Human Resources

{Personality Tests} Don’t Give Me That “I”!

People are complex, variable and unpredictable. I like to think that we are more sophisticated than any 9-box grid, True Colors or personality test could ever hope to encompass. I feel violated when a marketer gets lucky and I suddenly “need” something I didn’t know even existed a few minutes earlier.   Nonetheless, personality testsRead… Read more »

Working on You in Your People Garden

Guess who is at the very center of your People Garden? YOU! As with my first blog, this is about your People Garden work style. It is that time of the year where it is time for all of us to start our self-assessments for our Performance Appraisals. This whole concept has been ingrained inRead… Read more »

Mentoring a New Employee? Here are the Most Important Tips

At various levels the federal government, there are structured, comprehensive career development (or mentoring) programs, like the Presidential Management Fellowship Program. Your agency might have its own version, but mentoring can be far less informal and structured, so long as it benefits both sides. If you are considering becoming a mentor to a new employee,Read… Read more »

Communication and Conflict in the Office

Organizations have diverse teams focused on achieving a multitude of goals often with limited resources. Often, when resources such as staff or equipment are scarce some staff may engage in conflicts at work impacting office productivity. There are several ways to approach business conflicts: avoidance, acceptance or using a litany of anger. Business people learnRead… Read more »

Mobile Apps: The New Security Breach

Imagine a bright red Lamborghini parked outside of your front door and a sign right next to it screaming “FREE!” Initial reaction….Score! Secondary reaction……What’s the catch? With a little bit of healthy skepticism, you might reach the conclusion that the new gift may come with a hidden price tag. Because of the high market purchaseRead… Read more »

Talent Management Solutions Can Put Federal Hirers in the “Major League”

Recent findings from the Partnership for Public Service are raising cautionary flags when it comes to the government employment picture: Hiring for federal jobs has reached its lowest level in nearly a decade, as about 76,700 new employees entered the workforce in fiscal 2013 – a dip of more than 14.5 percent compared to 2012.Read… Read more »

A Gov Exodus? Are You Leaving Too?

Are you looking out your window and witnessing a government stampede out the doors? Is your office looking empty? Probably. The Office of Personnel Management reported that more than 114,000 people left the federal government last year – mostly through retirements. To give you a better picture, the 114,000 departures is roughly 6.2% of theRead… Read more »