April 9, 2012 –President Obama issued his annual Presidential Proclamation for National Volunteer Week. The President declared that, ” Service is a lifelong pursuit that strengthens the civic and economic fabric of our Nation. With every hour and every act, our lives are made richer, our communities are drawn closer, and our country is forgedRead… Read more »
This morning I took a look at the HR Flexibilities and Authorities Handbook produced by OPM. The handbook has a lot of great information for federal HR professionals. One section in particular caught my eye and is an important read for people across all sectors and all levels of government. This section provided insights onRead… Read more »
We are hearing a LOT of concern out there about the STOCK Act— the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act. This is the bill –– now law — designed to deal with lawmakers using an insider scoop from making money off of that information. Essentially, it makes insider trading by lawmakers illegal, which is aRead… Read more »
Ralph Smith is the president and a co-founder of FedSmith.com. Sign up for the FedSmith.com free daily email newsletterto get the latest news affecting federal employees. This article originally appeared on FedSmith.com. The General Services Administration (GSA) has been getting rammed with negative publicity around the country. It isn’t the kind of publicity that anyRead… Read more »
At a neighborhood party, someone asked me what I did for a living. I told them I was a Human Resources professional. If looks could kill, I wouldn’t be writing this blog right now. J There are definitely strong opinions about HR in general. And, for good reason. It seems people can always share theirRead… Read more »
Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in The Atlantic Council’s Young Professionals in Cyber Policy discussion with thinkers from industry, academia, think tanks, and policy. After speaking with Karl Grindal of the Cyber Conflict Studies Association, I realized that part of the reason for the current insecurity and high criminality in cyberspace is gameRead… Read more »
Take 5 minutes and help us, help you. Take the GovLoop Customer Service in Government Survey. Survey Link I’m conducting a research study on “Re-Imagining Customer Service in Government.” Our study hopes to understand current trends in government customer service and opportunities for improvement.The results of this survey will be used to create a GovLoopRead… Read more »
One reason the word “telework” seems inadequate to describe how we want to change the workplace is that it suggests that our focus is only on how people can be effective when they work at home. But that’s not really what it’s all about. The Workplace of the Future is about people working where, when,Read… Read more »
A GovExec article published April 4th, announced a set of “new financial disclosure requirements” enacted to prevent insider trading by members of Congress and top executive branch officials. According to the STOCK Act, each Member of Congress or employee of Congress owes a duty to the Congress, the United States Government, and the citizens ofRead… Read more »
I’m a big believer in the ancillary benefits of a single big goal. Set a goal that has one clear objective, but as a result a bunch of other things have to change as well. So one of my favourite Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAG) for an organization is to go paperless. I like theRead… Read more »