Welcome back to the office (or home office.) Many federal employees went home Friday expecting to be furloughed before Monday, and we all know now how that went.
Many agencies spent last week preparing for a shutdown and now have to undo their preparations -- or maybe hold off a few days to be assured the agreed-to fiscal 2011 budget actually passes as Congress has promised it would.
You tell us: What did you have to do last week and undo this week? How is your agency handling the lingering uncertainty until final passage of the budget?
Posted on Apr 11, 2011 at 7:01 PM2 comments
Unless something close to a miracle occurs, the government will shut down at midnight Friday.
You might think that would pose a problem for FCW because covering the doings of government is hard to do when it's doing nothing. But in fact, we've spent the past few days figuring out how we will cover the shutdown. We know our readers will need up-to-the-minute information on where things stand, when agencies might reopen and how they can cope in the meantime.
We'll bring you that and, for the essential workers who aren't furloughed, we'll report on what is happening inside government. We will make full use of our own reporting staff, and also provide links to the most useful and interesting reporting published elsewhere.
We know a furlough isn't a bonus vacation. Employees who are enduring an indefinite amount of time without a paycheck are going to be worried and stressed. We can't make Congress resolve its differences, but we can provide timely and accurate information for our government readers -- and so we will.
If you get our daily e-mail newsletters, use the link at the bottom of the newsletter to change your e-mail address to one you will have access to after a shutdown. If you're not already a subscriber, go here to sign up. Or if you'd prefer, follow our Twitter account @fedcomputerweek, "like" us on Facebook, or just remember to check our homepage frequently for updates.
The government has shut down before, and if it shuts down again we will get through it this time just as feds did then. It won't be easy or pleasant, but keep the faith: Things will get better, and soon.
Posted by Michael Hardy on Apr 07, 2011 at 7:01 PM4 comments
The Federal 100 awards gala is tonight, and the occasion is a good opportunity to pause and reflect on the value of federal employees.
Each year, the Federal 100 awards typically include some top leaders and some midlevel managers from government and industry whose work spans a broad range of areas. What they have in common is that they go above and beyond the call of duty with innovation, creative problem-solving and sheer hours spent addressing an issue.
A recent blog entry from Phil Piemonte asks feds to what extent they're motivated by pay. The Fed 100 suggests that, for many at least, money is a lesser factor. These are people who might earn a good paycheck but, even so, are working far more than they're required to.
Why they do it is a question that might have as many answers as there are awardees. For some, it's public service; for others, personal pride in a job done exceedingly well. For some, it's about providing leadership to a team; for others, it's about persuading colleagues to share a new vision.
Whatever the motivation, we're proud to cover this community day to day and pleased to be able to honor some of the brightest lights in the government sky.
Posted on Mar 24, 2011 at 7:01 PM0 comments