Earlier this month, the federal government ended its COVID-19 public health emergency after three years. Nationwide, Americans likely may not notice the changes in the way the government treats the pandemic, but health insurance will not cover COVID-19 vaccines and treatment in the same way. Federal employees participating in the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program will see similar changes to their coverage because of the end of the public health emergency. Kevin Moss is a senior editor with...
May 24, 2023•11 min•Season 4Ep. 62
Hiring is a difficult task for any organization, but federal agencies have stresses that others do not. With waves of retirement happening at agencies like the IRS, Veterans Affairs Department and others, open positions go unfilled for extended periods of time. But, our guest today writes that retirees are a good source of talent for the federal government, if only it were not so hard to hire them back. Ronald Sanders was a federal civil servant for almost 40 years, serving in senior positions w...
May 23, 2023•27 min•Season 4Ep. 61
The financial industry is behind other industries in adopting DEI principles. With DEI becoming more of a priority, financial organizations are grappling with both history and the present within the DEI framework. Jim Casselberry is CEO and Co-Founder at Known, LLC and has more than thirty years of experience in the financial advising and investment management industries. As part of our #MoneyMonday series, he joined the podcast to talk about diversity in the financial industry....
May 22, 2023•25 min•Season 4Ep. 60
The debt ceiling hangs over federal employees as an unprecedented default could come as soon as the first week in June . Negotiations remain ongoing as President Joe Biden attends the G7 summit in Japan this week, but Speaker Kevin McCarthy said that the two sides are still far apart. Still, both sides remain optimistic that a deal will be struck before a default. GovExec reporter Eric Katz joined the podcast to talk about the debt ceiling negotiations and how they continue to affect federal emp...
May 19, 2023•24 min•Season 4Ep. 59
In the last few weeks, both the World Health Organization and the U.S. federal government have lifted declarations of COVID-19’s crisis status. As the U.S. public health infrastructure moves away from that period, preparing for the next public health crisis will be paramount. Lessons learned from the COVID-19 response can provide better response to the next pandemic or emergency situation. Dr. Richard Stone is an Army Major General who served as the Deputy Surgeon General of the Army and as the ...
May 18, 2023•23 min•Season 4Ep. 58
Before maximum telework, there was flexiplace and telecommuting. Agencies in the late 20th century had a version of telework, though that version seems like it belongs in the stone age to modern eyes used to VPNs, Slack and other modern components of telework. Tom Shoop is editor at large and the former executive vice president and editor in chief at GovExec Media. He is also the author of a post in his “That Time” series headlined “That Time Even Minimum Telework Was Viewed With Wonder and Fear...
May 17, 2023•17 min•Season 4Ep. 57
The General Schedule was enacted into law in 1949 and remains to this day. Of course, much has changed in government since 1949 and the changes to the General Schedule have not kept up with the time. Our guests today write that the GS system has been described to them by feds as trying to work while wearing cement shoes. Doris Hausser and Kimberly Walton are former federal human capital senior executives. They are both Fellows of the National Academy of Public Administration, where they serve on...
May 16, 2023•30 min•Season 4Ep. 56
The United States Treasury Department reached the $31.3 trillion debt ceiling in January, prompting “extraordinary measures'' to keep the U.S. from a default. Economic experts have predicted an unprecedented default as soon as June. Negotiations around the debt limit are slow going, increasing the likelihood of major disruptions to government operations and dire consequences to the world economy. Dr. Patrick Gourley, PhD, is an associate professor of economics at the University of New Haven. He ...
May 15, 2023•14 min•Season 4Ep. 55
Since the COVID-19 pandemic came into our lives in 2020, remote work has become the norm in many organizations. Remote work gives hiring managers the ability to cast a wider net, it gives employees more flexibility and it is popular with the workforce. But, remote work can bring some heartburn, too and some organizations are slow to adapt to it. Shane Spraggs is the Forbes Books co-author, with Cynthia Watson, of The Power of Remote: Building High-Performing Organizations That Thrive in the Virt...
May 12, 2023•16 min•Season 4Ep. 54
After more than three years, the federal COVID-19 public health emergency expires Thursday. While FDA and NIH officials have said that the end of the PHE will have minor impacts on their agencies, it has both symbolic and practical value for public servants. Telework and data collection will change, as well as things like free vaccines and tests for the public. GovExec's Courtney Bublé, Eric Katz and Erich Wagner have been covering the COVID-19 pandemic since before the public health emergency b...
