Workforce Rights/Governance
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The House passed the VA Accountability Act of 2015, which would give the Veterans Affairs Department the power to remove or demote a VA employee based on misconduct or performance.
July 30, 2015 -
Whistleblowers told a House committee that managers at the Environmental Protection Agency turned a blind eye to allegations of sexual harassment for more than a decade.
July 30, 2015 -
'Tis the season. Election season that is. And that means it's time to brush up on the Hatch Act. The 1939 law prohibits certain federal employees from engaging in some forms of political activity. But does it apply to you? In this week's Legal Loop, Debra Roth, a partner at the law firm Shaw, Bransford and Roth, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with some tips for how to stay out of trouble at work during election season.
July 30, 2015 -
If you want more time off in your next life, consider running for Congress, says Senior Correspondent Mike Causey.
July 30, 2015 -
The House has a number of bills on its calendar this week that, if enacted, could have significant impacts on federal employees and their dependents.
July 28, 2015 -
Senior Correspondent Mike Causey asks, do journalists just like to kick “bureaucrats?" Or, are they just too lazy to check job comparisons given to them by think tanks with a philosophical axe to grind?
July 28, 2015 -
The Internal Revenue Service has holes that look like Swiss cheese all throughout its business operations. Appropriations at the IRS are down nearly 7 percent over the last four fiscal years. And Congress won't likely pass an appropriations bill that comes close to the $13 billion President Barack Obama requested for the IR-S in fiscal 2016. Staff at the agency's Human Capital Office, Office of Chief Counsel, and Small Business -Self Employed Division has already been cut by 16 to 30 percent. Jay McTigue is director of tax issues for the Government Accountability Office's strategic issues team. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose how years of budget cuts are affecting the IRS.
July 27, 2015 -
So, you are definitely, maybe, maybe not, one of the 22 million current, retired, or former feds who’ve been hacked. That's about everybody in the states of Florida and Arkansas, says Senior Correspondent Mike Causey. Now what?
July 23, 2015 -
Postal Service employees know the effects of a major cyber breach all too well. Hackers stole personally identifiable information for more than 800,000 employees back in November 2014. But the USPS Inspector General said the agency from the top to bottom wasn't prepared for the attack. Aron Alexander is the IT audit director in the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Postal Service. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose that the agency doesn't have the staffing and the resources to handle cybersecurity functions.
July 22, 2015 -
The USPS is one of the government's giant operations, says Senior Correspondent Mike Causey. The amount of mail traffic it handles, and the distance it will haul a letter for 49 cents puts other national postal services to shame.
July 22, 2015 -
Once all the votes are tallied, the President-elect's transition team has only 77 days to learn everything it can from the outgoing administration on matters ranging from national security to personnel staffing.
July 21, 2015 -
Engagement and commitment scores for agency senior executives are at nearly 82 percent. But for employees it's just 60 percent. That's according to an analysis of the 2014 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey and Best Places to Work data from the Partnership for Public Service and Deloitte. Of the respondents, 79 percent of SES members said promotions at their agencies are based on merit. Just 30 percent of other employees agreed. Bob Tobias is a professor for the Key Executive Leadership Program at American University. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose that senior managers don't understand what their employees think of them.
July 20, 2015 -
Recruiting new talent at the National Cemetery Administration is getting faster now because the agency has focused on streamlining its hiring process. NCA is using data analytics to help it hire the right people quickly. 80 percent of NCA's recruitment gets done in about 60 days. Dissatisfaction with traditional outlets like USAJobs.gov means some agencies often look for other approaches to the hiring process. Tim McManus is vice president for education and outreach at the Partnership for Public Service. He tells In Depth guest host Jared Serbu that other agencies can learn from these best practices -- mainly by making better use of data.
July 16, 2015 -
Elevators, curb cuts, automatic doors — all things most of us have taken for granted in the last 25 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. For able-bodied people, it makes our days more convenient. But for those with disabilities, ADA provides crucial access to aspects of everyday life. Judy Heumann is the State Department's special advisor for international disability rights. She was on the front lines fighting for people with disabilities over 40 years ago, and now she's doing it at the global level. She joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with more on the anniversary celebrations.
July 16, 2015 -
Before you spend one more day wishing you were anything but a GS whatever-you-are, wherever-you-work, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says, consider one word: Pluto.
July 16, 2015