Workforce

• Certain unconscious bias training is OK for federal contractors, Labor says

  Federal contractors can continue unconscious bias programs and still meet the demands of the president's recent executive order on diversity and inclusion training, Labor Department says, as long as programs don't touch on "white fragility" or "white privilege."

• NOAA Fisheries sail toward democratizing software development

  “Our organization has about 4,000 people scattered in about 50 locations. And thanks to COVID, it’s become 4,000 locations,” said Roy Varghese, the chief information officer at NOAA Fisheries.

• Return of federal workforce hits a rut, what’s the next step?

  Agencies and their contractors are starting to ask: What exactly is the future of federal work? SAIC surveyed people across government to get a feel for what they're thinking.

• Army getting some help keeping their troops in shape

  In today's Federal Newscast, the Army is embedding nutritionists, physical fitness experts and coaches into active duty brigades in hopes of increasing performance and cutting down on injuries.

• USDA stands up 500 data dashboards from executive brainstorming

  Nearly a year into the Trump administration’s Federal Data Strategy, agencies have taken big steps in making data analytics the foundation for executive decision-making.

• The $2,000 health premium surprise!

  Bottom line, if you do nothing, as per usual, expect to pay more. But with a little hustle you can pay much less.

• VA cooking up new guide of CX strategies, training institute for its own employees

  After several successful runs at customer experience pilots in recent years, the Department of Veterans will soon publish a CX best practices guide for other agencies..

• A federal employee’s guide to Trump and Biden’s 2020 campaign platforms

  With two weeks until the presidential election, Federal News Network reviewed the track records and campaign policies for President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. Here's where they stand on the issues important to federal employees, including pay, benefits and government oversight.

• Comparing Biden and Trump on defense issues as election nears

  Joe Biden is making promises to military families, while Trump is pointing to readiness gains as the election gets closer.

• Legislators hope to secure higher COLA for federal retirees

  In today's Federal Newscast, two House Democrats are introducing their own legislation that would give retirees a higher cost-of-living adjustment next year.

• FOIA officials confront pandemic challenges in meeting records requests

  The rush to mandatory telework in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic laid bare the state of agencies’ investment — or lack thereof — in IT infrastructure. That same lesson holds true for agency…

• Postal Service receives high praise from Gen Z’ers

  The Postal Service took a deep look at how Generation Z regards mail and whether it is even aware of USPS and the services it offers.

• Army will now assume soldiers are missing and not AWOL after multiple deaths this summer

  The purpose is to change the connotation around soldiers who do not report to duty and to actively look for them.

• USPS weathering the storm through 2020 election

  In today's Federal Newscast, the Postal Service reports an uptick in mail volume a few weeks ahead of Election Day, but on-time delivery is also on the rise.