunity to travel overseas?” Traveling internationally for work, whether you are in the public or private sector, can feel like a perk. Yet often the purpose of the trip is integral to your jobRead… Read more »

The Color of a Dress & Public Perception

What color is this dress?  Black and Blue? Gold and White?  Something else? Like thousands of others, you’ve probably already responded to the social media sensation about perception over the course of the last week. Did any of you get the correct answer? Perception is also incredibly important in the government community–not only to our employees, butRead… Read more »

The 13 Most Bizarre .Gov Domains

What does the U.S. government need with 5,300 domains? Because that’s how many there are on 18F’s complete list of .gov domains. There are plenty of oddball URLs that will have you scratching your head and wondering: What were they thinking? Some domains have no website in place. We’re left to guess—or Google—if these parked domains were registered for campaignsRead… Read more »

Workplace Violence/Harassment Policies

Better To Be Prepared… Than Being Accused of Not Being Responsive To… “Shhh… ! We don’t discuss this here. Besides, it will never happen..” What am I alluding to, here? Workplace Violence. Even though we are all familiar with the phrase “going postal,” does your agency have a formal, up-to-date, policy regarding this type of situation? How aboutRead… Read more »