Workforce

  • The Federal Protective Service is putting posters in 9,000 federal buildings this week, along with a special toll-free hotline, urging federal workers to report suspicious activity.

    December 08, 2010
  • The Defense Acquisition University has launched the first ever Department of Defense casual games site. Games Czar Alicia Sanchez explains.

    December 08, 2010
  • Open Season 2010 is quickly coming to a close. December 13 is the last day for feds to make changes to their health care plans. David Snell from the National Active & Retired Federal Employees group joins us to talk about the best health plan deals for feds and retirees. December 8, 2010

    December 07, 2010
  • Carol Bonasaro, the president of the Senior Executive Association, says the public unpopularity of federal employees created a trying year for federal managers.

    December 06, 2010
  • The incoming chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee doesn\'t find much good in the new telework act.

    December 03, 2010
  • Federal employees now can use up to 26 weeks of sick leave for unpaid Family and Medical Leave Act under certain conditions.

    December 03, 2010
  • The National Defense University has two primary campuses: North Campus in Washington, DC and the South Campus located in Norfolk, Va. But their students are all around the world, and thanks to the NDU iCollege, they don\'t miss out on anything, from guest speakers to special lectures. From U.S. DoD Combatant Commands (COCOMS) stationed around the world, and students from Hawaii to Sweden, the NDU iCollege\'s video teleconferencing capabilities allow NDU to share their resources and courses more broadly. Installed in July 2009, the NDU iCollege maintains a telepresence room equipped with a speaker lectern with interactive capabilities and 18 separate workstations with video teleconferencing screens. \"When we decided to purchase the system, it took several months to get approval and to work through security issues,\" Jolly Sienda, Outreach Professional at the NDU iCollege said. \"Now, we can see the benefits of video teleconferencing usage with our students and stakeholders.\" In the past year and a half, NDU iCollege has continued to incorporate their telepresence capabilities into various areas of the university, and seen the benefit not only to their mission, but also to their bottom line. \"For example, the capability of having a guest speaker from Washington, D.C., talk to students in Sweden without travel costs is a tremendous cost savings,\" Sienda said in an e-mail to Federal News Radio. \"We\'ve done this twice this year and we are planning other video teleconferences next year.\" It also allows the college to provide expert faculty speakers in off-site courses, Sienda said, without having to send faculty off campus. In early 2010, the college conducted meetings with academic partners in Singapore to plan a cybersecurity conference. Even basic coordination and planning between the university\'s two campuses is made easier. The NDU iCollege uses a Polycom RPX HD system, Sienda says, which further diminishes the sense of distance. \"When we are able to connect two teleconference systems, the result is very high quality, almost like you are together in person,\" Sienda said. The iCollege continues to find new uses for its telepresence room, most recently adding students in Hawaii. \"Our use of telepresence continues to grow as the adoption of the technology grows throughout the Federal government and particularly within the Department of Defense,\" Sienda said. \"This is a powerful tool for information sharing and networking with the college\'s students and stakeholders.\"

    December 03, 2010
  • How can a Defense Department analyst hold a last-minute meeting with three other analysts in three different locations around the world? Well, if they\'re one of the over 380,000 Defense employees using Defense Connect Online, it\'s as simple as turning on a video camera and starting a session. Defense Connect Online (DCO) is the Defense Information Systems Agency\'s second video teleconferencing system by which users web conference using video cameras at their desk or laptop. DCO is available DoD-wide. The technology is being applied by senior-level leaders, agency employees, and service members alike, according to Colonel Brian Hermann, chief of the Net-Centric Enterprise Services branch. Managed in conjunction by Carahsoft Technology Corp. and Adobe Systems Incorp., DCO consists of a multiuser text chat and instant messaging, as well as web conferencing using Adobe Connect. DISA first awarded the contract in 1997. Aside from allowing program leaders and employees in different locations to hold discussions from their desks, DCO has also been incorporated into DISA\'s telework strategy. \"DCO has enabled our telework program to thrive, allowing DISA employees to fully participate in meetings, no matter where they are located,\" Hermann said. It allows off-site employees to \"participate fully in small-group meetings, including the use of whiteboarding and sharing presentations.\" Last year, DISA extended the service to non-DoD agencies and federal partners who work with the DoD. \"The greatest challenge online is balancing security with sharing,\" Hermann said. \"We solve that by allowing other federal government members to have accounts on our DCO services.\" With the expansion, federal employees with .gov email addresses can also create DCO accounts to further collaborate with DoD mission partners. The system has been widely incorporated across the DoD, and is adding approximately 4,500 new users each week, Hermann said. \"DCO is also currently being used by DoD service members to hold impromptu meetings for situational awareness,\" Hermann said. \"We have moved from simply cost benefits to command and control and operational capabilities.\"

    December 03, 2010
  • The rationale behind the site was to serve as a place where professionals in the Acquisition workforce could go to play games that were related to the \"core competencies\" that are central to Acquisition.

    December 03, 2010
  • The federal CIO Vivek Kundra will roll out specifics about the administration\'s plan to change the way agencies buy and manage technology. The administration wants to give CIOs more authority over the budget for commodity IT such as e-mail or infrastructure. Kundra also said 2012 budget request will include requirements for continuous monitoring of agency networks.

    December 03, 2010
  • John Gage AFGE National President Lawrence Mishel President, Economic Policy Institute Roger Hickey Co-Director, Campaign for America\'s Future Joseph Swerdzewski Former General Counsel, Federal Labor Relations Authority

    December 02, 2010
  • WFED\'s Jason Miller discusses OMB\'s plans to change IT acquisition and management.

    December 02, 2010
  • Washington said he wants to pursue work in the commercial aviation industry.

    December 02, 2010
  • Walt Francis, editor of Checkbook\'s Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees, joins FEDtalk to discuss the major changes for federal employees to their FEHBP health, vision and dental plans. December 3, 2010

    December 02, 2010