Read this before you sign another petition. What makes a proper petition? And are they useful? We Americans love our petitions, but too many don’t understand how they work. A well-written petition, directed to the appropriate target, can be an important tool to create change, but it can’t stand alone. Our Constitution’s First Amendment guaranteesRead… Read more »
With Telework Week fast approaching on March 4th and the leaked memo from Yahoo CEO, Marissa Mayer, turning back the clock on workplace flexibility, it seems like a good time to comment on the twin concepts of “connection” and “innovation.” Whatever Mayer’s real motivation for wanting to bring the Yahoo workforce back into the office,Read… Read more »
By John Coombs, CFCM, DAWIA III As fiscal pressures rise, senior leaders across the federal government place additional emphasis on Firm-Fixed Price (FFP) contracts. A prime example is the Department of Defense “Better Buying Power” memoranda. FFP contracting is an important method to add simplicity and cost efficiency, but with respect to services, FFP contractingRead… Read more »
All year we’ve been talking about how low employee morale is plaguing agencies. Pay freezes, budget cuts and the partisan debate over the value of feds’ work has led to a steady decline in employee morale and an ebbing commitment. In fact, the Partnership for Public Service’s annual Best Places to Work survey saw employeeRead… Read more »
Do you like where you work? It seems like a simple question on the surface, but for agencies who are fighting for personnel, budgets and morale the question is gigantic. So every year the Office of Personnel Management goes out to agencies and asks that question. In the past few months OPM has asked 1.6Read… Read more »
In my last post, I wrote about disengaged, yet loyal, employees. I received several comments from readers and colleagues about the message contained in that article. Some wanted to know more about the personal experience that I included in the article, others questioned who would stay in a job that they didn’t enjoy, and severalRead… Read more »
The answer may be yes! Studies show that while most government employees are satisfied with their jobs, many are not actively engaged in the performance and quality of their work. Yet, a hearty 63% of those public sector workers say that they intend to stay in their positions long-term. Factors such as leadership effectiveness, performanceRead… Read more »
Do you ever feel like your workplace is being sabotaged? Well, it just might if any of your colleagues are adhering to a formerly classified Office of Strategic Services document, the “Simple Sabotage Field Manual.” America’s enemies will always innovate and the intelligence apparatus has always sought to evolve to counter changing threats. The sabotageRead… Read more »
Our recent June 29th derecho event, featuring lightening, thunder, rain, wind, trees falling, and power lines failing, has provided yet another opportunity for people in the Washington, DC area to experience what the Federal government calls “unplanned telework.” As it did when our area suffered through snowstorms and earthquakes, the government provided employees with theRead… Read more »
A recent report by the CBC has pegged the cost of federal public service absenteeism at $1B per year. According to the CBC story, the average public servant is taking 18 days a year in sick leave, double what their private sector counterpart does in that same year. While the story does discuss fairly obviousRead… Read more »