No Furloughs at Customs and Border Protection
IRS Employees to Receive $70 Million in Bonuses
Uncharted Financial Waters at Defense
Postal Service Eyes Cuba
Should Leaders Ever Lie?
Unions: Efficiency Board Is 'Offensive,' 'Unwise'
AUTHOR ARCHIVES
Kicked to the Curb?
August 20, 2008 A leasing crisis looms at the Interior Department, the agency's inspector general warned in a recent report. More than 100 leases for building space are set to expire in June 2009, but the IG's office is worried that Interior might not get them renewed by then. "Some elements of DoI ...
The New Open-Door Policy
August 6, 2008 "My door is always open," managers often say to their employees. "Come to me with any problems." Such a policy is well-intentioned, meant to convey the message that whatever is going on in the workplace, employees can talk to their bosses. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but it's not ...
House appropriations chair unapologetic about slow progress
August 4, 2008 House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., hasn't been able to do much appropriating in recent weeks. The first fiscal 2009 appropriations bill hit the House floor on July 31, well behind the usual schedule. Work on the 12 annual spending measures stalled in late June because of Republican attempts ...
The New Open-Door Policy
August 1, 2008 Get out of your office and see your employees in action. "My door is always open," managers often say to their employees. "Come to me with any problems." Such a policy is well-intentioned, meant to convey the message that whatever is going on in the workplace, employees can talk to ...
The Golden Manager’s Rule
July 16, 2008 As anyone who's aspired to the Senior Executive Service likely knows, the Office of Personnel Management has identified 28 executive core qualifications for agencies to consider when screening candidates. Those aiming to reach the top leadership layer of the career civil service try to ensure that they get opportunities to ...
In Full View
July 2, 2008 In September 2007, the staff of the Katy Independent School District in Texas-which educates 55,000 children-spent $22,342.49 at pizzerias. The school district bought pizza 11 times, ranging from one order worth $22.96 to another totaling $7,983.75. That's a lot of dough. All that pizza might have gone to good purpose-motivation ...
In Full View
July 1, 2008 Could transparency cut down on government waste? In September 2007, the staff of the Katy Independent School District in Texas-which educates 55,000 children-spent $22,342.49 at pizzerias. The school district bought pizza 11 times, ranging from one order worth $22.96 to another totaling $7,983.75. That's a lot of dough. All that ...
Do As You Say
June 25, 2008 Air Force contracting officials have reaped both pity and condemnation this month for their missteps in setting up a $35 billion tanker program. On June 18, the Government Accountability Office criticized the military service for failing to adhere to its own rules when it awarded the contract in February to ...
Better Choices
June 4, 2008 People make bad decisions all the time. They make unhealthy food selections, choices that hurt their wallets and actions that not only aren't in their own interest, but are not in the public's interest either. A new book by University of Chicago professors Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein suggests, however, ...
Better Choices
June 1, 2008 Here's a new way of thinking about government programs. People make bad decisions all the time. They make unhealthy food selections, choices that hurt their wallets and actions that not only aren't in their own interest, but are not in the public's interest either. A new book by University of ...
