When President Joe Biden announced a vaccine-or-testing mandate last month for federal employees and on-site contractors, details were not available as to how the administration of the attestation or testing would happen. Now, the Justice Department is filling in the details as to how it will be able to executive the policies. Courtney Bublé is a reporter for Government Executive who writes the coronavirus roundup. She joined the show to discuss the ways feds will have to prove they’re vaccinate...
Aug 18, 2021•17 min•Season 2Ep. 118
The novel coronavirus pandemic has moved most public employees to remote work situations. But the pandemic has not stopped the need for workforce development and government has had to adjust to a new world of online training and learning. Agencies have had to pivot to virtual workforce development over the past two years. As part of Government Executive and Nextgov’s Future of Work event recently, GovExec reporter and frequent GovExec Daily guest Eric Katz spoke to Clo Taylor, Chief Learning and...
Aug 17, 2021•25 min•Season 2Ep. 117
With news of a vaccine-or-testing mandate for federal employees who work on-site, public servants are thinking more about coming back to offices. As summer comes to an end, federal managers are needing to navigate new “return-to-office” policies, a new hybrid work reality and a workforce that expects a different experience from work. Kristen Vaughan is a Managing Director at Accenture Federal Services, leading the Human Capital Practice. She is one of the co-authors of a new Accenture report tit...
Aug 16, 2021•13 min•Season 2Ep. 116
Early in 2020, EPA put out a directive that prohibits some scientists from discussing their work amongst themselves, but outside groups want the policy rescinded, saying that it prevents government scientists from properly protecting the public from hazardous materials. Others say the policy is difficult to justify. In an administration that pledged to be more amenable to science and science-based policy, the directive seems quite curious. GovExec Senior Correspondent Eric Katz is covering the s...
Aug 13, 2021•16 min•Season 2Ep. 115
President Joe Biden has made diversity, equity and inclusion cornerstones of his administration. Identifying the ways headway can be made into DEI issues will be paramount to these efforts, including using the best available information. As part of Government Executive and Nextgov’s Future of Work event recently, GovExec reporter and frequent GovExec Daily guest Courtney Bublé spoke to diversity officers from four different agencies. In this episode, officials from the FBI, the State Department,...
Aug 12, 2021•33 min•Season 2Ep. 114
President Joe Biden’s fiscal 2022 budget blueprint would bring on thousands of employees to the Internal Revenue Service, which the administration claims could help ameliorate years of staff losses over the past decade. That plan presents an opportunity for the IRS, but it is also a challenge, as the agency must redefine the skills and expertise required of its employees in order for the IRS to be as effective as it can be. Dr. Ron Sanders was a federal civil servant for almost 40 years, serving...
Aug 11, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 113
Using emotion in a leadership role can be effective, but gendered stereotypes about certain emotional reactions can be received in different ways depending on the gender of the leader. According to a new study, women are perceived as more effective leaders than men when they express calm, happy emotions. Dr. Thomas Sy is an Industrial Organizational psychologist and a professor at the University of California-Riverside. He’s the co-author of a new study titled “The emotional leader: Implicit the...
Aug 10, 2021•22 min•Season 2Ep. 112
June marked the 77th anniversary of the original GI Bill and the thirteenth anniversary of the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Between both, millions of veterans have used the bills’ education benefits to attend college and training programs. Unfortunately, finding education outcomes is difficult and institutions are not required to comprehensively report student veteran data. Wesley Wilson is an Army veteran, a current student at American University and a senior analyst at Grant Thornton Public Sector LLC. ...
Aug 09, 2021•17 min•Season 2Ep. 111
The COVID-19 crisis brought a potential reshaping of the way people approach work. A recent Microsoft survey found more than 40 percent of the workforce is likely to consider leaving their current employer within the next year. Perhaps organizations can adjust to this new normal by creating a more connected culture by increasing emotional compensation. Michael Lee Stallard is a GovExec contributor and the co-author of the book Connection Culture: The Competitive Advantage of Shared Identity, Emp...
Aug 06, 2021•15 min•Season 2Ep. 110
When President Joe Biden announced last week that on-site feds would have to “attest” that they have been vaccinated or submit to regular screening for COVID-19, he did not specify how the testing would be administered or how the attestations would be executed. GovExec reporter Eric Katz joined the podcast to discuss the testing administration and vaccine mandates in the federal government.
