Federal Report

  • How do you improve diversity in government when personnel budgets are being cut and the largest, and most diverse agency plans to slash its workforce, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey wonders. The answer: Creative accounting and buyouts.

    August 23, 2011
  • Tired of the steady stream of news and speculation about pay freezes, buyouts, layoffs, watered-down pensions and eroding benefits? Take a break. Look around you and be amazed because it\'s time, and there is no escape for you, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. The thongs are coming!

    August 22, 2011
  • Federal workers won\'t be getting a pay raise in January but federal retirees are likely to get a cost of living adjustment in the neighborhood of 3.5 percent ... So what\'s to prevent people from retiring to get their COLA? Mike Causey explains why it won\'t work.

    August 19, 2011
  • Chances are your federal agency is going to be down-sized or right-sized in the very near future, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. So what does that mean? And how to you keep your head (and your job) while all this is going on?

    August 18, 2011
  • Federal Times senior writers Steve Losey and Sean Reilly look at the laundry list of hits feds and retirees may be asked to take and what it would mean to your time in government, your pay and your pension.

    August 17, 2011
  • Thanks to the pay freeze and an increasingly hostile Congress, many federal and postal workers said they\'d retire in a heartbeat if Uncle Sam would make them an offer, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey reports. So what are the odds...

    August 17, 2011
  • What do you do when your paycheck comes up short, to the tune of 50 percent short. It\'s happening to some federal workers, but there is a life-line, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.

    August 16, 2011
  • If you\'re a typical federal worker, your 401k plan balance is nearly $10,000 higher than your neighbor who doesn\'t work for Uncle Sam. So how did this happen, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey wonders. Are you lucky, smart, or both?

    August 15, 2011
  • Getting and keeping a security clearance is vital in a growing number of federal jobs. And useful when feds retire and go into the private sector. But are those all-important clearances going to be harder to get, and keep in the future? Senior Correspondent Mike Causey explains. (This column was originally published on July 13, 2011.)

    August 12, 2011
  • When times were good having a federal job was nice. When the going got tough, having a federal job was golden. But next, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says, comes the political backlash to the point where many feds are having second thoughts about their career goals.(Editor\'s Note: This column originally appeared July 15, 2011.)

    August 11, 2011
  • Federal employees at the Federal Dispute Resolution Conference in Palm Desert, Calif., this week are learning the latest HR techniques and earning credentials to further their careers. No matter the exotic locale and the scorching temperatures, the feds are here to learn, not play. Still, it pays to have an impartial observer on hand, and that\'s where Senior Correspondent Mike Causey comes in.

    August 10, 2011
  • Federal, military and Social Security retirees were delighted last month when it appeared they were on track for a January cost of living adjustment of around 3.3 percent, but Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says living costs are down, believe it or not, and the COLA may be in danger of stalling. (This column originally appeared July 18, 2011.)

    August 09, 2011
  • Is there life beyond the Beltway? Or, do those clowns in D.C. have any idea what they are doing? How well, or not, is your Washington headquarters working with your field operation. Does anybody have a clue what\'s going on. Check out our Talk Back to Washington series that starts today, senior correspondent Mike Causey says.

    August 08, 2011
  • What are the financial prospects for the 4,000 furloughed FAA employees and for other feds who might be temporarily laid off when Congress gets back to inaction? Senior correspondent Mike Causey says there are $1,000 no-interest loans coming next week.

    August 05, 2011