People

Griffin moves into deputy director spot at OPM

The Office of Personnel Management has announced that Christine Griffin has been confirmed in her appointment as deputy director of the agency.

People

Looking for new ways to attract young people to government

The Partnership for Public Service tries an interesting approach to filling entry-level jobs in critical areas, writes blogger Steve Kelman.

People

Insourcing talk reignites debate about cost of government services

Acquisition officials wrestle with how to calculate overhead costs in public/private comparisons.

People

'Inherently governmental' defies quick definition

Former OFPP Administrator Allan Burman describes his effort to define the term in 1992.

People

Obama signs bill granting 2 percent pay raise to feds

The House approved a $1.1 trillion omnibus funding package for fiscal 2010, which includes a 2 percent raise for civilian federal employees and extends a moratorium on new public-private competitions for federal work.

People

OPM reorganizes into five divisions for better efficiency

The Office of Personnel Management made changed its organizational structure by separating its compliance unit from the unit that handles employees' requests for advice with policies, according to a human resources expert.

People

Certifications: A false sense of security

FCW readers say a certification program is not the answer to the federal government's concerns about cybersecurity.

People

A new job description for supervisors

The government's current retirement wave is an opportunity to revitalize the supervisory function, writes Steve Kelman.

Cybersecurity

Add workforce woes to cybersecurity chief's agenda

Howard Schmidt should make it a priority to build a sophisticated cybersecurity workforce, writes Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service.

People

D.C. snow day could be telework learning experience

The unexpected closure of federal offices in Washington D.C. today could be a day for learning the ins and outs of successful teleworking, suggests the director of a teleworking group.

People

OMB claims $19B in contractor savings

Twenty-four federal agencies have identified $19 billion in savings on contracts for fiscal 2010—which puts the White House on track to meet a goal of $40 billion in savings by fiscal 2011, according to the Office of Management Budget.

People

Senators push for acquisition workforce training

Two new bills would set up a federal acquisition management fellows program and strengthen the civilian training institute.

Cybersecurity

DHS lacks strategic plan for managing integration, GAO says

While the Homeland Security secretary talks about DHS unification, GAO finds gaps in plans to achieve departmental IT integration.

People

Pay-for-performance: A modester proposal

Blogger John Klossner thinks that pay-for-performance would work if it weren't for one small factor: human nature.

People

Last word: Final thoughts on the life of federal workers

In her final blog post, Judy Welles looks ahead to changes for feds in 2010.

Cybersecurity

DHS hosts virtual cybersecurity job fair

The Homeland Security Department has announced a Cybersecurity Virtual Job Fair to greatly expand its computer security workforce.

People

New study finds feds less prepared to work remotely than industry counterparts

Sixty percent of feds wouldn't be prepared to work remotely if their offices couldn't open, according to the results of a survey of IT executives released today.

People

The dawn of the 2.0 presidency

The foremost story of 2009 has been the transition from the Bush administration to President Barack Obama's administration -- and all the power shifts that trickle down through technology, policy, procurement and management in government.

People

A silver lining in the federal retirement wave

First the bad news: In just four years, half of the permanent full-time federal workforce will be eligible to retire. What’s more, a majority of the retirees will be supervisors, according to the Merit Systems Protection Board in a new report. Now the good news: Think of the opportunity this gives federal agencies to put a new stamp on their entire workforce.

Cybersecurity

DHS making strides in acquisition management, IG says

The Homeland Security Department is sharpening its procurement management skills as it rates a "moderate progress" score for 2009 from its inspector general.