Aug 05, 2021•16 min•Season 2Ep. 109
The House last week passed, on a 219 to 208 vote, a package of fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills. Absent in the package is mention of a pay raise for feds, of which there are two proposed numbers. The minibus now heads to the Senate. GovExec senior reporter Erich Wagner covers the federal workforce. He joined the podcast to discuss the pay raise and other stories that affect federal employees.
Aug 04, 2021•24 min•Season 2Ep. 108
Last week, President Joe Biden announced that federal employees who work on-site would have to “attest” that they have been vaccinated, or agree to wear masks at all times and submit to regular screening for COVID-19. Visitors to federal facilities will have to also have to abide by the mandate. Courtney Bublé writes the Coronavirus Roundup on GovExec.com. She joined the podcast discuss the vaccine rule and other COVID-19 stories.
Aug 03, 2021•16 min•Season 2Ep. 107
The ways that people interact with government have changed quite a bit with changing technology and the pandemic has moved many interactions online. But, those interactions can be dicey and the relationships between customers’ expectations of and experiences with government digital service delivery. A new report from Salesforce and the Boston Consulting Group entitled The Global Trust Imperative looks at how digital interactions transform the citizen experience with government. Casey Coleman is ...
Aug 02, 2021•18 min•Season 2Ep. 106
Each year, National Whistleblower Day is observed on July 30 to commemorate the first American whistleblower protection law, a resolution passed by the Continental Congress in 1778 after ten whistleblowers reported wrongdoing and abuses committed by a superior officer in the Continental Navy. Since the beginning of the United States, whistleblowers have been an integral part in government oversight and accountability. Irvin McCullough is a National Security Analyst at the Government Accountabili...
Jul 30, 2021•17 min•Season 2Ep. 105
The pandemic shut down government offices nationwide seemingly overnight in the spring of 2020. Agencies had to reorient their way of managing, resiliency and planning in the face of uncertainty that came with the COVID0-19 crisis. Government financial professionals bore the brunt of much of this planning. Ann Ebberts is the CEO of the Association of Government Accountants and was previously a vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton. Tony Scardino is a Grant Thornton Managing Principal and was pre...
Jul 29, 2021•17 min•Season 2Ep. 104
Late last week, the Office of Personnel Management issued guidance for agencies to begin to implement their reentry and post-reentry places for feds. Remote work and hybrid work will be a part of the post-reentry future for agencies, but one agency has been a telework model since before the pandemic. The Patent and Trademark Office embraced telework long before the pandemic, starting in 1997 with 18 attorneys working remotely. In 2019 before the pandemic, the agency had 11,000 employees regularl...
Jul 28, 2021•18 min•Season 2Ep. 103
In the months since the COVID-19 vaccines have become available, the number of eligible Americans who have received shots has fallen short of the White House’s 70% goal. The administration has decried public disinformation on traditional and social media, targeting it as a reason for the recent slow vaccination percentage increases. The University of South Florida recently conducted a survey to measure exposure to misinformation and common objections to vaccination and the researchers have a pos...
Jul 27, 2021•21 min•Season 2Ep. 102
The political and social divides in the United States are deep and can affect relationships in all parts of someone’s life. The COVID-19 crisis has brought new divisions into these relationships around the pandemic itself. As workplaces reopen, employers and employees will have to navigate a new environment. Leslie Parker is a partner based in the San Francisco office of the management consulting firm Kearney and a member of the firm’s Operations and Performance practice. She also chairs the glo...
Jul 26, 2021•16 min•Season 2Ep. 101
Paid family leave for federal employees has been a goal of Congressional Democrats for years and that goal got closer to fulfillment last week when a House panel advanced a bill that would provide 12 weeks of paid family leave to federal employees. The bill is far from law and its advancement was not without controversy in committee. GovExec Senior Correspondent Erich Wagner covers the workforce. He joined the show to talk about paid family leave and other stories he has been covering....
Jul 22, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 100
The pandemic has reoriented the way most of us work and the federal civil service is no different. Since maximum telework was instituted in the spring of 2020, the federal government has had to make a series of adjustments to its operations, including remote work and hiring practices. It remains to be seen if the pandemic changes will all stick, but administration personnel officials have signaled that the post-pandemic world will be different than the pre-pandemic world. As part of Government E...
Jul 21, 2021•22 min•Season 2Ep. 99
Both public and private sector spaces are in the process of reopening, signaling a new phase in the pandemic. While the U.S. is near the top of worldwide vaccination rates, we’re still short of the 70% White House goal. As the new school year approaches and new COVID-19 variants spread, the concern about a lack of an approved vaccine for kids under 12 has become an issue. Courtney Bublé writes the Coronavirus Update on GovExec.com. She joined the show to discuss the vaccine situation and update ...
Jul 20, 2021•20 min•Season 2Ep. 98
Earlier this year, President Joe Biden issued an executive order requiring that the minimum wage paid by government contractors be at least $15 per hour. The order will not affect the overwhelming majority of contract workers, its implementation will not be as easy as the White House and its supporters hope. Stan Soloway is president and CEO of Celero Strategies, LLC and a GovExec contributor. He formerly served as deputy undersecretary of Defense for acquisition reform and director of the Defen...
Jul 19, 2021•22 min•Season 2Ep. 97
As more Americans get vaccinated against COVID-19, more spaces are opening up maskless for those who have received the vaccine. Federal agencies are in the process of creating reopening and in-person operational plans, but can run into real trouble if they use the honor system as much of the private sector is doing now. Stephanie Rapp-Tully is a partner and federal employment attorney with Tully Rinckey PLLC’s Washington, D.C. office. She joined the show to discuss vaccine policies and liabiliti...
Jul 16, 2021•15 min•Season 2Ep. 96
Last week, the United States Postal Service boasted its third quarter service was the strongest in a year . The news comes after the pandemic hit USPS particularly hard, with thousands having to take COVID-related time off and on-time delivery numbers dropping during the pandemic period. This all coincided with then-new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s massive operational changes. Senior Correspondent Eric Katz covers USPS. He joined the podcast to discuss the on-time delivery announcement, the ...
Jul 15, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 95
The COVID-19 pandemic taught many lessons. Perhaps one of the biggest is how much artificial intelligence can help innovate and increase the efficacy of billing and health care records. Agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services and the Defense Department have already used AI to analyze contract and manufacturing information to order PPE during the heart of the pandemic. Ashley Mehta is the CEO and founder of Nolij, a firm specializing in federal IT health care. She joined GovExec...
Jul 14, 2021•14 min•Season 2Ep. 94
Climate change is an emphasis for President Joe Biden and his administration has promised a government-wide focus on climate. Federal housing and community development programs will be a part of that focus, including at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Sarah Cunningham is a director at Summit Consulting and a former official with the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Office of Management and Budget Doug Criscitello is currently a Managing Director with Grant Tho...
Jul 13, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 93
When talking with young people about career planning, many in Generation X want to make a difference or work for positive change. The federal civil service is one avenue for that, but it’s increasingly difficult for Generation Z to get into the federal government. With an aging workforce, this not only presents a major challenge in the immediate future, but a longer term problem for the government of the future. Kaitlyn Rentala is the author of the book, The Public Sector Pivot: How Gen Z Will L...
Jul 12, 2021•18 min•Season 2Ep. 92
Last month, the Senate passed a $250 billion bipartisan tech and manufacturing bill aimed at countering China. The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act is not only one of the largest industrial bills in U.S. history, but it could be also be one of the last major bipartisan bills of 2021. While this amount of investment may be impressive, serious questions are being raised about whether America has the infrastructure in place to drive tangible results and if much of the investment will just be was...
Jul 09, 2021•13 min•Season 2Ep. 91
Last week, President Biden sent Congress a $6 trillion budget request for fiscal 2022 in which he said he is “recommitting to good government” partially through re-empowering the federal workforce. The full budget request follows April’s release of Biden’s so-called skinny budget. GovExec Senior Correspondent Erich Wagner covers the federal workforce. He joined the podcast to discuss the budget request and how it will affect federal employees.
Jul 08, 2021•17 min•Season 2Ep. 90
President Joe Biden came into office in January pledging a very different White House than his predecessor, Donald Trump. So far, this has manifested in general management style and federal personnel policy, but a specific example like Biden’s recent moratorium of federal elections brings into focus the contrasts between Biden and his predecessor. Courtney Bublé has been covering the Biden administration since January. She joined the show to talk about the two administrations she has covered at ...
Jul 07, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 89
