Workforce

• Two hour delay for federal employees to dig out

  Federal employees in the Washington D.C. area have some extra time, if needed, to get to work this morning. The Office of Personnel Management announced a two-hour delay for those feds after snow and ice blanketed the area last night. The Baltimore Federal Executive Board has announced that agencies under its purview are closed.

  Workforce

  January 27, 2011
• Snowstorms Inspire Telework Talk

  Every time it snows in Washington people in high places rediscover the joys of teleworking. So what are the odds you will be working from home in the next couple of years? Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says don\'t sell your car just yet.

  Mike Causey

  January 27, 2011
• Unions to try to turn tide of negativity against feds

  Federal employee unions are preparing themselves for what could be a legislative battle over federal spending and job cuts. AFGE will lead a nationwide effort to change the conversation about the financial and social impact of federal employees. AFGE\'s president says verbal attacks against feds are the worst he\'s ever seen and he is disappointed that lawmakers aren\'t doing more to stop them.

  Pay & Benefits

  January 26, 2011
• Postal Service greening saving millions

  The Postal Service\'s sustainability measures are cutting energy usage across the board, and resulting in lower costs.

  Budget

  January 26, 2011
• OPM moves into the next phase of hiring reform

  Angela Bailey, the official leading the reform training teams, said phase one of the effort was successful. She plans to release new tools to help agencies even more.

  Budget

  January 25, 2011
• Innovation From OPM’s Basement

  Part of \"The Need for the Next Generation\" special report, the Office of Personnel Management is creating an innovation lab in its basement to test different workplaces and work styles.

  Workforce

  January 24, 2011
• Introduction: The need for the next generation

  The federal government faces a growing number of workers eligible for retirement. At the same time, agencies are seeing its newest workers leaving in the largest numbers. What are agencies doing to bring in the next generation of federal workers?

  Hiring/Retention

  January 24, 2011
• Telework is about to change your agency

  The recent passage of the Telework Enhancement Act substantially changes the status of telework throughout government. But how? We get details from Dr. Scott Overmyer, author of a new study.

  Federal Drive

  January 24, 2011
• ‘What, me worry’ Teleworkforce

  When feds walk out the door, sometimes security goes out the window.

  Technology

  January 24, 2011
• Agency Tip 4: Make new hires feel welcome

  Part of \"The Need for the Next Generation\" special report, NASA\'s Toni Dawsey explains how the space agency revamped its onboarding program for new hires.

  Hiring/Retention

  January 24, 2011
• Agency Tip 2: Provide career development

  Part of \"The Need for the Next Generation\" special report, the VA Acquisition Academy\'s internship program develops future contracting professionals through rigorous classes, job rotations and leadership development.

  Budget

  January 24, 2011
• VTC Opens New Hailing Channels Between Congress and Military Field Commanders

  Amidst all the other turbulence on Capitol Hill last year, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) was renovating - on a scale not seen in over fifty years. That project brought two hearing rooms into the twenty-first century, replacing bare-bones 1960-vintage microphones and equipment with state-of-the-art audio and video systems. This new gear provided the Committee with greatly-improved capability to broadcast hearings and markups, and added new powerful features as well. The new setup includes multi-function touch screens for members at their places on the dais, which lets them follow Floor action, quickly access PowerPoint, memos and documents presented during hearings, get messages, and pull up additional reference materials. But the biggest change is the new video teleconferencing built into the system. \"Tandberg CODEC gear with multipoint capabilities can be routed to these Committee rooms as required. The House of Representatives\' Recording Studio coordinates all our inbound and outbound broadcast and teleconference requirements ,\" explained a senior committee staffer who spoke with us on background. \"That now allows HASC Members to speak directly with forward-deployed military units or commanders as the situation might require.\" Staff are confident that use of this VTC capability will increase as a complement to Congressional Delegation (CODEL) field trips. \"On a VTC, you can talk to a few people and a couple of field commanders. When members go on CODELS, they talk to hundreds of people, from generals to field specialists. VTC can\'t replace that spontaneous interaction, but it does mean that, in an urgent situation or on very short notice, the members can speak face-to-face with forward-deployed commanders who might not otherwise be easily accessible, or are too far away to travel easily and quickly to Capitol Hill.\" All 62 committee members can access the system at once, but it can also be used by just one or two at time. \"The members are still getting used to new technologies, but with every election cycle the HASC - members as well as staff -- get more comfortable with using these new capabilities.\"

  Technology

  January 23, 2011
• Fed membership in unions declines slightly

  Union membership has declined across the board in 2010 despite a substantial rise in public sector union workers compared to their private sector counterparts.

  Pay & Benefits

  January 21, 2011
• Eliminating the Federal Career Intern Program

  The Federal Career Intern Program (FCIP) has been eliminated. What comes next and how will it affect those already in the program? These questions and more are answered on this week\'s FEDtalk. January 21, 2011

  FEDtalk

  January 21, 2011