Digital Government
A Positive 'Return on Collaboration'
rganizations that deploy collaborative technologies achieve more than double the return on their investment and perform better than their less-collaborative peers, new research has shown.
Digital Government
No COLA Increase in 2010
Federal retirees will receive no cost-of-living adjustment in their pension checks in 2010, the government announced Thursday.
Digital Government
Telework Best Practices
Telework Exchange conducted a <a href="http://www.teleworkexchange.com/establishedprogram/A%20View%20from%20the%20Top%20Presentation_FINAL.pdf">Webinar</a> on Wednesday that looked at some telework best practices at federal agencies. Representatives from the Patent and Trademark Office, the Defense Information Systems Agency, the Virginia state government and Cisco each provided advice on the keys to a successful telework program, including how to measure its effectiveness
Digital Government
Recruiting 11,000 IT Workers
The Partnership for Public Service is launching a new program designed to recruit, hire and retain entry-level information technology workers in the federal government. The program, called FedRecruit: IT Pilot Program, is designed to help agencies meet the need to fill what the <a href="http://wiredworkplace.nextgov.com/2009/09/it_hiring_to_surge_by_2012.php">Partnership estimates will be about 11,000 technology job openings</a> during the next three years.
Digital Government
Top 50 In-Demand Jobs
The Labor Department has released a <a href="http://www.careervoyages.gov/top50occupations-popup.cfm?pagenumber=1&sortby=top50factor">list of the top 50 in-demand occupations</a>, and it's no surprise that several IT-specific fields made the list. The list includes the projected need for employees in each of the 50 categories from 2006 to 2016.
Digital Government
Honoring the Few Laborers
Four federal information security workers were honored on Wednesday with Government Information Security Leadership Awards. The annual awards program, which is run by consulting firm (ISC)2, recognize individuals who have significantly enhanced the information security workforce by demonstrating a leadership role in any information security workforce improvement initiative, program or project on either a government-wide or agency-specific basis.
Digital Government
Federal Benefits Roundup
Several key federal employee provisions are included in an agreement between the House-Senate conference committee working on the fiscal 2010 Defense authorization bill. The committee's report of the final legislation, released on Wednesday, includes a provision that would allow employees in the Federal Employees Retirement System to credit their unused, accumulated sick leave toward retirement. Currently, FERS employees receive 13 use-or-lose sick days per year. The provision puts FERS employees on par with those in the Civil Service Retirement System, which generally includes those hired prior to 1984.
Digital Government
A Cyber Challenge for DHS
Computerworld <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9138998/DHS_faces_challenge_in_hiring_1_000_security_experts">reports</a> that the Homeland Security Department's efforts to hire some 1,000 new cybersecurity experts could be stalled due to a lack of specialized skills as well as competition with other agencies and the private sector. DHS has a critical need for security professionals to handle tasks like intrusion analysis, malware reverse engineering, security auditing, secure code analysis, penetration testing and forensics, but the problem is there aren't enough security professionals to meet those needs, the article states. Experts also say that DHS must first address the relatively high rates of turnover within its mid- and upper-level cyber workforce, particularly at its National Cyber Security Division.
Digital Government
DHS Automates Hiring Processes
Wired Workplace spoke with Jeffrey Neal, chief human capital officer at the Homeland Security Department, on Monday about the agency's <a href="http://wiredworkplace.nextgov.com/2009/09/dhs_launches_web-based_hr_tool.php">new IT platform</a> that simplifies and accelerates its recruiting and hiring activities. The tool, called TalentLink, uses electronic routing and approvals, automates the rating and ranking process, standardizes vacancy announcements using plain language, and facilitates communication with applicants. The tool also eliminates the knowledge, skills and abilities questions traditionally found on federal applications, allowing DHS applicants to simply submit a resume, Neal said.
