Cybersecurity
OMB looks to retrain feds to fill cyber needs
The federal government is taking steps to fill high-demand, skills-gap positions in tech by retraining employees already working within agencies without a cyber or IT background.
Acquisition
OPM extends credit monitoring, expects new contract by year's end
The Office of Personnel Management says it expects to wrap up the re-compete award for its credit monitoring contract covering those whose data was breached as part of the OPM hacks.
People
MSPB to close 2018 without a quorum
After going nearly all of 2017 without a quorum, the Merit Systems Protection Board will likely not be able to address its growing backlog of nearly 1,600 cases in 2018.
People
Note to government: Start talking like everybody else!
Steve Kelman takes issue with jargon that serves mainly to create artificial distinctions from the private sector.
Modernization
Effective acquisition: A key enabler for successful IT modernization
Fostering effective communication goes a long way in driving change needed for IT modernization.
People
Unions sue VA over move to curtail official time
Three federal unions are suing Department of Veterans Affairs for its plan to alter its collective bargaining deal to move more than 400 employees off of union work.
People
Salary Council backs two new locality pay areas
The council overseeing general schedule locality pay at the Office of Personnel Management recommended adding two new locality pay areas and changing the rules under which localities are eligible for higher locality pay.
People
A civic tech summer fellow becomes a full-time fed
Steve Kelman reports that Coding it Forward is turning temporary college-break postings into longer-term public service commitments.
People
What does a split Congress mean for the workforce?
In two years under a unified government, proposed workforce been defined by quarrels with federal unions, disputes over proposed pay freezes and retirement cuts and plans to reorganize the federal government.
People
Senate Dems say federal agencies are bargaining in bad faith
Union talks are grinding to a halt across multiple agencies, and a group of Senate Democrats wants to know if it's because negotiators are taking their cues from invalidated executive orders.
People
Can OPM retain its independence?
As the Trump Administration looks to split OPM between the White House and the General Services Administration, longtime human resources experts hope the HR shop can retain some autonomy.
Cybersecurity
Why DOD is sending cyber teams to DHS before the election
The Defense Department has loaned personnel to Homeland Security in effort to prevent -- or react to -- election hacking attempts.
Cybersecurity
Despite overall increase, many agency satisfaction scores stall or decline in FEVS
Two of the three major metrics for the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey improved over last year, but fewer agency-level scores improved than in recent years, particularly on the civilian side.
People
Telework crackdowns showing up in FEVS data
A few big agencies have restricted telework in recent months, and those new policies appear to be playing out, according to data from the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.
Cybersecurity
ODNI: clearance backlog will continue to shrink
A senior intelligence official said the current backlog of about 600,000 security clearance investigations could be cut in half in spring of 2019.
People
Engagement up, happiness stagnates in 2018 survey of feds
Employee engagement saw a slight bump in 2018 over last year, but overall employee happiness stagnated, according to the newest Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey results.
People
HHS employees picket collective bargaining breakdown
Frustrated by the break in contract negotiations, federal employees and union members picketed outside the Department of Health and Human Services.
People
Are bots coming for your job?
While vendors and federal managers try to paint a future of "high value work," some are starting to acknowledge that robotic process automation could lead to job losses in the federal workforce.
People
White House pitches tech giants on civic service
The Office of American Innovation hosted some of the biggest names in U.S. tech to explore ways to inject government with tech expertise from the private sector through "tours of duty."
People