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.

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Report Paints Bleak Picture of Federal Employment In Wake of Sequester

April 3, 2013 Federal employees in March were much more likely to report that their employer was letting workers go and reducing the size of the workforce -- a significant change since the budget sequester went into effect on March 1, according to a new analysis by Gallup. The analysis found that more ...

Sequestration and Budget Cuts Don't Have to Stymie Innovation

April 2, 2013 The majority of federal managers are dealing personally with tighter budgets, and most are not optimistic that their budget situation will be any better by 2015. But that doesn’t mean some aren’t already looking for innovative solutions, such as alternative funding approaches or new service methods, according to a new ...

Has the IT Salary Gender Gap Disappeared?

March 29, 2013 It’s no secret that women are grossly underrepresented in information technology jobs, with some reports indicating that there's still a glass ceiling when it comes to promotions out of junior or mid-level management positions. But a new report suggests that there is at least one area where men and women ...

Security Clearance Wait Times Improve, but Sequester Could Halt Progress

March 27, 2013 Wait times for final security clearances improved for the third straight year, with the majority of applicants receiving their clearance within four months, according to a new survey. The survey of more than 8,000 security-cleared personnel by ClearanceJobs.com found that 57 percent received their final security clearance within four months. ...

Management Fellows Aren't the Only Ones Who Need Help Finding Federal Jobs

March 26, 2013 Despite the federal government’s most recent efforts to overhaul the Presidential Management Fellows program and other programs designed to give agencies more flexibility in hiring students and recent graduates, many of these young applicants are still having a difficult time getting a government job. That’s why the Robertson Foundation for ...

It's Hard to Know Where to Turn During a Cyber Attack

March 25, 2013 If a chemical, biological or nuclear attack were to strike the United States, most would assume the government is the most capable entity to respond. But what about a cybersecurity attack? What industry would be best suited to respond? One expert argues that it all comes down to the war ...

Clearances Command Six-Figure Compensation Packages for IT Pros

March 22, 2013 It’s long been a trend that employees holding an active security clearance generally earn more than their non-cleared counterparts. Those salary figures are even higher for some security-cleared IT professionals, according to a new study. A survey of more than 16,300 security-cleared professionals by ClearanceJobs.com found that cybersecurity and other ...

New Study Shows IT Pay Decreased in Recent Years

March 20, 2013 Many reports have suggested that information technology workers in the private sector have fared much better than federal employees in the past few years when it comes to pay and benefits. But a new survey suggests the grass may not be greener on the other side. The 2013 IT Skills ...

CIOs Aren't Expecting to Grow Their Staffs This Spring

March 19, 2013 Most chief information officers are planning to hire IT staff this spring, but that does not mean the number of IT jobs is on the rise. The majority of CIOs say they’re not expecting to add new jobs, but rather planning to fill existing IT positions that open up in ...

Are You More Productive With a Tablet?

March 18, 2013 Tablets are becoming more and more popular at work, but do these tools really make employees more productive? A new post on GovLoop looks to get to the bottom of that question and whether agencies should supply tablets to their workforces or allow employees to bring their own devices. A ...