Pay & Benefits

Employees Raise Concerns as IRS Recalls Staff From Home Ahead of Tax Season

IRS is no longer allowing at-risk workers to take safety leave rather than report to their offices.

Management

CDC Says Masks Must Fit Tightly – and Two Are Better Than One

How well your mask works depends on how well it fits. Wearing two snug masks made of different materials offers 95% protection from exposure to aerosols that could contain the coronavirus.

Pay & Benefits

House COVID Relief Bill Includes 15 Weeks of Paid Leave for Federal Parents, Caregivers

Leave would be available to care for elderly family members and kids whose schools are closed or virtual, as well as for those who are sick themselves or forced to quarantine.

Workforce

GovExec Daily: How Feds are Burning Out During the Pandemic

Eagle Hill Consulting's David Witkowski joins the podcast to discuss his firm's survey results on how public servants are working during the crisis and handling the stress of COVID-19.

Pay & Benefits

Personnel Office Urged to Provide Feds with Administrative Leave to Get COVID-19 Vaccinations

Washington, D.C.- area House Democrats said some agencies have declined to offer paid time off, although the lawmakers would not say which ones.

Tech

‘Cruel’ Digital Race For Vaccines Leaves Many Seniors Behind

Glitchy websites, jammed phone lines and long lines outside clinics are commonplace as states expand who’s eligible to be vaccinated. The oldest Americans and those without caregivers and computer skills are at a distinct disadvantage.

Oversight

Comparing Death Tolls From COVID-19 to Past Wars Is Fraught

COVID-19 has now killed more Americans than World War II did. That fact helps some people put the viral death toll in perspective, while others find it offensive.

Management

Civilian and Military Personnel Will Be Deploying to First Federally Run Vaccine Sites in Coming Days

Biden administration launches pilot program for "mega-sites" staffed primarily by federal workers to assist state and local governments.

Oversight

After Hundreds of Meatpacking Workers Died From COVID-19, Congress Wants Answers

A key House subcommittee cited reports by ProPublica and other news outlets in launching an investigation into how the country’s meatpacking companies handled the pandemic, which has killed hundreds of workers to date.

Oversight

Contractor Who Was Awarded $34.5 Million in Government Money and Provided Zero Masks Pleads Guilty to Fraud

The VA and FEMA agreed to pay a first-time vendor in a desperate search for protective equipment. Now Robert Stewart admits he defrauded three federal agencies and lied about being in the Marine Corps.

Workforce

With Demand Far Exceeding Supply, It Matters That People Are Jumping the Vaccine Line

When hospital administrators and politicians’ spouses get immunized before people more at risk, it undermines confidence in the system.

Tech

GovExec Daily: Getting Politics Out of the COVID-19 Response

Dr. Ron Sanders joins the show to discuss how the Biden administration can get out apolitical information to fight the pandemic.

Workforce

Coronavirus Roundup: ‘Federal Workforce Safety’ Added to List of Top Challenges During the Pandemic

There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.

Management

GovExec Daily: The Post-COVID World in Corrections Systems

University of Texas' Michele Deitch joins the podcast to discuss how prisons and jails have dealt with the pandemic.