People

OPM wants more teleworking

Teleworking by federal employees could increase by 50 percent under goals set by OPM, a new strategic plan released by the agency shows.

People

Gordon: Management demands tag along with rebuilding a workforce

Federal workforce managers have a delicate job of tending to their employees

People

How to scare away federal IT job seekers

FEMA and other agencies are trying new approaches to attracting IT talent, some with more success than others.

People

Senate bill would cap number of executive branch appointees

Sens. Russ Feingold and John McCain reintroduce legislation they say would cut spending and shrink bureaucracy by reducing the number of executive branch appointees.

People

A new way to think about favoritism in the workplace

Cartoonist John Klossner suggests that everyone just admit that favoritism exists -- and to acknowledge that not all favoritism is bad.

People

How to waste time and talent through acquisition training

Readers respond to blogger Steve Kelman's suggestion that the federal government take a hard look at the content of its acquisition training programs.

Cybersecurity

Are DHS contractors running amok?

Two heavyweights from the Senate want to know who is running the shop at the Homeland Security Department. And whoever it is, the department's inspector general would like to speak with them.

Cybersecurity

Recommended Reading

DARPA gets proactive about cybersecurity; Hollywood has a long history of making movies about hackers; and it might be time to rethink your approach to employee evaluations.

People

Franken amendment sparks debate about government's role in employee relations

Readers sound off on whether the government should withhold payment from companies that make employees sign arbitration clauses.

People

Are we wasting the talents of our new government contracting hires?

Blogger Steve Kelman was discouraged to hear how one agency is failing to leverage the skills of contractor staff.

People

Telework: From "What if…" to "What now?"

For longtime advocates of telework in government, February's Snowmageddon was a mess just waiting to happen.

People

Favoritism in the federal workplace: Wishful thinking or cold hard truth?

FCW readers take issue with a recent blog post suggesting that favoritism is not as prevalent as many feds think.

Modernization

Feds look for their avatars in 3-D

The Agriculture Department plans to acquire software that agencies across government can use to build its own virtual world for collaboration and training.

Modernization

Snowfuggedaboudit: Practical experience reveals telework isn't as easy as it sounds

Althogh this winter's record-breaking mid-Atlantic snowfall provided the perfect opportunity for telework to prove itself, some who tried it found that it's easier said than done.

People

Will telework gain traction after record snowfalls?

The heavy snows of the past week should put a greater commitment to telework on the government’s front burner, to judge from the comments posted to our coverage. But many seem to fear that entrenched opposition will cause any push toward telework to fade as quickly as the snow.

People

OPM's Berry discusses telework during government shutdowns

OPM Director John Berry fielded questions about telework during an online chat session today and said he was optimistic that the blizzard experience would drive home to agency leaders the importance of making telework possible.

Modernization

Government re-opens while feds talk telework in aftermath of blizzard

Now that severe weather in the nation's capital and elsewhere have provided ample opportunities for testing continuity-of-operations plans, federal employees have some thoughts.

People

Responsibility to telework?

One reader finds out that just because employees can telework doesn't mean they really will.

People

Teleworkers get the job done with a BlackBerry and car charger

It's a worst-case scenario for teleworkers — being caught in a blizzard with no electricity — but they find a lifeline in the form of their smart phone and a car charger.

Modernization

Feds brace for another storm

Another massive snowstorm threatens the Washington metropolitan area, overwhelms OPM's Web site, closes the federal government and sparks telework complaints.