Human Resources

Pay Fairness is Persistent Problem for Feds

In case you missed it, President Obama’s FY 2016 Budget of the U.S. Government recommends a scant 1.3 percent pay raise for the federal workforce next fiscal year. Well, as the old saying goes, something is better than nothing. However, when it comes to issues of fair pay, it appears that many feds are onceRead… Read more »

How to Keep Organization Processes Resilient

Regardless of their complexity, most organization processes will start to evolve towards atrophy and/or rigidity starting soon after they’ve been implemented.  It’s inevitable as it’s tied to our inherent human natures and how we function in organizations. The purpose of most processes, in addition to achieving an objective, is to become a standardized and routineRead… Read more »

The Rise of the Millennials

It was not the lead headline on local news feeds and barely made a ripple in the national press. Yet last month, at least according to the US Census Bureau, millennials, 75.3 million strong are now the country’s largest generation outnumbering Boomers who slipped to second place among generations at 74.9 million. While most ofRead… Read more »

Checking in on Your Pocketbook

Woah, January! If you were watching the stockmarket last month you were in for a wild ride. The stock market was incredibly volatile last month. “Our Chief Investment Officer said in January there were 10 days where there were 100 points swings. It was a roller coaster,” Kim Weaver, Director of External Affairs, Federal Retirement ThriftRead… Read more »

Prohibition Yields Innovation

Perhaps the most popular example of average Americans resisting authority came during the Prohibition Era of 1920-1933. Putting aside the imagery of movies like The Untouchables, moonshine & home breweries took on bigger, albeit clandestine, role in American innovation. Also of note during prohibition, production of sacramental wine for churches rose by hundreds of thousands… Read more »

Heritage Months: Temporary Celebrations or Yearly Discussions

As feds, we are entering the heritage month season. January brought Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. February has ushered in Black History Month and March will soon deliver Women’s History Month. In my conversations with employees about these events, I sense a malaise has seeped into these celebrations that dilute their effectiveness in promotingRead… Read more »