Workforce
Feeling alone? Try a job share
COMMENTARY | Two former State Department job-sharers reflect on their experience serving the mission of the department and each other.
Management
Republicans look to eliminate armed law enforcement at some agencies
While only a small number of employees, conservative lawmakers say the officers infringe on Americans' rights.
Pay & Benefits
OPM reminds agencies of workplace flexibilities following disasters
A memo highlighting telework, paid leave and other benefits available to feds impacted by disasters corresponds with the beginning of hurricane season and a recent typhoon in the Pacific Ocean.
Pay & Benefits
4 things to do to get ready for your first year of retirement
Be strategic and be prepared.
Management
The U.S. banned farmers from using a brain-harming pesticide on food. Why has it slowed a global ban?
When officials from around the world gathered in Rome last fall to consider whether to move forward with a proposed global ban on chlorpyrifos, the pesticide had a surprising defender: a senior official from the EPA.
Management
The State Department’s first DEIA officer departs
They leave behind the department’s first-ever disaggregated data report on demographics, which will “help hold us accountable for doing the work that we say that we want to do.”
Tech
How some agencies used tech to decrease improper payments
Governmentwide, improper payments are up relative to fiscal year 2020. But digital tools — alongside other management tactics — enabled some agencies to find reductions.
Defense
The Pentagon will create an office to monitor users and insider threats in the wake of leaks
Review came after a junior airman was charged with posting Ukraine war documents and other secret information online.
Management
That Time acronymic management fads were all the rage
When an alphabet soup of concepts for organizational improvement swept through government.
Management
Democrats try again to reform the vacancies act
Democrats are trying once again to reform the parameters on acting federal officials.
Management
Biden looks to swap leadership at civil service watchdog agencies
White House nominates a Trump appointee for a new role overseeing enforcement of civil service laws.
Tech
Third-party contractor software exploited in attack on HHS data
An official with the Health and Human Services Department said attackers gained access to data by exploiting a major vulnerability found in the popular MOVEit file transfer service.
Pay & Benefits
TSP funds bounce back following debt limit uncertainty
Only one of the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings plan’s portfolios finished June in the red.
Oversight
As veteran disability claims soar, unaccredited coaches profit off frustration with the VA system
Austin, Texas-based VA Claims Insider says it has helped hundreds of thousands of clients. It has also touched off complaints and investigations.
Pay & Benefits
Saving for retirement in your TSP with a federal annuity: How much is enough?
Planning for retirement with a federal pension is different from planning for retirement without one.
Management
Almost but not quite: Acting commandant will face limitations in role
Gen. Eric Smith will have to juggle the Marine Corps’ top two positions when Gen. David Berger retires.
Management
The CDC is getting a new leader as it seeks to remake itself after the pandemic
Dr. Mandy Cohen, former head of North Carolina’s Health and Human Services Department, will be stepping in as the public health agency’s new director in July.
Oversight
‘These were not normal times’: A former watchdog reflects on COVID-19 oversight
Bob Westbrooks, who first joined the government in 1994, served as executive director of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee for over two years.
Management
VA secretary: Automation will help agency ‘make better, faster, more informed decisions’
VA Secretary Denis McDonough said the department is poised “to deliver a completely new, fully integrated experience” for veterans as officials expect a further increase in PACT Act claims.
Workforce