May 11, 2023•37 min•Season 3Ep. 53
According to recent research, fewer employers see a meaningful relationship between a four-year college degree and job competency. According to a report from American Student Assistance and Jobs for the Future, 81% of employers believe that organizations should hire based on skills rather than degrees. John W. Mitchell is president and CEO of the global electronics industry’s trade organization, IPC. He’s also the author of the upcoming book Fire Your Hiring Habits: Building an Environment that ...
May 10, 2023•16 min•Season 4Ep. 52
Despite this week being Public Service Recognition Week , the professional civil service remains under threat. The conversation around bureaucracy remains fairly toxic, the courts have knocked down agencies’ abilities to executive some laws and public figures continue to talk about the end of the administrative state. Dr. Donald F. Kettl is professor emeritus at the University of Maryland and former dean of its School of Public Policy. He is the author of many books, including the upcoming Bridg...
May 09, 2023•23 min•Season 4Ep. 51
Government work is often complicated and difficult, but career federal employees often work in anonymity for the American people. Each year, the Partnership for Public Service awards the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal finalists to outstanding federal employees who serve the public good. This year’s finalists work in diverse parts of the federal government, ranging from diplomacy to space research to health data in cancer research and so much more. Max Stier is the president and CEO of...
May 08, 2023•15 min•Season 4Ep. 50
ChatGPT has generated a lot of attention not only from consumers, but also employees in both in the private and federal sector. ChatGPT is a powerful tool, with the ability to generate human-like responses to written prompts. While this technology has the potential to revolutionize the way federal employees work, it also raises important questions about privacy, employment, accountability, and the role of AI in government decision-making. Bonnie Low-Kramen is the founder and CEO of Ultimate Assi...
May 05, 2023•20 min•Season 4Ep. 49
The generation born after 1996, commonly called "Gen Z" or "Zoomers," are now entering the workforce and bringing with them the unique characteristics that any generation brings to the workplace. Managing across generations is never easy, but according to a new survey from ResumeBuilder.com, managers are having some trouble working with Gen Z. Stacie Haller is chief career advisor at ResumeBuilder.com. She’s spent over 30 years in staffing and recruiting, career counseling, and job search coachi...
May 04, 2023•15 min•Season 4Ep. 48
The Office of Personnel Management announced that the maximum telework edict will end this month with the cessation of the national public health emergency on May 11, though OPM chief Kiran Ahuja has said that the change will not have a significant impact on agencies. Telework for feds has been a political football and the three years of the pandemic suggest that flexibility overrides almost everything else. Still, plenty are pushing for more in-office work and the matter seems far from resolved...
May 03, 2023•34 min•Season 4Ep. 47
Earlier this year, the White House announced a series of projects that agencies are undertaking as part of an effort to reshape how government delivers services by focusing on citizens' experiences like retirement and other life events. With the Biden management agenda’s focus on customer experience, that will mean getting service to as many people as possible… in whatever ways are available. Aaron Boyd is a Senior Editor at GovExec sibling site Nextgov. He’s also the author of a post on Nextgov...
May 02, 2023•19 min•Season 5Ep. 46
Passed last week by the House of Representatives, the 2023 Limit, Save and Grow Act would slash discretionary spending at domestic agencies to its fiscal 2022 levels . The bill addresses the looming debt default that would have catastrophic impacts on the U.S. economy and government operations. The bill sets up debt ceiling negotiations on something that can pass to avoid the potential disaster of a default. As part of our #MoneyMonday series, Eric Katz joined GovExec Daily to talk about the deb...
May 01, 2023•22 min•Season 4Ep. 45
Diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility are principles that the Biden administration has brought forward since it came into office. In June 2021, the president signed an executive order establishing a directive to agencies to seek opportunities to establish or elevate Chief Diversity Officers. Recently, Accenture Federal Services and the Partnership for Public Service launched the Chief Diversity Officer Bootcamp to provide agencies with more of a pipeline of public servants with proper t...
Apr 28, 2023•18 min•Season 4Ep. 44
Recently, the Office of Personnel management announced that it will end the use of maximum telework , following President Biden’s planned May expiration of the COVID-19 public health emergency. The implementation of necessary telework during the last three years is among the many complications involved with employee connection in public service. According to a new survey by Eagle Hill Consulting, more than a third of government employees say that their employers aren’t investing in employee conn...
