Digital Government
Looking for the door ...
The Office of Personnel Management announced this week that it is going to beef up its staff to try to get federal retirees’ claims through the system faster.
Digital Government
More of what you already knew ...
Well, The Washington Post has joined the fray, publishing the results of a poll that indicates that a significant portion of the public—more than half—think feds are overpaid.
Digital Government
And then there’s that business about Social Security …
Well, it’s official now—for the second year in a row, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries won’t be getting a cost-of-living adjustment.
Digital Government
About that average 7.2 percent premium increase …
Well, now that the news on FEHBP health insurance premium increases has settled in—we’ve gotten some emails taking issue with the OPM statement that the average employee share of those premiums will go up 7.2 percent.
Digital Government
Federal employment—a family business?
In the old days, careers often ran in families. If your father and grandfather were blacksmiths, well, there was a good chance you’d be one, too. Fewer of those multigenerational career tracks are out there today.
Digital Government
Are the new FEHBP rates onerous?
Well, OPM has posted the new Federal Employees Health Benefits Program premium rates—and reaction is mixed.
Digital Government
Are you a healthy fed?
If you are like a lot of American workers, you spend a lot of time behind a desk. That means that for eight hours a day, your primary source of exercise may well be walking to the copier or coffee machine.
Digital Government
But what about you newbies out there?
As readers may have noticed, we had a flood of comments responding to the question: “How did you get your federal job?”
Digital Government
How did you land your federal job?
We’ve seen a number of comments on this site over past months concerning the existence of “good old boy” networks that influence new hires, promotions and all the other good stuff. And we’ve also read posts detailing futile efforts to gain employment using the existing recruitment and job application tools.
Digital Government
Should your agency be run more like a business?
Every once in a while the argument surfaces that government should be run like a business. Well, one federal entity already is run like a business: the U.S. Postal Service.
Digital Government
Ah, yes—statistics!
We all know the maxim (variously attributed to about six different people) that “there are lies, damned lies and statistics.”
Digital Government
Demonizing feds
Things didn’t get any better for feds this month out there in the world of public perception.
Digital Government
Speak to us, Gen-X
According to numbers released this week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average tenure of federal employees has dropped from 11.5 years in 2000 to 7.9 years in 2010.
Digital Government
Saving for that rainy day called ‘retirement’
Well, sometimes it really does help to force people to do what’s good for them. The recent change to provide new feds with automatic enrollment in the Thrift Savings Plan likely will turn out to be one of those things.
Digital Government
Trimming your waste
For decades, the federal workplace has been rife with exhortations to be vigilant for “waste, fraud or abuse.” But up until now, much of the “waste” part of that—whether perceived as waste or not—has been chalked up to the cost of doing business.
Digital Government
No wonder your desk is so messy
The other day, we received a press release on a new survey that indicated that fewer than half of employees take a lunch break away from their desk.
Digital Government
What are your retirement resources?
Even the canniest investors—whether feds investing in the TSP, or private-sector employees tinkering in their 401(k)s—can have a tough time matching or beating an uncooperative market.
Digital Government
Show me the money ...
One can’t help but notice when delving a bit deeper into the rankings in the “best places” survey recently released by the Partnership for Public Service that among the top 10 “best” large agencies (as ranked by employees), most also ranked in the top 10 for pay satisfaction.
Digital Government
How secure is your facility?
Two federal judges--one who decides Social Security cases, and another who presides over immigration cases--this week detailed the growing threat of violence that they, along with their families, face.
Digital Government
If you didn't get that federal job, read this ...
Folks who have not landed federal jobs they've been after will not be surprised to hear that a report released yesterday by the Partnership for Public Service reveals that the "weakest link" in the federal hiring chain is the assessment of job applicants.
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