Posts Tagged: public service

How Much is That…

…doggy in the window (arf! arf!) The one with the waggley tail (you’ll be humming that for the remainder of the day now, won’t you). Our focus in this post, though, is not on cuddly canines, rather it’s on the value of public services. Unlike private service whose value is often determined by whether theyRead… Read more »

Your Top Public Speaking Questions — Answered

This is the third installment in a three-part series covering GovLoop’s virtual training event on effective public speaking. The first installment collected the top tricks for improving your public speaking, while the second installment provided lessons for repurposing your emotions to help deliver a stronger speech. Public speaking can often seem like a solitary occupation.Read… Read more »

Surviving the Next Skill Wave as Public Employees

NPR recently posed the following question: Do we all need to learn how to code software? According to the article, both Democrat and Republican leaders have expressed a desire to make programming a core skillset, placing it on equal footing with reading, math, and foreign language training. “Becoming literate in code is as essential toRead… Read more »

Shutdown Ramifications (Part II): 3 Hidden Costs to Federal Workforce

Now that a semblance of normality has returned to Washington it’s time to ask an important question: What are the shutdown’s costs to the federal workforce? We know the tangible costs in terms of dollars. But what about the hidden costs which are more difficult to measure? In addition to lost economic productivity and America’sRead… Read more »

Predictive Firefighting

While using predictive software to help law enforcement is a new trend, modeling and forecasting wildfires has been around for decades. This year’s forest fire season is off to a violent start, and we already see many of these analytical tools in play in New Mexico, which has its largest forest fire in history burnRead… Read more »

J. David Cox honored with prestigious public service award

The American Federation of Government Employees’ National Secretary-Treasurer J. David Cox received the prestigious 2012 Yitzhak Rabin Public Service Award at a dinner in his honor on Wednesday, May 9, 2012. The award was presented by the American Friends of the Yitzhak Rabin Center (AFYRC) and honors those whose work reflects the legacy of theRead… Read more »

Showing Appreciation for Our Public Servants

This week we have been celebrating Public Service Recognition Week. And this year, it seems more important than ever that we highlight public servants who are doing great work. In recent weeks, we have all seen a bombast of news stories about wasteful spending at the General Services Administration (GSA), corruption at the Transportation SecurityRead… Read more »

A Budget of Austerity – A Public Servant’s Guide to Survival

Social Connect via: With the release of the federal budget on March 29, 2012, a sigh of relief could be heard all across Ottawa as the full extent of spending cuts and lay-offs were revealed. The cuts to Departments were lower than expected with most Departments being asked to find 5-6% in savings with variationsRead… Read more »

Share your public service war stories online anonymously

Everyone has war stories, observations and experiences working in or dealing with government agencies or departments. These aren’t necessarily whinges or complaints, they may be positive or learning experiences, or examples of where small changes could lead to large productivity gains. Previously there was’t really any way to share these stories, except by speaking withRead… Read more »