Author Archive
Oversight
What I learned covering government for 34 years
The privilege of reporting on the stuff that really matters.
Workforce
6 places where federal employees actually work in swamps
A tour of government-owned wetlands.
Workforce
Tom Hanks thinks he would be the best ever at this federal job
The actor’s ideal career would involve working for Uncle Sam.
Management
That Time acronymic management fads were all the rage
When an alphabet soup of concepts for organizational improvement swept through government.
Workforce
Meet the long-shot presidential candidate who wants term limits for federal employees
Vivek Ramaswamy also pledges to eliminate unions, move workers out of Washington and end “pro-lazy” remote work.
Workforce
Trump: I’ll Make Feds Pass Test on Constitution to Keep Their Jobs
Former president previously said the document was “like a foreign language.”
Featured eBooks
Management
That Time the Federal Retirement Wave Never Happened
Almost 25 years after the first dire warnings, we’re still waiting on the tsunami.
Management
That Time Even Minimum Telework Was Viewed With Wonder and Fear
Back then, it was called “telecommuting,” and managers didn’t know what to make of it. Some still don’t.
Management
That Time NASA Blew Up a Rocket and People Called it a Success (No, They Didn’t)
The “failure is not an option” standard demanded of the space agency has long hampered its efforts.
Oversight
That Time Federal Bank Examiners Were Told to Play Nice
The Trump administration gave overseers a culture-shifting directive: Don’t be mean.
Pay & Benefits
When Collecting Your Retirement Benefit Means Proving You’re Not Dead
Sometimes, OPM requires proof of life.
Management
Fifth Class of Inductees To Be Enshrined in Government Hall of Fame
Thurgood Marshall, Thad Allen and seven others join elite group.
Management
That Time the Federal Government Was Ruled By Czars
How a term for Russian oligarchs came to be applied to American government officials.
Featured eBooks
Pay & Benefits
That Time Three Wise Judges Ruled That Christmas Eve Was a Federal Holiday
Not every Christmas Eve, though.
Oversight
That Time the Education Department Was Eliminated
The first incarnation of the department, that is.
Management
What the Midterms Mean for Government
Setting a new course for the ship of state is harder than it looks.
Management
That Time a Lawyer Invented the Government Shutdown
For nearly 200 years, shutdowns simply didn’t happen, even when Congress didn’t finish spending bills.
Management
That Time Reformers Took on Cronyism, Nepotism and Alcoholism in the Federal Workforce
How the Pendleton Act created the modern civil service.
Management