Workforce Rights/Governance
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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 -
VA Accountability Act of 2015, would extend the probationary period for new employees to at least 18 months from the current 12. All employees would have a shorter window in which to appeal their firing or demotion.
July 15, 2015 -
Bridget Lynn Roddy, the Virtual Student Foreign Service program manager at the State Department, is nominated for a Service to America Medal.
July 15, 2015 -
The Office of Personnel Management has already announced plans to provide up to three years of identity theft protection for the more than 21 million people involved in its massive data breach. But several U.S. senators are saying that's not good enough. The Senate delegations from Maryland and Virginia are jointly sponsoring legislation that pay for protection services for breach victims for the rest of their lives — and grant them $5 million insurance policies against identity theft. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) is one of the sponsors. He tells In Depth guest host Jared Serbu that the services OPM's offering aren't enough.
July 14, 2015 -
Defense Secretary Ash Carter has ordered a six-month study aimed at formally ending one of the last gender- or sexuality-based barriers to military service, saying the Pentagon's current regulations banning transgender individuals from serving in the military need to be examined.
July 14, 2015 -
Ensuring effective office space accommodations for people with disabilities necessitates increased understanding of what accommodations really are, says the Labor Department's Jennifer Sheehy. And that starts with the words we use.
July 14, 2015 -
Is your government job a calling, just a living or a joke? Federal News Radio Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says for many long suffering feds laughter truly is the best medicine.
July 13, 2015 -
Budget cuts totaling $1.1 billion over the past five years impacted nearly every fact of the Internal Revenue Service's mission. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration says IRS officers answered 25 percent fewer taxpayer phone calls over past four years. And the agency closed 34 percent fewer cases. Computer network downtime topped nearly 66-thousand hours. Matthew Weir is an assistant IG for the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose about the kinds of work automated service collection contact representatives and field collection officers do and how it's suffered.
July 09, 2015 -
For the first time the Combined Federal Campaign will try to generate excitement and participation among that newest class of feds -- teleworkers. Federal News Radio Senior Correspondent Mike Causey explores.
July 09, 2015