Workforce
Coronavirus Roundup: EPA Watchdog to Review Workplace Safety Measures; White House Is Rethinking Federal Vaccine Strategy
Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.
Management
Stop Blaming Tuskegee, Critics Say. It’s Not an ‘Excuse’ for Current Medical Racism.
When it comes to vaccine hesitancy, it's mainly academics and officials who are preoccupied with the history of the Tuskegee medical experiments.
Oversight
‘Immediate Relief Is Really Critical’: Isabella Guzman on Her New Role as Head of the Small Business Administration
Guzman is leading a department that will shepherd an influx of federal cash to help businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. She says she wants to prioritize women and people of color.
Management
Social Security Clears Way for Stimulus Checks After Accusations of Malfeasance
SSA Commissioner Andrew Saul argued that the agency was required to wait to provide payment files for beneficiaries because it received no appropriations to fund its work on stimulus payments in the most recent $1.8 trillion COVID-19 relief law.
Management
Which Federal Agencies Are Giving Their Contractors Access to COVID-19 Vaccines?
Agencies are taking different approaches to inoculating their contract employees, even though—as one trade association executive put it—“The virus doesn’t care whether someone is wearing a blue government badge or green contractor badge.”
Workforce
How to Spot ’Emotional Suffering’ During COVID-19 (And What to Do)
A year after the COVID-19 outbreak, many still report emotional distress. An expert describes what to look for and steps to help yourself and others.
Workforce
Coronavirus Roundup: Lawmakers Look to Expedite Stimulus Payments to Beneficiaries; NIH Questions AstraZeneca’s Data
There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.
Management
Birx Joins Air-Cleaning Industry Amid Land Grab for Billions in Federal COVID Relief
Air-cleaning companies with limited oversight are targeting a growing market of schools desperate for COVID-19 protection. Donald Trump’s former adviser lands with one that built its business, in part, on ozone-emitting technology.
Management
TSP Officials Tout Sizeable Improvement in Annual Employee Satisfaction Survey Scores
Employee engagement at the Thrift Savings Plan improved 7 points in 2020, while the agency scored stellar marks on its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Workforce
Will Your Work Ever Get Back to Normal?
With more and more people getting the COVID-19 vaccine, a group of experts breaks down what work could look like in a post-pandemic future.
Management
Agencies Face Significant Challenges in Distributing Unprecedented Sums of COVID-19 Relief
Some agencies are already running into hurdles, while others hope recent experience will ease the process.
Workforce
Coronavirus Roundup: Transportation and Agriculture Secretaries Discuss Telework; OMB Advises Agencies on Good Stewardship of Relief Funds
There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.
Defense
One Year into the Pandemic, Defense Department Data Remains Incomplete
Outstanding questions include: why are civilians dying at higher rates than troops?
Management
3 Ways Employers Could Help Fight Vaccine Skepticism
Surveys suggest people trust companies more than government and the media, showing they have an important role in helping end the pandemic.
Management
NIH is Documenting COVID-19 as Well as Responding to It
"It’s weird to be documenting something that you’re living through," said an archivist.
Oversight
CDC Stats on COVID-19 Deaths Obscure Structural Racism
The CDC controls for geography in its statistics about racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 deaths. Researchers say that's a problem.
Management
Less Than Half of Federal Bureau of Prisons Staff Have Accepted COVID Vaccines From the Agency
Director encourages employees to get vaccinated, tells lawmakers 49% have been inoculated by the bureau so far.
Workforce
Coronavirus Roundup: IRS Delays Tax Season Deadline; Lawmaker Seeks Information on Benefits Delay for Federal Retirees
There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.
Oversight
Machine Learning System Predicts Severe COVID-19
An advanced machine learning system can accurately predict the risk of a patient's COVID-19 advancing to severe disease or death, say researchers.
Workforce