Pay & Benefits

Congressional Dems Reintroduce Bill to Revamp Federal Firefighter Pay and Benefits

The Tim Hart Wildland Firefighter Classification and Pay Parity Act would ensure federal wildland firefighters make at least $20 per hour, among other things.

Management

Bipartisan Group Looks to Fix ‘Hopelessly Obsolete’ Classification System

Legislation is aimed at reducing over-classification and improving the handling of secrets.

Management

GSA Tools Flag Diverse Suppliers for Procurement Officials

Two new online tools give agency buyers a look at diverse vendors and reports on access by new entrants to the federal market.

Tech

TSA Says Its Drone Program Won’t Collect Much Info on the Public

The agency is going to use drones to conduct security assessments at airports, transportation incidents and large security events.

Pay & Benefits

Ditch Salary History When Setting Job Applicants’ Pay, OPM Proposes

Aimed at reducing gender- and ethnicity-based pay gaps, the initiative would also apply tighter guard rails in cases when an applicant has a competing and higher-paying job offer.

Pay & Benefits

'Benefits Envy' May Be Partly to Blame for the Erosion of Fed Compensation

“The sense that public employees have stuff that’s better” than that of private-sector workers persists, says one expert.

Workforce

Federal Retirees Could Be a Great Talent Source, If Only It Were Easier to Bring Them Back  

There are lots of job ready federal retirees out there prepared and willing to return to work for Uncle Sam, but we need to eliminate the biases and disincentives that make it too hard for them to do so. 

Workforce

Hiring For Skills Vs. Hiring For Education

John W. Mitchell joins the podcast to discuss how to build an organization to attract top talent.

Management

Debt Ceiling Meeting Yields Little Progress, Though Biden and GOP Agree to Spending Talks

The House speaker has given the White House a two-week deadline to come up with a spending plan that would satiate his caucus and allow for a debt limit increase.

Oversight

House Republicans Have Questions About the White House’s Regulatory Update

A staff-level briefing for the House Oversight and Accountability Committee is in the works. 

Workforce

It's Official: No More COVID Vaccine Mandate for Federal Workers and Contractors

The move comes just days before the end of the public health emergency for COVID, and had been expected. 

Oversight

Bipartisan Group Projects U.S. Default as Soon as Early June, Citing ‘Quite Low’ Cash Flows

Depending on how long a default lasted, a global recession could be triggered, new analysis finds

Tech

Inter-Agency Effort Targets the Half of Veterans Who Never Engage With VA

The resource hub out of the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs is part of a larger White House initiative to better respond to the life experiences of Americans.

Workforce

Debunking the Dunning-Kruger Effect – the Least Skilled People Know How Much They Don’t Know, but Everyone Thinks They Are Better Than Average

The idea that the least skilled are the most unaware of their incompetency is pervasive in science and pop culture. But a new analysis of the data shows that the Dunning-Kruger effect may not be true.

Management

The General Schedule System Needs An Upgrade, Now

We shouldn’t use 70-year-old products to manage the 21st century workforce.

Workforce

There Are Many Threats to 'the Future of the Public Service Itself'

Donald F. Kettl joins the podcast to discuss the future of the civil service.

Workforce

FEMA Is Losing Employees at an Alarming Rate

Burnout is leading to attrition as disasters spike, but watchdog also blames agency for poor workforce management.

Workforce

What Do We Know About Long COVID?

Researchers dig into what they've learned after a year of studying long COVID—as well as what they don't know about the condition.

Oversight

The Wheels that Squeak: Why Preventing Fraud is Not a Government Priority

Agency leaders need more institutional incentives to manage fraud, waste, and abuse in their programs systemically, argues one former member of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee.