Voices: Brittany Ballenstedt

Brittany Ballenstedt

Blogger

Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.

Results 1531-1540 of 1638

from govexec

FAA, union haggle over performance pay

May 31, 2007 A complicated formula used by the Federal Aviation Administration to calculate increases in pay ranges is detrimental to lower-level employees, a union leader charged Thursday. Jim Lenz, president of an American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees local that represents FAA employees, referenced a letter the union sent to ...

from govexec

Navy rolls out new workforce strategy

May 30, 2007 The Navy is implementing a new human capital strategy that focuses heavily on training and employee development, according to a top official. Anita Blair, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for total force transformation, said in an interview with Government Executive that the federal government must adapt to a changing ...

from govexec

Panel backs whistleblower rights for Defense contractors

May 29, 2007 A Senate panel last week approved a provision that would enhance whistleblower protections for Defense Department contract employees who report potential waste, fraud or abuse. The Senate Armed Services Committee passed the language as an amendment to the fiscal 2008 Defense authorization bill, during a closed markup session that ended ...

from govexec

OPM pushes Homeland Security to move on pay for performance

May 25, 2007 The Homeland Security Department should build on its personnel reforms by beginning to implement the pay-for-performance and job classification portions, the Office of Personnel Management argues in a new report. The report, issued May 1, assessed DHS' progress since April 12 on the performance management part of its new personnel ...

from govexec

Senate panel moves to scale back Pentagon personnel system

May 25, 2007 A Senate panel on Thursday approved language that would significantly limit the implementation of a controversial personnel system at the Defense Department and authorize a 3.5 percent 2008 pay raise for members of the military. In a markup of the fiscal 2008 Defense authorization bill that began Wednesday afternoon, the ...

from govexec

Union criticizes report backing NASA workforce flexibilities

May 24, 2007 A federal labor union has taken issue with some recommendations in a congressionally chartered organization's report on reshaping NASA's workforce to meet a new mission. In a May 21 letter to National Academy of Public Administration Fellow John G. Stewart, the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers highlighted a ...

from govexec

New job search site aims to enhance federal recruitment

May 23, 2007 An online job search company has unveiled a Web site dedicated to matching job seekers with opportunities in the federal government. WorkforAmerica.com, launched May 7 by CareerBuilder.com, aims to help expedite the federal government's recruitment process by connecting job candidates interested in public service with key federal agencies. To develop ...

from govexec

Lawmakers grill GAO chief over pay decisions

May 22, 2007 At a joint hearing Tuesday, members of House and Senate subcommittees overseeing the federal workforce questioned a compensation study Government Accountability Office chief David M. Walker used to make pay determinations. Walker has argued that the study by Watson Wyatt indicated some GAO analysts were overpaid, providing the grounds for ...

from govexec

Universities propose alternative to public service academy

May 21, 2007 Increasing collaborative research and public service training at universities may be the most effective way to groom and recruit talented students for federal jobs, the head of an educational association said last week. In a letter sent May 16 in response to newly introduced legislation to establish a public service ...

from govexec

Lawmakers hear concerns on potential health premium increases

May 21, 2007 Increased enrollment in consumer-directed health plans could result in higher premiums and reduced benefits for federal employees and retirees signed up for more comprehensive, traditional offerings, a witness told lawmakers at a hearing Friday. Alan Lopatin, legislative counsel for the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, told members of ...