Digital Government
Tweeting While You Work
A new survey by Robert Half Technology shows that the government is not alone in its concerns about employee access to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter while on the job. The <a href="http://www.roberthalftechnology.com/PressRoom?pressRelease_5.request_type=RenderPressRelease&pressRelease_5.releaseId=2531">survey</a> of more than 1,400 chief information officers found that more than half (54 percent) of companies do not allow employees to visit social networking sites for any reason at work.
Digital Government
DHS Plans Cyber Job Fair
The Homeland Security Department plans to hold a major job fair that will focus on staffing up its cybersecurity workforce, the agency's chief human capital officer told Wired Workplace on Monday. The news comes just days <a href="http://wiredworkplace.nextgov.com/2009/10/new_cyber_hiring_authority_at_dhs.php">after DHS announced a new hiring flexibility</a> that authorizes it to hire up to 1,000 additional cyber experts.
Digital Government
An E-Governance Model
A new report by Accenture notes that leading governments are moving beyond using traditional technologies to strengthen their relationships with citizens and modifying conventional models of service delivery in innovative new ways. The report, called "From e-Government to e-Governance," stressed the importance of spurring innovation within the government workforce, largely by encouraging employees to take greater responsibility for the efficiency and effectiveness of information workflows, business processes, programs and delivery channels.
Digital Government
Do You Text While Driving?
The Obama administration on Thursday issued an <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Executive-Order-Federal-Leadership-on-Reducing-Text-Messaging-while-Driving/">executive order</a> that bans federal employees from text messaging while driving on official government business. The order was announced on Thursday by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood at the end of a two-day summit in Washington on distracted driving. The order also encouraged federal contractors to ban text messaging while driving in connection with government business.
Digital Government
Generational Views on Privacy
A guest <a href="http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/10/is-online-privacy-a-generational-issue/">post</a> on Wired.com by Heather West of the Center for Democracy and Technology tackles whether online privacy is a generational issue. Recent studies, including one on behavioral advertising, show that those in younger age groups care most about how their information is used, and many teens and young adults have now come to expect a high level of control over their personal information.
Digital Government
New Cyber Hiring Authority at DHS
The Homeland Security Department on Thursday announced a new authority to recruit and hire cybersecurity professionals across the agency over the next three years. The new authority comes as the department declares October as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
Digital Government
Retirement Projections
I <a href="http://wiredworkplace.nextgov.com/2009/09/opm_no_longer_projecting_retirements.php">linked</a> to a story on FederalNewsRadio.com yesterday that said the Office of Personnel Management would no longer project the retirements of federal employees. The story was <a href="http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=35&sid=1774051">clarified</a> on Tuesday to say that OPM will continue to make retirement projections that forecast the potential number of retirees who are eligible for retirement and actually leave federal service each year.
Digital Government
Health Premiums to Rise 7.4%
Federal health premiums will rise by an average of 7.4 percent in 2010, according to the Office of Personnel Management. The average increase includes the government's share and employee's share of the overall premium.
Digital Government
OPM Stops Projecting Retirements
FederalNewsRadio.com <a href="http://www.federalnewsradio.com/index.php?nid=35&sid=1773193">reports</a> that the Office of Personnel Management will no longer project the retirements of federal employees, largely because previous predictions have not held up.
Digital Government
Key Issues for Interagency Collaboration
The Government Accountability Office on Friday released a new <a href="http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09904sp.pdf">report</a> outlining the key issues for government oversight of national security strategies, organizations, workforce and information-sharing. The report recommends that agencies develop a national security strategy that defines organizational roles and responsibilities and helps agencies clarify who will lead or participate in activities and facilitate decision-making. The watchdog also recommends that agencies implement new strategies for collaborating with other organizations, invest in training opportunities and workforce planning for federal employees, and share and integrate national security information across agencies.
Digital Government
Going Googley
ComputerWorld <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9138496/feds_eye_workplace_models_of_google_facebook">highlights</a> the Office of Personnel Management's efforts to learn from top technology companies like Google and Facebook on how to recruit and retain a top-notch workforce and create quality health and wellness programs.
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