At my job in the 1900s (you guess the decade), my supervisor told us that she wouldn’t approve our working from home anymore. That was too bad, because I always accomplished much more from my den than I did in the office. I didn’t have the distractions, and amazingly, I had the discipline to to… Read more »
Public sector agencies need to be more flexible in embracing and implementing smart work flexibility programs (work flex) for all eligible employees in 2015. Put simply, work flex saves time and money while increasing employee engagement, performance and productivity, as well as morale and overall job satisfaction, among other things (see list below). Work flex… Read more »
‘Home. The Final Frontier In Employment’. Okay. I could not resist a nerdy reference (Star Trek’s ‘The Final Frontier’). – Now that I got it out of my system… Most of us fight traffic, daily. Whether by car, on a congested highway. Or, by crowded bus. Antiquated train… Even by bicycling. We might have a… Read more »
This week, the Washington Metropolitan area[1] experienced its first snow of 2015. From the moment the snow was forecast until it actually arrived, the Washington, D.C. media was abuzz. The “First Snow of the Year” was reported before the convening of the new Congress and before the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. An early morning… Read more »
On Monday morning I woke up to the horrible news that the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital nurse diagnosed with the Ebola virus over the weekend was a 2010 graduate of Texas Christian University. As a Fort Worth resident, proud TCU alum, and daughter of a recently retired nurse, the news hit home. I also had… Read more »
As a teleworker for over twenty-five years, I know the pros and cons of working out of your home. All of the advantages of telecommuting are really dependent on the ability to do it wisely. Confession: When I first started I worked out of my basement. To set the focus, I would walk out the… Read more »
Government increasingly advocates for enhanced telework opportunities within the federal space. However, according to a 2013 report on telework in the federal government, many employees face management resistance when attempting to work remotely. This isn’t really surprising. Teleworking has gotten a bad rap for decreasing productivity, disrupting work routines, and creating security issues. The recent Patent… Read more »
By Charmaine Richman, PhD, Program Manager With Labor Day weekend over, it’s full steam ahead for government agencies and those who support them. For some, telework will be part of the mix as teams manage the fiscal year-end rush. Recently I started supporting a federal agency where telework is encouraged and systems are in… Read more »
On GovLoop Insights’ DorobekINSIDER: Technology is an enabler. It gives us the ability to harvest big data, mobilize in ways unknown to previous generations, and shows us the means to improve every aspect of society. But that’s all. It just gives us the means, not the action. Find out how to take the next step…. Read more »
3 Common Office Dilemmas By Tracey Batacan I remember walking into my Mom’s office when I was younger and noticing how much space and serenity she had at work. She could focus on multiple projects without disruption as well as close the door her office to keep noise levels at a minimum. Fast forward to… Read more »
Innovation is one of our generation’s greatest strengths. It is especially necessary for government workers to harness that drive for innovation while working towards a better future. IBM is aiding this creativity by placing a high value on innovation in their latest plan for 2015 investments. CEO Ginni Rometty announced that IBM is investing $4… Read more »
Hi Greetings from the UK ! In the UK we use a number of project methodologies – PRINCE 2 (A method developed by Computer IT groups in Central Government and now regarded as the standard for Project Management(very popular in the UK)) APM Tools(A set of 50+ Knowledge areas governed by APM)-useful principles around project… Read more »
We are pleased to announce that we are now accepting nominations for the 2015 TOC Awards. Be sure to take time now to nominate the outstanding individuals and work teams in our TOC community by Friday, April 3, 2015. The Award Categories are as follows: • Spencer Logan Leadership Award: The Spencer Logan Leadership Award… Read more »
We’ve committed to an Agile approach. We use Scrum for our AppDev & GIS teams and kanban for our Records group. Our goal is to deliver what the customer wants quickly – whether this the work is proactive or responsive. Our CIO suggested that we consider Agile techniques over 3 years ago. It make it… Read more »