Apr 27, 2023•17 min
On Tuesday morning, President Joe Biden officially announced that he will run for reelection . In his announcement, he cited Social Security and echoed his faith in American government. Since his election in 2020, Biden has positioned himself as a friend to government employees, seemingly in direct contrast to his predecessor – and potential 2024 foe – Donald Trump. Courtney Bublé joined the GovExec Daily podcast to talk about the Biden announcement and what his first term has meant for federal ...
Apr 26, 2023•19 min•Season 4Ep. 42
Passed in 1994, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act is a law that, among other things, protects service members by allowing them to regain their civilian jobs following a period of uniformed service. MSPB recently refined federal employees’ rights under USERRA. Allen Shoikhetbrod is an employment attorney and the Managing Partner of Tully Rinckey PLLC’s Albany office. He joined the podcast to talk about the Uniformed Employment and Reemployment Rights Act and the new pr...
Apr 25, 2023•16 min•Season 4Ep. 41
The Thrift Savings Plan is very popular with participants. A 2022 survey found that 88% of those investing with the TSP were satisfied with it. As the TSP has seen in prior surveys, participants who contribute more are more satisfied with the plan, which suggests that the famed TSP millionaire’s club are likely among those happy with the TSP. Abraham Grungold is a financial professional as the owner of AG Financial Services , a longtime federal employee and a member of the exclusive TSP milliona...
Apr 24, 2023•18 min•Season 4Ep. 40
The promise of Login.gov when it was launched was to have a single, secure signon for U.S. government sites. Since it launched to replace Connect.gov, however, Login.gov has not fulfilled all of its promise, with concerns about security being highlighted in a recent GSA inspector general office report. Natalie Alms is a staff writer at FCW covering federal technology policy, service delivery, customer experience and the government's tech workforce. She joined the podcast to discuss the latest ne...
Apr 20, 2023•22 min•Season 4Ep. 39
In the 21st century, Americans are used to having many easy interactions online, albeit mostly in the private sector. We interact with sites like Amazon and Google often and have come to expect that our interactions will be seamless and effective. Government does not have the same expectations, but many Americans do want to interact with government online and modernization is a key goal of federal officials. Deloitte Consulting recently released a report titled “ The Digital Citizen: A Survey of...
Apr 19, 2023•16 min•Season 4Ep. 38
Despite the negative talk of the swamp or the deep state, the last few years have shown the import of government in the lives of Americans. From the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines to disaster recovery to the other services that government and stakeholders bring forward, public servants play a huge part in our society. At GovExec’s Evening of Honors Gala on April 20 , Government Executive and FCW will honor industry stakeholders, current and former government officials who have made historic ac...
Apr 18, 2023•12 min•Season 4Ep. 37
The Social Security Amendments of 1983 brought forward, among other things, the windfall elimination provision and government pension offset, two rules that impact public servants and their retirement. In the forty years since, concerns about the rules have come forward and this year, Rep. Abigail Spanberger asked her constituents how they experience the GPO and WEP, with thousands responding to a survey. Rep. Spanberger is a Democrat representing Virginia's 7th district in the United States Hou...
Apr 17, 2023•17 min•Season 4Ep. 36
Intelligence agencies are prioritizing a number of workforce initiatives this year, including thousands of job openings at the National Security Agency and DEIA efforts at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. As part of ongoing hiring initiatives, intelligence agencies are looking for strong candidates for open IT and cyber positions. As part of a recent Federal Computer Week webcast , FCW reporter Chris Riotta interviewed Christine Parker, acting senior adviser to the Chief Huma...
Apr 14, 2023•31 min•Season 4Ep. 35
With a workforce of approximately 60,000 Social Security Administration administers retirement and disability benefits. But, union officials representing the agency’s workforce have noted burnout and poor service delivery at SSA . The union has also called for more funding for the agency in the wake of inflation and national economic conditions. GovExec senior reporter Erich Wagner covers the federal workforce. He joined the podcast to talk about the Social Security Administration’s workforce co...
Apr 13, 2023•18 min•Season 4Ep. 34
A common complaint about the security clearance process is the incongruity between the timelines promised to applicants and the actual timeline of the process. But, new reporting benchmarks are underway right now, with the potential to make things clearer. Lindy Kyzer is the editor of ClearanceJobs.com, a former Defense Department employee and a GovExec contributor. Her latest post on our site is headlined “ Say Good-bye to the Security Clearance Status Quo. ” She joined the podcast to discuss h...
Apr 12, 2023•18 min•Season 4Ep. 33
